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A fried fish on a white platter with sides.
The whole-fried fish at Veracruz Fonda.
Courtney Pierce/Eater Austin

The Hottest New Restaurants in Austin, May 2023

Two all-you-can-can-eat spots, one serving hot pot and the other Korean barbecue; Veracruz All Natural’s new Mexican restaurant; and a new Mediterranean restaurant courtesy of the Emmer & Rye team

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The whole-fried fish at Veracruz Fonda.
| Courtney Pierce/Eater Austin

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 134th iteration), highlighting a mix of exciting restaurants, trucks, and food services open right now.

This May update adds the all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant Soupleaf, Veracruz All Natural’s new Mexican restaurant Veracruz Fonda, Suerte/Este’s new Spanish/French/Mexican-ish snacks and drinks spot Bar Toti, JewBoy Burgers’s downtown food hall spot, Mexico City restaurant La Popular’s first Austin location, Emmer & Rye’s Mediterranean restaurant Ezov, and all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue spot Gangnam Korean BBQ.

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.

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Ramen Del Barrio

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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.

Soupleaf Hot Pot

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The newcomer Highland hot pot restaurant offers all-you-can-eat ingredients for its boiling soups, including vegetables, noodles, and dumplings available buffet-style. And for those who want a little something more, there are a la carte meat and seafood options. The restaurant is open for reservations only through Monday, May 15. There are indoor dine-in services.

Gràcia

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The new Mediterranean restaurant opened in Rosedale in March, offering a seafood-focused menu with items like gnocchi in a calamari bolognese, swordfish skewers, and more. Owner Cameron Lockley operates neighboring Italian restaurant Gusto and executive chef Jason Tallent worked at Austin Italian restaurant Cipollina. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Allday Pizza at Flo’s Wine Bar and Bottle Shop

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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 creamy cheese blobs, pepperoni, and more. Pair the pies with glasses of wine from host site Flo’s. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Rosé Gosé

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This new European restaurant took over what had been ATX Grill/Sala & Betty in North Loop as of March. The menu offers New European and New American dishes with what the owners call comfort food angles. There’s a raw bar with all sorts of tartares, mussels in tomato sauce, and pavlova topped with sorbets. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

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Best Austin taco truck Veracruz expanded with a new Mexican restaurant in Mueller in April, offering, yes, those brilliant breakfast tacos alongside newer dishes like picadas, chilaquiles, wonderfully decadent whole-fried fish, and delightful tres leches cakes. It’s also the first time the restaurant is offering a full cocktail bar with lovely drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bar Toti

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The teams behind Mexican restaurants Suerte and Este opened a third little restaurant. Found on the same grounds as Este in Cherrywood, Bar Toti is an intimate indoor and outdoor space serving dishes with Spanish/French/Mexican tinges, take the Mexican hamburguesa with seared ham, the croquetas, and the burnt Basque cheesecake with strawberries. Keep in mind it’s only open on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Luminaire

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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

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The massive downtown restaurant space is now home to a Latin American-leaning live-fire spot courtesy of hospitality financial startup InKind as of February. 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 services.

Uptown Sports Club

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It’s another Aaron Franklin-James Moody collaboration (see: Hot Luck Festival) in restaurant form, which opened in March. The casual East Austin spot focuses on New Orleans fare with the help of chef de cuisine Rene Garza. There are po’ boys made with bread from NOLA bakery Leidenheimer, chicken and sausage gumbo, and a raw bar with shrimp cocktails and fancy caviar paired with Zapp’s chips. Obviously, there are good drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Jewboy Sliders at Fareground

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Essential Austin El Pasoan-Jewish restaurant JewBoy Burgers opened up a new location within downtown food hall Fareground in April. The menu is a mash-up of its various locations: there are sliders, sub-style sliders, latkes, and yes, queso. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

La Popular

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Mexico City restaurant La Popular opened its second-ever American location in Austin’s West Oak Hill neighborhood in April. The menu is a classic taqueria one with lots of tacos, enchiladas, quesos, ceviches, and more, alongside cocktails. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

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The new Govalle bar’s food menu is meant to feel like a dinner party, per the all-star team behind Holiday (co-owners bar genius Erin Ashford and Kinda Tropical’s John DiCicco with executive chef Peter Klein) in March. Find New American dishes like the soothing steamed mussels with giant beans, a savory-sweet chicken liver mousse with a white port gelee and strawberry-green garlic mostarda, plus a lovely olive oil cake with dense whipped cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The Emmer & Rye team opened its latest restaurant in late April: Ezov, with a whole Tel Aviv vibe and menu, in the Holly neighborhood. Leading the kitchen is Berty Richter, who had operated the now-closed restaurant TLV. On deck’s falafel paired with tahini, halloumi with date molasses and dukkah, chicken shawarma, and baklava. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Masa y Más

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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. Takeout orders can be placed online. There’s an indoor dining area and a covered patio.

Gangnam Korean BBQ

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Another all-you-can-eat restaurant, but this Sweetbriar spot offers Korean barbecue since it opened in April. There are the usual meats available for grill-it-yourself purposes, plus banchan and a la carte dishes like tteokbokki and stews, plus cocktails and Korean alcoholic beverages. There are indoor dine-in services.

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.

Soupleaf Hot Pot

The newcomer Highland hot pot restaurant offers all-you-can-eat ingredients for its boiling soups, including vegetables, noodles, and dumplings available buffet-style. And for those who want a little something more, there are a la carte meat and seafood options. The restaurant is open for reservations only through Monday, May 15. There are indoor dine-in services.

Gràcia

The new Mediterranean restaurant opened in Rosedale in March, offering a seafood-focused menu with items like gnocchi in a calamari bolognese, swordfish skewers, and more. Owner Cameron Lockley operates neighboring Italian restaurant Gusto and executive chef Jason Tallent worked at Austin Italian restaurant Cipollina. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

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 creamy cheese blobs, pepperoni, and more. Pair the pies with glasses of wine from host site Flo’s. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Rosé Gosé

This new European restaurant took over what had been ATX Grill/Sala & Betty in North Loop as of March. The menu offers New European and New American dishes with what the owners call comfort food angles. There’s a raw bar with all sorts of tartares, mussels in tomato sauce, and pavlova topped with sorbets. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

Best Austin taco truck Veracruz expanded with a new Mexican restaurant in Mueller in April, offering, yes, those brilliant breakfast tacos alongside newer dishes like picadas, chilaquiles, wonderfully decadent whole-fried fish, and delightful tres leches cakes. It’s also the first time the restaurant is offering a full cocktail bar with lovely drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bar Toti

The teams behind Mexican restaurants Suerte and Este opened a third little restaurant. Found on the same grounds as Este in Cherrywood, Bar Toti is an intimate indoor and outdoor space serving dishes with Spanish/French/Mexican tinges, take the Mexican hamburguesa with seared ham, the croquetas, and the burnt Basque cheesecake with strawberries. Keep in mind it’s only open on Friday and Saturday evenings.

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 as of February. 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 services.

Uptown Sports Club

It’s another Aaron Franklin-James Moody collaboration (see: Hot Luck Festival) in restaurant form, which opened in March. The casual East Austin spot focuses on New Orleans fare with the help of chef de cuisine Rene Garza. There are po’ boys made with bread from NOLA bakery Leidenheimer, chicken and sausage gumbo, and a raw bar with shrimp cocktails and fancy caviar paired with Zapp’s chips. Obviously, there are good drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Jewboy Sliders at Fareground

Essential Austin El Pasoan-Jewish restaurant JewBoy Burgers opened up a new location within downtown food hall Fareground in April. The menu is a mash-up of its various locations: there are sliders, sub-style sliders, latkes, and yes, queso. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

La Popular

Mexico City restaurant La Popular opened its second-ever American location in Austin’s West Oak Hill neighborhood in April. The menu is a classic taqueria one with lots of tacos, enchiladas, quesos, ceviches, and more, alongside cocktails. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

The new Govalle bar’s food menu is meant to feel like a dinner party, per the all-star team behind Holiday (co-owners bar genius Erin Ashford and Kinda Tropical’s John DiCicco with executive chef Peter Klein) in March. Find New American dishes like the soothing steamed mussels with giant beans, a savory-sweet chicken liver mousse with a white port gelee and strawberry-green garlic mostarda, plus a lovely olive oil cake with dense whipped cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Ezov

The Emmer & Rye team opened its latest restaurant in late April: Ezov, with a whole Tel Aviv vibe and menu, in the Holly neighborhood. Leading the kitchen is Berty Richter, who had operated the now-closed restaurant TLV. On deck’s falafel paired with tahini, halloumi with date molasses and dukkah, chicken shawarma, and baklava. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

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. Takeout orders can be placed online. There’s an indoor dining area and a covered patio.

Related Maps

Gangnam Korean BBQ

Another all-you-can-eat restaurant, but this Sweetbriar spot offers Korean barbecue since it opened in April. There are the usual meats available for grill-it-yourself purposes, plus banchan and a la carte dishes like tteokbokki and stews, plus cocktails and Korean alcoholic beverages. There are indoor dine-in services.

Related Maps