clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A bowl of ramen.
The menudo tonkotsu ramen at Ramen Del Barrio.
Ramen Del Barrio/Instagram

The Hottest New Restaurants in Austin, March 2023

A Mexican-Japanese ramen restaurant, New York-style pizza at a wine bar, and a new Latin American live-fire spot

View as Map
The menudo tonkotsu ramen at Ramen Del Barrio.
| Ramen Del Barrio/Instagram

Readers of Eater usually have the same question: Where should I eat right now? Amid the pandemic, the Austin restaurant scene remains as exciting as ever, as new places have continued to open. With all of this in mind, Eater is updating its monthly heatmap (now in its 133rd iteration), highlighting a mix of exciting restaurants, trucks, and food services open right now.

This March update adds the Japanese-Mexican ramen restaurant Barrio del Ramen, New York-style pizza spot Allday Pizza, a second location of seafood restaurant Garbo’s Lobster, and Latin American live-fire restaurant Ember.

Know of something new and exciting that should be on our radar? Email the Eater Austin team at austin@eater.com. To see which places were previously on the heatmap, visit the archive. For a look at Austin’s outstanding dining destinations, check out the Eater 38 map.

For all the latest Austin dining intel, subscribe to Eater Austin's newsletter

Read More

Ramen Del Barrio

Copy Link

Truthfully, this North Austin restaurant is one of the most exciting restaurants of the year, which opened in February. Chef Christopher Krinsky’s food court stall inside of Hana World Market in the Scofield Farms neighborhood offers ramen and tacos in Mexican and Japanese ways. Of the former, the mole tsukemen is a wonder; of the latter, he places grilled meat skewers on corn tortillas. It’s a counter-service restaurant, be patient with ordering and if they run out of food. There are indoor dine-in areas.

Ling Kitchen

Copy Link

Chef Ling Qi Wu, the dumpling master behind Lin Asian Restaurant and other restaurants, opened her intimate 10-seat tasting spot in Wooten in November. The restaurant serves a tasting menu of pan-Asian fare along with wine and beer and is open for indoor dining only.

Allday Pizza at Flo’s Wine Bar and Bottle Shop

Copy Link

The highly anticipated pizza spot opened its first location this March in Tarrytown, slinging all sorts of New York-style pies and slices topped with cheese, pepperoni, and more. Pair the pies with glasses of wine from host site Flo’s. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Mum Foods

Copy Link

Pastrami experts Mum Foods opened a new deli again in December. The farmers market favorite — whose stalls will remain open — serves barbecued meats, smoked chicken salad, sides, desserts, beer, wine, and coffee, out of the Pecan Springs-Springdale neighborhood. There are indoor dine-in areas.

The Texas barbecue spot with Egyptian influences finally opened a permanent truck on Manor Road in October. Look for lamb bacon ribs, grilled chicken kebabs, pink potato salad, and bowls. Takeout orders can be placed online. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas at the host site Oddwood Brewing.

The Mexican seafood spot from the Suerte team, including lauded chef Fermín Núñez, opened in October in the former home of Eastside Cafe (and yes, the restaurant uses the on-site garden). Dishes include charcoal-cooked oysters, fried fish tacos on corn tortillas, and grilled shrimp. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

A plate of red raw fish and olive oil and sliced avocados and thin crispies.
A dish from Este.
Este

Garbo's on Lamar

Copy Link

The North Austin seafood restaurant opened its second physical spot in Clarksville near downtown this March. The star of the menu are those lobster rolls, of course, served chilled or poached, plus there are desserts, other seafood bites, and more. To-go orders can be placed online or through the window; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Luminaire

Copy Link

Six-time James Beard Award nominee Steve McHugh opened his first Austin restaurant in a new downtown hotel, Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, in February. The San Antonio chef’s menu includes charcuterie (which he is known for at his restaurant Cured) and seasonal Texas fare. Luminaire is on the ground floor of the hotel with indoor and outdoor seating options, and there’s also a rooftop bar, Las Bis, with cocktails, snacks, an outdoor terrace, and skyline views.

Ember Kitchen

Copy Link

The massive downtown restaurant space is now home to a Latin American-leaning live-fire spot courtesy of hospitality financial startup InKind. The upscale-ish menu spans steaks with salsas, caviar atop sopes, and a fully loaded seafood tower paired with veracruz sauce. There are indoor dine-in areas.

Bufalina

Copy Link

The local pizzeria brought stellar chef Grae Nonas on board for its new location, which means in addition to Neapolitan pizzas, there’s now fresh pasta dishes like tagliatelle bolognese and appetizers like spicy suppli and gooey stracciatella. This location of Bufalina, which opened in November, is indoor dining only.

Masa y Más

Copy Link

This counter-service Mexican restaurant opened on South Lamar in January with tacos, tortas, queso, and more. The recipes come from chef and operating partner Roberto Campos’s grandmother. There’s an indoor dining area and a covered patio.

Mr. Pimento

Copy Link

This Jamaican food truck opened at Buzz Mill Coffee on Riverside in December. Owner and Jamaican immigrant Clay Spence serves up dishes with plantains, jerk chicken, and a vegan jerk mushroom option. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Cooked plantains.
Plantains from Mr. Pimento.
Mr. Pimento

Golden Hour Cafe & Wine Bar

Copy Link

A cafe by day and wine bar by night, Golden Hour opened in November with indoor dining, a patio, and to-go wine. In the mornings and afternoons, the cafe serves breakfast pastries, cheese plates, and cakes, while by night expect raw bar dishes and seafood — plus, low-intervention natural wine and snacks all day.

Ramen Del Barrio

Truthfully, this North Austin restaurant is one of the most exciting restaurants of the year, which opened in February. Chef Christopher Krinsky’s food court stall inside of Hana World Market in the Scofield Farms neighborhood offers ramen and tacos in Mexican and Japanese ways. Of the former, the mole tsukemen is a wonder; of the latter, he places grilled meat skewers on corn tortillas. It’s a counter-service restaurant, be patient with ordering and if they run out of food. There are indoor dine-in areas.

Ling Kitchen

Chef Ling Qi Wu, the dumpling master behind Lin Asian Restaurant and other restaurants, opened her intimate 10-seat tasting spot in Wooten in November. The restaurant serves a tasting menu of pan-Asian fare along with wine and beer and is open for indoor dining only.

Allday Pizza at Flo’s Wine Bar and Bottle Shop

The highly anticipated pizza spot opened its first location this March in Tarrytown, slinging all sorts of New York-style pies and slices topped with cheese, pepperoni, and more. Pair the pies with glasses of wine from host site Flo’s. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Mum Foods

Pastrami experts Mum Foods opened a new deli again in December. The farmers market favorite — whose stalls will remain open — serves barbecued meats, smoked chicken salad, sides, desserts, beer, wine, and coffee, out of the Pecan Springs-Springdale neighborhood. There are indoor dine-in areas.

KG BBQ

The Texas barbecue spot with Egyptian influences finally opened a permanent truck on Manor Road in October. Look for lamb bacon ribs, grilled chicken kebabs, pink potato salad, and bowls. Takeout orders can be placed online. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas at the host site Oddwood Brewing.

Este

The Mexican seafood spot from the Suerte team, including lauded chef Fermín Núñez, opened in October in the former home of Eastside Cafe (and yes, the restaurant uses the on-site garden). Dishes include charcoal-cooked oysters, fried fish tacos on corn tortillas, and grilled shrimp. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

A plate of red raw fish and olive oil and sliced avocados and thin crispies.
A dish from Este.
Este

Garbo's on Lamar

The North Austin seafood restaurant opened its second physical spot in Clarksville near downtown this March. The star of the menu are those lobster rolls, of course, served chilled or poached, plus there are desserts, other seafood bites, and more. To-go orders can be placed online or through the window; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Luminaire

Six-time James Beard Award nominee Steve McHugh opened his first Austin restaurant in a new downtown hotel, Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, in February. The San Antonio chef’s menu includes charcuterie (which he is known for at his restaurant Cured) and seasonal Texas fare. Luminaire is on the ground floor of the hotel with indoor and outdoor seating options, and there’s also a rooftop bar, Las Bis, with cocktails, snacks, an outdoor terrace, and skyline views.

Ember Kitchen

The massive downtown restaurant space is now home to a Latin American-leaning live-fire spot courtesy of hospitality financial startup InKind. The upscale-ish menu spans steaks with salsas, caviar atop sopes, and a fully loaded seafood tower paired with veracruz sauce. There are indoor dine-in areas.

Bufalina

The local pizzeria brought stellar chef Grae Nonas on board for its new location, which means in addition to Neapolitan pizzas, there’s now fresh pasta dishes like tagliatelle bolognese and appetizers like spicy suppli and gooey stracciatella. This location of Bufalina, which opened in November, is indoor dining only.

Masa y Más

This counter-service Mexican restaurant opened on South Lamar in January with tacos, tortas, queso, and more. The recipes come from chef and operating partner Roberto Campos’s grandmother. There’s an indoor dining area and a covered patio.

Mr. Pimento

This Jamaican food truck opened at Buzz Mill Coffee on Riverside in December. Owner and Jamaican immigrant Clay Spence serves up dishes with plantains, jerk chicken, and a vegan jerk mushroom option. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Cooked plantains.
Plantains from Mr. Pimento.
Mr. Pimento

Golden Hour Cafe & Wine Bar

A cafe by day and wine bar by night, Golden Hour opened in November with indoor dining, a patio, and to-go wine. In the mornings and afternoons, the cafe serves breakfast pastries, cheese plates, and cakes, while by night expect raw bar dishes and seafood — plus, low-intervention natural wine and snacks all day.

Related Maps