Best New South Austin Restaurants

As part of the annual Austin Food Blogger Alliance's City Guide, here are my picks for the best new restaurants in South Austin that have opened in the past year. Also see my post Top Sweet Shops in South Austin! 

Moreno Barbecue, 5608 Menchaca Road; read my full post here.

Brisket nachos + smoked pork belly

Pork rib, sausage + brisket

Jjim's, 1100 South Lamar Boulevard (Korean)

Bokkeum bap (brisket kimchi fried rice with egg) 

Galbi jjim (braised beef short rib)

1417, 1417 South First Street; read my full post here.  (French-inspired)

Cocktails! 

Duck confit crepes

Neighborhood Sushi, 1716 South Congress Avenue (Japanese)

Lunch bento

Sashimi selection

Pho MPH, 3715 South First Street (Vietnamese)

Pork banh mi 
Admittedly not as tender of pork as I like, but thrilled to have this option in this part of town!

Kiin Di, 1901 South Lamar Boulevard (Thai fusion trailer)

From top left: Thai fried chicken, pork over ginger rice, pad Thai, noodles with pork belly, Malaysian roti

Eat A Pita, 2101 South First Street (Mediterranean trailer)

Falafel, veggie combo plate, gyro plate

The Salty Donut,  2000 South Congress Avenue (sweets)

Texas sheetcake + brown butter salted donuts

I hear the cocktails are sensational at Tiki Tatsu-ya, but haven't heard about the food. What are your favorite new South Austin dishes? Drop a comment below!

Click here to see the rest of the 2022 AFBA City Guide.

Changing with the Times

The past few weeks have brought some very sad news to the Austin food scene.

The owner of La Mexicana Bakery announced his retirement and the longtime South First institution will close for good before I hit publish on this post.  I made it by two weeks ago for tacos, which I will sorely miss.

La Mexicana breakfast tacos...no frills but large and inexpensive!

Chocolate tres leches, just one of hundreds of items from their panaderia.

Winebelly, my favorite wine bar, and not just because it was 5 minutes from my house, sadly could not withstand the economic times and closed in January. RIP to the best chicken liver mousse in town.

Winebelly's chicken liver mousse, this one during a pandemic pivot to carry out.

And an end of an era, though not by choice, as fire ripped through Texas French Bread on Rio Grande Street on January 24th, leaving literally ashes. A Go Fund Me has raised nearly $195,000 for staff; at this time they do not know if they will rebuild. This was one of the first places I ate when I moved to Austin in 1994 and their Hyde Park Fudge Cake was legendary.

As they say, all good things must come to an end, which includes this blog. Not hanging it up quite yet, but getting close. Stay tuned.

New Favorite Austin BBQ: Moreno

Like I needed MORE food over Thanksgiving weekend, but when your Pacific Northwest friend is in town and wants barbecue, you happily oblige. And you happily discover what is now your favorite barbecue spot in Austin. Shhhh, don't tell! 

Ladies and gents, introducing Moreno Barbecue, which graduated from a trailer to a brick and mortar three weeks ago! Occupying a former restaurant (Subway?) at the southwest corner of  Stassney and Manchaca, technically 5608 Manchaca, they have both indoor and outdoor seating, friendly service and most importantly, excellent food. Don't just take my word, they got an honorable mention in the Texas Monthly Barbecue edition.

Moreno BBQ spare rib, jalapeno cheddar sausage, brisket

Of course I opted for moist (read, fatty.... fat equals flavor) brisket and did not regret my decision for a minute. This brisket was easily cut by a plastic fork and just melted away in your mouth. I loved the texture of the finely ground Heartland Akaushi beef sausage with enough jalapeno and cheddar to know they are there, but not too much to distract from the beef. The spare rib has a sweeter glaze on them than I like, but the ribs were good and meaty and quite tender too. Loved the cole slaw with it's mild vinegar dressing. 

Brisket nachos

Now my friend got the brisket nachos and some of the smoked pork belly, which I think was life altering. Now the nachos alone are a huge portion, cheesy and hard to go wrong with. 

Smoked pork belly

But I can't get the pork belly out of my mind. It's RICH. I only ate a couple bites and don't think I could eat more than a slice at a time, but the fat just dissolved with a mild smokiness in your mouth.
And you could also get this in a taco! Along with the nachos, they do tacos, sandwiches, and mac + cheese. 

Shortbread chocolate chip cookies  -- the perfect little bite of something sweet to finish the meal.

Keep your eye on their social media (Instagram) too, as I have seen weekend specials and discounts mentioned on there! They smoke their meats with post oak, which is appropriate as there's a huge oak tree out front. 

Welcome, Moreno! Can't wait to come back!

First Look: 1417, Bouldin's Neighborhood Bistro

By all appearances, 1417 has successfully managed to open their new restaurant during a pandemic. The upscale (but still casual) French bistro, 1417 took over the space vacated by Thai sweetheart Sway (the Westlake location is still open) at 1417 South First Street, in the heart of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood.  When they first opened over the summer, they were only serving on their outdoor patio, and just in the past month have added indoor seating. We had an early dinner reservation, and while the inside was empty when we arrived, when we left, the patio was filled and the inside was bustling.

Service was great from the moment we walked in. Staff was friendly and welcoming, water glasses were continually attended to, and dishes came out in an appropriately timed manner. 

Gorgeous interior!

The Jane Doe + Cucumber Gimlet cocktails.
 They put some attention into details like the glassware and serving pieces.

Duck confit crepe, which had a nice range of textures from the tender meat to the crisp crepe to crunchy hazelnuts to the mostarda.

Cheese board with firm goat's milk, blue, and soft ripened, which are a good mix of styles, accompanied by pears, berries, apricot compote, candied walnuts and sourdough crackers.

Eggplant with "chorizo" from farro, roasted squash and fava beans. 

Mussels in chile oil broth with a nice hearty focaccia, perfect for dipping. Hard to pick, but I think this was my favorite.

Chocolate mint candy bar with peppermint butter cream inside, and mint sorbet. 

All in all, a great new addition to my Bouldin neighborhood! 1417 is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Mattie's Brunch

Green Pastures is an old South Austin iconic event spot with its huge live oak trees, peacocks, and manicured grounds that have hosted many a special occasion over the years. The huge old farmhouse with its rambling porches is the centerpiece of the tree-filled property, and houses Mattie's, the latest reincarnation of their restaurant. Perhaps I should have taken photos of the surrounds, but I did not, so you'll have to go visit on your own. On a warm August Sunday, I gathered with friends for one's birthday celebration out on the patio, The food was delicious, our server patient and helpful, and we made it out just before a big thunderstorm rumbled through! 

Artemis Cup: hibiscus tea, ginger, lime, vodka

Southern style sour cream + onion dip with house made thick cut potato chips

Blueberry donut holes

Fried green tomatoes with crab + shrimp salad with creole remoulade.

Decadent milk punch French toast with mascarpone + strawberries. Green Pastures has always been known for its milk punch bourbon cocktail, so it's no surprise they found a way to incorporate it into brunch.

Biscuits + chorizo cream gravy with scrambled eggs

Fried chicken eggs benedict

Decadent chocolate mousse cake 

Lucky Robot

Last week, I caught up with a friend at Lucky Robot on South Congress; for a weeknight at the end of June, the area was buzzing (Netflix was filming something next door at the Continental Club) and the restaurant was full! We were fortunate to snag a table without a reservation. 

Brussels tossed in a lemongrass soy marinade

Tako (octopus) and pork belly "sashimi" bites

Summer cebiche with white fish, baby corn, watermelon, jalapeno with a watermelon
leche de tigre broth. Gorgeous plating, delicious and super refreshing!

Hira hira (yellowtail tuna) maki roll 

A lovely glass of Gruner Veltliner. And see the wooden bud vase?
That's an elegantly designed QR code!

The interior of Lucky Robot is certainly what you would call Instagrammable. (Or sensory overload, lol.) As June represents Pride/LGBTQ+ rights/visibility/equality, this bench seating is loud and proud and I loved it! (The photo also belies the crowded restaurant! This was taken right after the table next to us left.)

Side note, a friend and I had gotten carry out from Lucky Robot last summer that was also delicious!

Stunning carryout chirashi bowl from last year; a version of this is now on their brunch menu.

Also delicious were these pork belly buns

All in all, a successful venture out into the real world! What are your current summertime faves?

Aba: The Greatest Hits

Passion fruit gin + tonic. Yes, please! 

In the past month, I have been fortunate to go to Aba twice for lunch. The first visit was quite good, and the second trip even better! Aba is a Mediterranean spot on South Congress in the new Music Lane (read: upscale) development; the original restaurant is in Chicago and this is now their second location. Here's a rundown of our foods with a little commentary. 😀 

Whipped feta with pistachios and pita bread. If you only order one thing at Aba, make it this. OMG. So creamy, not overly salty, and a basket of  warm pita which is doughier + fluffier than your standard pita.

Hummus with short ribs was quite tasty.

I believe this was the farro salad with sunchokes; gorgeous presentation but to me it didn't have all the flavors the menu promised. (I actually don't see this version on the current menu.)

Grilled chicken kebabs with wonderfully juicy chicken. The zhoug sauce (like a cilantro pesto) was a bit flat and needed more acidity to really shine.

Frozen Greek yogurt with strawberry sauce was a refreshing palate cleanse at the end of our meal.

On to my second visit:

This ahi tuna tabouli was outstanding, and I am not one that gravitates to raw dishes. The tuna was like velvet, the pomegranate seeds offered the perfect texture and acidity along with a light bit of yuzu, and I like the mouthfeel of pearled couscous rather than cracked barley for a tabouli.

Very crispy potatoes, which I loved, served with a scallion crema.

Big Brussels sprouts, with almond dukkah (a sumac-based seasoning) and honey harissa for a touch of sweetness. Great flavors.

Slow braised leg of lamb wrapped in eggplant. I love lamb and would eat this again in a heartbeat! It was very tender, the tomato sauce full of cinnamon, which may sound strange (though very typical of Mediterranean food), but so good!

Plan your visit ahead as getting a reservation can be challenging. Both times, we went for an early weekday lunch and were able to get seated in the outdoor breezeway with no problem. The design of the place is beauitful with a huge deck with lounge areas, tables, and a full bar; the majority of the seating is outdoors, nestled between old trees and new buildings. My photos of the exterior don't do it justice and hence not posted, but take my word for it. They also have a gluten free menu, and to-go parking in the below-ground lot.  The scope of South Congress is changing, loosing its once funky vibe, but Aba is a welcome and VERY delicious addition to the scene. 

Have you been? What foods did you enjoy?