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Pitmaster Evan LeRoy's Eight Favorite Late-Night Eats

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Hello Eater-verse! I'm Evan LeRoy, the executive chef and pitmaster at Freedmen's Bar in West Campus. As a chef, I'm constantly looking for inspiration when I'm hungry and almost never eat a bad meal. Austin's restaurant scene has changed dramatically since I grew up here, but the one gap that still needs filling is late night dining.

Every chef I talk to laments the fact that they can't get a good meal after midnight in this town. That's where I come in.

I've been pounding the pavement for YOU, and I've come up with the best places in town to get your grub on in the wee hours. Whether you've just gotten off work and are craving tacos, or you're drunk downtown and you want pizza, here are the 8 best places to eat in Austin after midnight.


—Evan LeRoy

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La Mexicana Bakery

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This Mexican bakery has all the makings for a great late night snack. Queso, salsa bar, and excellent tacos are obvious, but tortas with home made bread and pastries like empanada de pina and pan ducle make this 24 hour joint one of south Austin’s best.

888 Vietnamese Restaurant

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One of the only really good Asian restaurants in south Austin, 888 has all the best Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes under one roof, and it’s all available until 2 a.m. Noodles is the name of the game here and the clear winner is the Pho Dac Biet with flank steak two ways, tripe, brisket and beef tendon.

Easy Tiger

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Bringing a little bit of class to Dirty Sixth, Andrew Curren’s Easy Tiger bakes incredible bread, makes excellent house sausages, and has an impressive draft beer list. Plus, it’s probably one of the only places you can get beer cheese after midnight. Don’t skip the house cured and smoked pastrami.

P. Terry's

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King of the late night snack, some locations of the rapidly expanding Austin burger joint are open till 3 a.m.! Everybody has their own special order, mine is a double cheeseburger with special sauce, grilled onions and grilled jalapenos only. And a root beer shake, of course.

Buzz Mill Coffee

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Open 24/7 for those who need a caffeine fix in the middle of the night, Buzzmill is slinging the best summertime cold brew in town out of a lodge off east Riverside. The Blue Ox Barbecue truck parked out back is open till 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. This is the only respectable place in town to get barbecue after midnight. The espresso rubbed pork tenderloin is legit.

Gourdough's

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Even after opening a brick and mortar location, one of Austin’s biggest food trailer success stories is still doing it right on south 1st. The Flying Pig, Boss Hogg, Blackout and more of your all-time favorite doughnuts are available till 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Big Bite Pizza & Grill

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Choose from the enormous menu of pizza, wings, burgers, wraps, breakfast and more, or focus your attention on the Phat Sandwiches. Enormous concoctions of fried everything stuffed into a hoagie roll, all topped with French fries and ketchup. This is something you will regret eating at 4 a.m. Try the Phat Bastard with chicken fingers, gyro meat, mozzarella sticks, French fries and tzaziki sauce.

Hoboken Pie

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This is the closest thing in Austin to a late night New York City street slice. All you really need is a cheap pepperoni slice with good sauce, not too much cheese and a crispy crust. If it’s take out or delivery, go for one of their specialty pies like the Mission with figs, brown sugar pineapple, prosciutto, and goat cheese.

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La Mexicana Bakery

This Mexican bakery has all the makings for a great late night snack. Queso, salsa bar, and excellent tacos are obvious, but tortas with home made bread and pastries like empanada de pina and pan ducle make this 24 hour joint one of south Austin’s best.

888 Vietnamese Restaurant

One of the only really good Asian restaurants in south Austin, 888 has all the best Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes under one roof, and it’s all available until 2 a.m. Noodles is the name of the game here and the clear winner is the Pho Dac Biet with flank steak two ways, tripe, brisket and beef tendon.

Easy Tiger

Bringing a little bit of class to Dirty Sixth, Andrew Curren’s Easy Tiger bakes incredible bread, makes excellent house sausages, and has an impressive draft beer list. Plus, it’s probably one of the only places you can get beer cheese after midnight. Don’t skip the house cured and smoked pastrami.

P. Terry's

King of the late night snack, some locations of the rapidly expanding Austin burger joint are open till 3 a.m.! Everybody has their own special order, mine is a double cheeseburger with special sauce, grilled onions and grilled jalapenos only. And a root beer shake, of course.

Buzz Mill Coffee

Open 24/7 for those who need a caffeine fix in the middle of the night, Buzzmill is slinging the best summertime cold brew in town out of a lodge off east Riverside. The Blue Ox Barbecue truck parked out back is open till 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. This is the only respectable place in town to get barbecue after midnight. The espresso rubbed pork tenderloin is legit.

Gourdough's

Even after opening a brick and mortar location, one of Austin’s biggest food trailer success stories is still doing it right on south 1st. The Flying Pig, Boss Hogg, Blackout and more of your all-time favorite doughnuts are available till 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Big Bite Pizza & Grill

Choose from the enormous menu of pizza, wings, burgers, wraps, breakfast and more, or focus your attention on the Phat Sandwiches. Enormous concoctions of fried everything stuffed into a hoagie roll, all topped with French fries and ketchup. This is something you will regret eating at 4 a.m. Try the Phat Bastard with chicken fingers, gyro meat, mozzarella sticks, French fries and tzaziki sauce.

Hoboken Pie

This is the closest thing in Austin to a late night New York City street slice. All you really need is a cheap pepperoni slice with good sauce, not too much cheese and a crispy crust. If it’s take out or delivery, go for one of their specialty pies like the Mission with figs, brown sugar pineapple, prosciutto, and goat cheese.

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