Spicy Food in Austin: 10 Places to Light Your Mouth on Fire

Live on the fiery edge

by Nadia Chaudhury Updated Jun 3, 2019, 2:27pm CDT

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Dee Dee's laab moo

| Yara E./Yelp

by Nadia Chaudhury Updated Jun 3, 2019, 2:27pm CDT

3 comments / new

Texas weather can get hot, but its food can get even hotter. The city’s restaurant scene thrives on peppers and spice and everything else that makes for delicious, flavorful food, but there are certain plates that stand out amongst the rest.

Here is your guide to Austin’s spiciest dishes, the ones that will make you break out in a sweat and light your mouth on fire. There’s an ample amount of Thai and Sichuan specialities like Dee Dee and Sichuan River, to hot chicken at Tumble 22, and oh-so-hot Indian dishes at Clay Pit. This update adds Tommy Want Wingy to the mix. Keep those glasses of milk handy.

For similar cuisines, check out Austin’s best Thai restaurants, spots with Southeast Asian fare, Chinese food, and South Asian places.

Is a favorite go-to spicy dish missing below? Shoot Eater a comment or email through the tipline.

Ramen Tatsu-ya

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The one-two hit of the noodle shop’s Mi-So-Hot ramen with any of the spicier sauces, like the Fire in a Bowl made with Thai chilis and habanero paste or the whopping five-chili blend of the chili bomb will pack a fiery wallop. Add it to the porky Mi-So-Hot ramen for an extra kick.

8557 Research Blvd, #126, Austin, TX 78758

(512) 834-8810

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Tumble 22

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Austin’s dedicated Nashville hot chicken restaurant from the Salty Sow chef offers up four different heat levels for its fried poultry. Go all the way with the fire in the hole level, with a whooping 100,000 Scoville units. The food truck is no longer.

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7211 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757

(512) 520-1998

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Two white cardboard containers with fried chicken pieces, and one with a saucer of beans and the other of a white sauce, both on a red tray. — Hot chicken from Tumble 22

Clay Pit Contemporary Indian Cuisine

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Challenge those taste buds by ordering one of Clay Pit's house specialities at the desi-hot level, which includes curries, Mughlai chicken, and Kothmir salmon.

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1601 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701

(512) 322-5131

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Texas Chili Parlor

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Brave the XXX or the habanero chilis for very, very spicy kicks at the classic chili joint. The weak can opt for the single X version.

1409 Lavaca St, Austin, TX 78701

(512) 472-2828

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Licha's Cantina

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The pambazo sandwiches from Licha's are soaked in a special guajillo pepper and peanut salsa, for major spiciness, which comes with your choice of meats from chorizo to chipotle chicken.

1306 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

(512) 480-5960

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Tommy Want Wingy

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The chicken wing truck’s spiciest level is dubbed the “holy schnikes,” described as “painfully hot” for good reason.

94 Rainey St, Austin, TX 78701

(512) 662-8516

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Sway Thai

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For jungle curry, look to Sway, which uses wagyu beef, paired with peppercorns and coconut cream for the dish.

1417 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

(512) 326-1999

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Dee Dee

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The Thai truck’s laab moo is made with spicy minced pork, accompanied with Thai garnishes and sticky rice. You’re encouraged to eat with your hands, but be sure to wash ‘em before touching those eyes.

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4204 Manchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78745

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A post shared by Jessica Fradono (@thedishstance) on Mar 1, 2017 at 8:09pm PST

Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine

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On Sap’s lengthy menu, only two dishes earn that five-pepper notation: the pad cha catfish is serviced with a hot and spicy sauce made with young peppercorn and Thai peppers; and another take on jungle curry. Plus the simple green beans are very good.