The Best New Restaurants in South Austin: The 2021 Edition

Check out the entire City Guide here!

There have been a lot of ADJUSTMENTS in the restaurant world this past year. Many places unfortunately have closed, most places have pivoted, and a new generation of spots to stuff our faces with have opened. And KUDOS to all of those who have survived, thrived, and opened during a global clusterfluffage! 

If you blinked, or in many cases, didn't really eat out much in the past year, here's the link to my 2020 best new South Austin spots guide; please give them some love too!  The link in the above logo will take you to the entire City Guide with over 70 posts for top Austin eating. And if you're looking for places in far South Austin, check out Phat Phoodie's guide!

In alphabetical order, here are my picks for best new South Austin restaurants.

Aba, 1011 South Congress Ave.

Open in the Music Lane development on South Congress + Academy, Aba is beautifully designed with lots of outdoor space, and the Mediterranean foods were great, especially this whipped feta. *swoon*

Aba's whipped feta + incredibly soft pita bread

Easy Tiger, 3508 South Lamar Blvd.

While not new to Austin, this is the first one south! Big outdoor beer garden. (The former Red's Porch location.)

Jjims, 1100 South Lamar Blvd. (in Lamar Union)

Specializing in Korean braised meats, for the most part, they don't have your traditional Korean menu items. The ribeye bulgogi was incredibly tender.

Jjim's tender ribeye bulgogi

La Tunita 512, 2400 Burleson Road

This trailer is where I first learned about the birria-style taco trend.

Mumtaz Market, 1816 South First Street

From the Garaj Mahal people, Mumtaz opened in the former Alcomar space in the fall of 2020. Modern Indian foods, along with some traditional curries. Their lamb burger is one of the top things I have eaten all year. 

Lamb burger from Mumtaz Market

Nala's, 4894 Hwy 290 West

I was clued into Nala's by an Instagram acquaintance who is originally from South India, which is the type of food they do. Extensive menu, and many dishes that were unfamiliar to me, but their lamb biryani (they call it mutton) was extremely tender and flavorful. Large portions.

Lamb biryani from Nala's

Phantasma Kitchen, 3403 South Lamar Blvd.

Cracker-thin crust pizza coming from this ghost kitchen.

Phantasma Kitchen pizza

Spicy Boys, 440 East St. Elmo Road (at St. Elmo Brewing)

A pivot from the original Soursop trailer, these are  delicious spicy fried chicken sandwiches with an Asian twist! And as much as I loved the sandwich, I REALLY loved the roti chicken curry!

Spicy Boys chicken sandwich

1618 Asian Fusion, 1618 East Riverside Drive

Big Asian menu in a booming area (Riverside + IH-35/Lakeshore Drive), primarily Thai and Vietnamese focused.

24Pho7, 601 West Live Oak St.

OMG. This French dip sandwich with Vietnamese flavors on the most perfect bread -- it's killer!

Places on my radar but I haven't yet been to: 

Pho MPH, 3715 South First Street

Tiny Market, 1718 South Congress Avenue (new grocery in the former Farm to Market space)

Word of Mouth Bakery, 1506 South First Street

What are your favorite new spots in South Austin? Where else should I check out? Drop me a note!

Bits and Bites

Events and Happenings

-- The Austin Food Blogger Alliance will hold their annual fundraiser, Cocktails and Cupcakes on July 19th from 6 - 9 pm at the Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School at the Domain; proceeds benefit the ARC Capital Area. AFBA member price $25/all others $35, over 21 only please. Sip on libations provided by Treaty Oak Distilling, T1 Tequila, and Hops and Grain. Cocktail themed cupcakes courtesy of Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, SugaPlump Pastries, Swift's Attic, Delish, and Crema Bakery and Cafe. Tickets available for purchase here. (Disclosure: I am a member of the AFBA, and am helping with this event! Come on out!)

-- Austin Cake Ball is having a summer promo: buy one dozen cake balls, get one ball free!

-- Umami Mia Pizzeria is having a pizza eating contest on July 4th at 4 pm. Come HUNGRY!

-- La Condesa is hosting a Herradura Tequila tasting 4-course dinner, July 9th $100/person. Tickets here. Additionally, La Condesa's private lounge space, Malverde will no longer have bar/lounge programs to expand the private event space.

Openings and New Stuff
-- P. Terry's has opened their 7th area location, at 12301 North Mopac, and they hope to have a total of 12 spots by 2015. 

-- Uncle Julio's, a Mexican chain based in Dallas, will open in mid-July at 301 Brazos Street downtown; this is their 17th restaurant and first in Austin. At 9500 square feet, there will be seating for over 400 people.

-- Austin-based chain Johnny Carino's has partnered with Udi's Gluten Free Foods to create a new gluten free menu.  

-- Both locations of Jack Allen's Kitchen are celebrating new whiskey drinks, featuring their own Eagle Rare Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, selected exclusively by Jack Gilmore himself.

-- Smashburger's milk shake of the summer is peanut butter and jelly, now through the end of September.

-- Justin Rupp is the new Executive Chef at Olive and June, where's he's creating light pasta dishes with seasonal ingredients for the summer.

-- Pasty Chef Taff Mayberry has returned to Olivia. 

-- PhoNatic is now open in South Park Meadows. 

-- Mettle is now open for lunch. 

-- Barlata, the new Spanish tapas bar from Daniel Olivella, opened last night

Local Publications
-- David Alan's Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State

-- Jarod Neece and Mando Rayo's  Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day

Bits and Bites

-- It's F1 weekend in town! A reminder that the Austin Food Blogger Alliance has a GREAT restaurant guide, all prepared by your local food bloggers! My contributions are food trailers in the south part of town, as well as restaurants.

-- Thanksgiving is only a week away! Comprehensive listing in the Statesman as to who will be open. Also, places like Easy Tiger have their dinner rolls available for pick up before Thursday, and Max's Wine Dive has several of their side dishes available too. Central Market and Whole Foods offer fully-prepared meals.  And whether you're grocery shopping for your ingredients or going out -- PLAN AHEAD! You're not the only one out there looking for organic pumpkin pie filling. Don't wait til the last minute. (And if you do, don't get grumpy when you can't find what you're looking for!)

-- Speaking of Thanksgiving, I was "invited" to a Thanksgiving pot-luck. A virtual one! My friend The Kid Can Cook organized her blogger friends to each write a post on one of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, including my pecan pie! You see all the dishes here, and you may find a new favorite to try this year. 

-- Eater Austin has their (well, the readers picks) picks of the top trendy spots, the 2012 Eater Awards. 

-- Fonda San Miguel is holding a wine and port pairing dinner on December 5th with Niepoort Wines, $85/person.


Openings/Reincarnations
-- The Cutie Pie Trailer is back in business at the Bouldin Creek Food Park, 1209 S. 1st Street. 

-- Zen, the Japanese fast food restaurant is changing concepts, becoming Lucky Robot, which will officially open November 28, emphasizing Harajuku fashion styles, iPad ordering, and a lot of Japanese street food, most of which will be priced under $10/dish.

-- Out in Fredericksburg, well-known pastry queen Rebecca Rather has opened her new spot -- The Pink Pig, open for B, L and D. No link yet on the website to the menu, but from the copy I've seen, it looks fantastic, I just wish it was in Austin! Their Facebook page has a little more info regarding hours, etc.

-- New Thai spot Sway to officially open December 9th at 1417 S. 1st Street; check out their tasty looking menu too!


Closings/Transitions
-- Sagra has sadly announced they are closing (though looking for a place to relocate); their current landlord will not renew their lease. Read Sagra's letter posted on their homepage. 

-- La Boite, the food "trailer," made out of an old shipping container (before it was cool!) is closing due to their inability to find a suitable wholesale baker for their needs. 

-- Uncle Billy's Brew and 'Cue on Lake Travis, by the Oasis and Soleil.

-- Collie's Burgers, formerly part of the South Austin Trailer Bazaar has apparently closed with the closure of this trailer park.

-- Chef John Bullington and the Alamo Drafthouse have parted ways. No word yet on what's next in store for him, but he's got lots of love around town!

Bits and Bites

I am a member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, and we are very excited to be hosting a fundraiser to benefit Bake A Wish, an area non-profit that provides birthday cakes and other treats to those in need. Cocktails and Cupcakes will be held on Wednesday, July 25th, from 6 - 8 pm at the Carillon, part of the AT&T Conference Center at UT. Tickets are $35/person, and can be purchased here; you will receive two drink tickets for some cupcake-themed cocktails!

Bake A Wish is comprised of volunteer bakers who donate their time, talent, and materials to provide birthday cakes to area children and elderly who may not otherwise have a cake to enjoy. We will have a silent auction at Cupcakes and Cocktails that will also help raise funds for them. Much thanks in advance to the Carillon for their support. Come and join us for a fun and very tasty evening! 

Other news:

-- Trento is celebrating Half Way to New Years on July 17th from 5 - 8 pm, with half price food and drinks. 

-- Eleven Plates will be hosting a Spanish wines dinner on July 24th, $69/person for a four course meal with wine pairings.

-- Easy Tiger is hosting a Real Ale beer pairing dinner, also July 24th, $55/person for six coursed with beers.

-- We're coming up on the first Trailer Food Tuesday, a changing collection of area food trucks gathered at the Long Center on the last Tuesday of the month, in this case, July 31st from 5 - 9 pm. They've got about 10 trailers lined up for this first one, see their Facebook page for more details!

-- Thunder Heart Bison: Ranch to Trailer has a food trailer! Now located at 1104 E. 6th.

-- The Pizza Shop trailer is an offshoot of the currently closed Mercury Pizza (I think they're trying to get their liquor license) at 1906 S. 1st.... I saw their menu in something online the other day, and now I can't find it, but it looked good.

-- Several places expanding their offerings: Swift's Attic now doing happy hours, Fresas Chicken al Carbon now doing breakfast tacos, Max's Wine Dive will begin Sunday brunch on August 12th.

-- Other spots with hot happy hours: icenhauer's, Paggi House, Urban at the Domain.