The Best New Restaurants in South Austin: The 2020 Edition

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Hello hungry readers! In the past I have written/updated a huge comprehensive guide to all the fantastic foods that can be found throughout South Austin. I would be THRILLED if you took at look at that post, so click right here, as there is lots of juicy, mouthwatering info and pictures over there. 😃

This time, I am giving you a post of the best new places in South Austin that have opened in the past year. So I invite you to sit back and try not to gnaw through the screen. In no particular order, here are my faves.

Click on the restaurant's name to get to their website; links to my blog posts also included.

Salt Traders (my post here), 1101 South Mopac
Located at Mopac and Bee Caves, this sibling establishment to Jack Allen's hits all the coastal notes.

Chowda fries. I need more of this in my life!

Velouria (my post here), 3801 South Congress Avenue
Lovely cocktail bar with lush green velvet chairs and frozen espresso martinis on tap!

Cheers!

El Naranjo (my post here), 2717 South Lamar Boulevard
They moved from Rainey Street this winter, and I am glad they did! So not a "new" restaurant, but new to South Austin! This interior Mexican spot specializes in moles, fresh salsas, and traditional dishes like cochinita pibil and masa empanadas with huitlacoche.

Mole with duck breast

Shore Raw Bar + Grill (my post here), 8665 Highway 71 
A little ways out on Highway 71 (past Jack Allen's), but a welcome addition to the area with their seafood-centric dishes.

Exquisite snapper crudo

The Meteor (my post here), 2110 South Congress Avenue
Who would have thought a coffee/wine/snack bar and bicycle repair shop could happily co-exist?

Artipasta (my post here), 7800 South First Street in the Thicket Food Park
I only wish they weren't so far from me! Delicious pastas, all housemade.

Carbonara

The Git Out (my post here), 4930 South Congress Avenue
Very well-prepared pub grub.

Potato Puffs

Bao'd Up (my post here), 5207 Brodie Lane 
Fast casual, sibling to the original spot in Mueller and another new one on the Drag. This one is in Sunset Valley next door to Tarka (my favorite fast-casual Indian spot), and their gua bao can't be beat for price or taste!

Pork belly gua bao

Other new South Austin spots on my radar:
-- Carpenter Hall (my post here), didn't love it or hate it
-- Carve, but I haven't been yet
-- Tuk Tuk, this Thai spot closed for a while, renovated, and are now reopened, but alas, I haven't been

What have you been eating in South Austin? Tell me your favorite places and dishes!

El Naranjo Now in South Austin

Originally published 1/24/2020, updated 2/16/2020 (scroll down)

El Naranjo began as a food trailer during the opening era of what's now the hip and trendy Rainey Street, and soon opened a brick and mortar restaurant there. And searching my past blog posts, I first visited in June 2010! This past fall, they moved into the old El Chipiron spot on South Lamar at Manchaca, where there's plenty of parking! I recently visited for dinner with some friends.

We all loved this Queso Oaxaca Fundido with chorizo. Crispy around the edges, and gooey in the middle, with flavorful chorizo that wasn't super greasy. Served with housemade blue corn tortillas and  a verde salsa.

Their complimentary bread service, including butter with orange zest, chile oil (or salsa macha), and escabeche (pickled veggies).

Cochinita Pibil, the classic Mexican pork dish, traditionally cooked in banana leaves until it falls apart, with refried black beans and pickled onions.

Pesacado al Cilantro, or redfish with cilantro and ginger butter. This was fresh and light with bursts of flavor.

I am always a sucker for mole, and this mole negro with duck breast was plated beautifully. However for my tastes, I felt the sauce was on the thin side, and while they use 30 ingredients in it, I was unable to detect the nuances that I love in a mole like sweetness from raisins or prunes.

A delicious chocolate torte for dessert!

El Naranjo has kept some of the decor of the previous restaurant like the web of ropes. 

The bar

Bowls on the way to the restrooms

From the street

All in all it was an enjoyable meal, and we had a great server, Amanda. Unfortunately they were out of the Negro Modelo beer I initially ordered, so I chose a glass of Tempranillo. I would definitely go back, but I think I would try things other than what is normally my go-to mole dish at an interior Mexican restaurant. Neither of my dinner companions wanted to try the huitlachoche (corn fungus!), but I have had it before and liked it, so I'll have to back to try El Naranjo's.

Have you been to the new South Lamar location? What have you eaten?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE

After my initial post above, Chef Iliana de la Vega reached out to me and invited me back to El Naranjo to try their mole again. I went with a friend this past week, who was also excited to try the huitlacoche! Disclaimer: this meal was complimentary, no money exchanged hands, nor was I asked to revise my original blog post. All opinions are my own.

Amanda was our server again, and after explaining who I was and the circumstances as to why I was there, she brought me tastes of both the original mole negro that I hadn't been in love with and their mole amarillo. While you can't tell from the photo, I could immediately tell that this mole negro was thicker than what I had been served before. The previous one I believe, had just been thinned out a bit too much which also diluted out the suble flavors. This one was wonderful in taste and texture! I liked the amarillo (yellow mole) too but not as much as the negro. 😃 

Tasting the mole negro and amarillo

We also had the huitlacoche empanandas, which I loved. Again, it's a corn fungus that was first used by the Aztecs, and is considered prized with some of the indigenous cultures. I particularly loved the crisp masa dough with the earthy flavors inside, and served with a great roasted salsa. 

Huitlacoche empanadas

We then shared the queso fundido, with mushrooms, and this night's selection were trumpet, shitake, and lion's mane, which surprised me. Lion's mane supplements are great for brain and memory power, but seen less frequently in food preparations. The queso was served with fresh tortillas and a green salsa, that my friend loved as it instantly reminded her of what her father's family from the San Luis Potosi region makes. 

Queso fundido with mushrooms

She had the cochinita pibil, and I had the carne asada, which was a perfect medium rare. And served with dreamy goat cheese mashed potatoes. I drizzled a little of the chile oil (salsa macha) on the steak just to give it a little extra kick.

Cochinita pibil

Carne asada with goat cheese mashed potatoes

And for dessert, the tres leches with a drizzle of a bit of raspberry reduction on top, which was the perfect end to the meal.

Tres leches cake

Many thanks to Chef Iliana for having me back to El Naranjo. Their mole negro is quite wonderful, as was all of our food! 

First Look: Super Thai

In the revolving door of restaurant openings, we now have Super Thai, formerly Krua Thai and the original Barley Swine location before it. Located at 2024 South Lamar, it is just south of the intersection of South Lamar and Hether/Mary Streets, and now literally being overshadowed by a multistory building being constructed at the corner.

Krua didn't last but five months or so. Then Sap's (former partner to Madam Mam's and now with two locations of his own) took over the Krua space stating it would be a different menu/focus than the other Sap's restaurants. So now we have Super Thai, which I hope will last (though realistically, I do wonder how long it will.....).

The exterior is a bit non-descript, but I liked the interior space, especially the screen right behind the hostess stand. Lots of natural light at the front of the restaurant.

I would say that the appetizer menu is two-thirds Chinese dishes: egg + spring rolls, dumplings, shu mai, wings. We ended up with the chicken and shrimp shu mai and the fried Brussels sprouts with a black vinegar sauce. The shumai where very dense and plump, and the dipping sauce had the flavor of kecap manis, a sweet, thicker soy sauce that I believe originates in Indonesia. The sauce on the Brussels was a bit heavy, and they were also sprinkled with pine nuts, which I happen to like, and they added a nice crunch. {It's funny, I know that China is a large producer of pine nuts, yet I rarely see them in Chinese cuisine.}

For mains, my friend ordered the Tom Yum Goong, which she asked for extra spicy. This clear-broth lemongrass infused soup was not for the faint of heart and was filled with shrimp, oyster mushrooms (the half moons in the photo are the mushroom stems), tomato and cilantro. I took a tiny taste and it did have amazing flavor, just too spicy for me! She likes it HOT and was very happy with it.

I ordered the larb moo, which is a room temperature salad so to speak, made of ground pork with chile, cilantro, mint, and toasted rice powder. This one was served with some lettuce, cucumbers, and kabocha squash on the side and a grilled rice ball/patty. Fearing the two chile pepper spice rating that was stated on the menu, I asked for it to be toned down a bit. It was still spicy, but had really good flavor to it, and the accompanying vegetables were helpful to cool down your mouth. I ate half and saved the rest for lunch the next day.

We split the mango with black sticky rice for dessert, and it was amazing! Loved the rice with coconut milk.

The menu has lot of excellent sounding proteins like rack of lamb with lemongrass sauce, tamarind duck, and tiger cry with wagyu beef. I would definitely like to try some of these!  I was saddened by Krua's departure, as it did seem to have a good following from the neighborhood. Super Thai did appear to have a steady stream of customers, so hopefully they survive the construction next door and become an area fixture.

First Look: Kicked Up Grub

Editor's note: closed April 2019. This location is cursed!

The restaurant industry is notoriously tough, and even in booming cities like Austin, we see the waves of openings and closings. The newer multi-use developments around the revered Broken Spoke dancehall have seen a lot of turnover in their short years. I would wager the foot traffic isn't at expected levels in addition to what I am sure are high rents. The corner unit directly south of the Broken Spoke at 3403 South Lamar is now on it's third restaurant incarnation in about the last nine months. aRoma was there for a couple of years, and ManinPasta could barely make it six months.

Newcomer Kicked Up Grub has just recently debuted in their place, and based on this one visit so far, I'll give it a thumbs up! And cross my fingers that they can last.  Calling themselves a farm to table gastropub, their website says the place was created for people who love food and drink, and with a mix of heavier and lighter options, with plenty of vegetarian choices. Following in the footsteps of their predecessors, I see a lot of Italian influence on the menu.

We arrived at 5 pm when they open; currently they are not doing a happy hour, but hopefully that will change soon. They are actually open earlier in the day for breakfast and lunch, 7 am - 2 pm, and then reopen at  5 pm; closed on Mondays.

Hibiscus Martini and Watermelon Daiquiri, both extremely drinkable especially on a hot day!

Very nice and crispy calamari with a panko breading, and a killer lemon aioli sauce.

Beet salad?

We ordered the beet salad;  the waiter came back to us a few minutes later, and apologized that the beets weren't finished marinating and would figs be okay? I was a little confused at first because I thought to myself "a full salad of figs?" along with the goat cheese and walnuts? The menu description doesn't state there are salad greens involved, so once our waiter clarified the description, yes, we agreed figs would be fine. {And while I am positive he said marinating, looking back now at the original menu description, maybe he meant roasting?} It was a tasty salad, complete with a pomegranate dressing, which fortunately was not over-used.

Bechamel Pie, a white pizza with sausage, olives, and mushrooms. The pizza oven was inherited from the previous restaurants, and are close to a Neopolitan style.The leftovers were also quite tasty reheated for lunch the next day.

Cannolis for dessert. The shells were a bit on the thick side, so while they were sturdy and held up well to the ricotta filling, they were almost TOO sturdy.

I spy on the menu that their pasta is handmade so I will certainly be back to try that! And maybe the actual beet salad too. 😊 I should add our server was pleasant and did seem to know the menu. Hope Kicked Up Grub lasts a good long while!

Quick Look: Soto South Lamar

Continuing on my unintended Lamar Union restaurant tour, we have Soto, which has expanded from their Cedar Park location.  My neighbors and I recently went for happy hour which we quite enjoyed, but given the very few tables that were filled (early evening on a Tuesday), I do hope Soto will survive. A bottle of Weingut Brundlmayer Gruner Vetliner was perfect with all of our dishes. 

Miso soup (the large spoon didn't really fit into the narrow bowl)

The brought an amouse bouche of edamame mouse, which I wasn't in
love with at first but then I finished the whole thing off! 

Fish + chips, one of their signature dishes, said our waitress. And I can see why! Super thin potato chips with salmon sashimi, lemon aioli and truffle salt. Very addicting.

Chicken karaage without a lick of grease. And loved the plating.

Somewhere under there is hamachi! Beautifully presented plate with scallions, fried jalapenos, ponzu and edible flowers.

Wagyu carpaccio....mmmmm.  These four items were on the happy hour menu and ranged $7 - 14.

Soto South Maki with torched toro; this one was $18

Real California Maki with snow crab for $13

In the later part of our meal, we did order a couple of cocktails, but found the cocktail menu to be overly fussy. It was heavy on sake and whiskey/bourbon drinks, which is not unexpected for a Japanese restaurant, but there were a lot of complicated ingredients even to my friend who is a wine/spirits rep. (I didn't take a picture of the cocktail menu, nor do I see it online, so you'll have to take my word for it.😉) 

I will most certainly go back to Soto! I posted the fish and chips picture on Instagram, and a friend said the tuna tacos on the happy hour menu are fabulous, and there are other things I spy that I am interested in trying. While I still think it's a bit odd that Soto opened just a block from Uchi, it's a much different vibe. And unlike my experience at Mandala (see my previous blog post) directly across the driveway from Soto, our service and food was on point from the moment we walked in. Fingers crossed that Soto can make it in South Austin!

First Look: The Yin and Yang of Mandala

South Lamar's Lamar Union complex has had a hard time keeping restaurants. Cantine, El Burro, VOX Table, Delicious have all cycled in and out in relatively short periods of time. TLC Austin (which I like very much, see this blog post for info on them) appears to be holding its own, Soto has replaced Cantine, Shake Shack and the Highball are still there too. Mandala, with its Thai and Vietnamese influences, opened in March at the old El Burro spot. Let's hope they can make it last!

I met a group of friends there on a weeknight for dinner; ironically, our same group of four had previously eaten at El Burro too. Another foodie friend had told me about a passion fruit cocktail, but it wasn't on the menu this evening. Our waiter, who seemed relatively new, didn't seem to have a full grasp of the liquors available at the bar, because when asked if they had Tito's Vodka he said no, but one of our group went to check with the bartender who confirmed its presence. They did have some half price bottles of wine held over from Mother's Day so we split a bottle of rose.

We started with their mini rice pancakes, which come seven per order. I inquired when we ordered if we could get eight since there were four of us. The waiter said no, but offered no explanation. I understood it when they arrived; they are not pancakes in the flat sense or something that is cooked on a griddle. They are a version of kanon krok, a type of Thai dessert that uses a pan not unlike those for Japanese takoyaki or Danish abelskivers. Anyhow, they were nice, crispy on the bottom from the rice flour, with a savoriness mixed with a sweetness from coconut milk. Could have used a dash of chile or at least one bold flavor.

Red curry with vegetables and shrimp also had good flavor. Lots of veggies and just enough kick in the red curry. (This made an excellent leftover dish the following day; I pan sauteed some red fish, added green beans and poured the remains of the curry over it. On my Instagram!)

These mussels were also done with a red curry sauce, and it was quite tasty. What I am noticing though, the menu online says they are served with garlic toast, and this was served with plain bread. Needed more of it too to sop up that delicious sauce.

I love Thai noodle dishes, and was excited to try the pad kee mao with chicken, especially after our waiter said it was one of his favorites. What arrived was a plate with clumpy, undercooked noodles that were in short little choppy sections. While I wasn't anticipating the rice noodles to be long and slurpy like ramen, I did expect them to be more than two inches in length! I asked for the manager to come over, and when he did, his attitude was more like "yeah, what's up" as opposed to "how can I help you?". I inquired if this dish was normally served this way; I don't recall what his specific words were but he did imply that no it did not look quite right and took it back to the kitchen.

This is the second version (below) of pad kee mao that arrived. You can at least see that some of the noodles are in longer lengths. Taste was okay, but for my likes, it could have used a little more sauce and not to mention flavor. Not much spice, though the menu says "spicy brown sauce." The manager did not come back to check on us.

As you can see, there is some yin and yang at play here. There are some dishes on the menu I really want to try, like the rice pie and the crispy fish with pineapple tamarind sauce. But after the noodle debacle, I am not certain that I would order it again. I know they have only been open about two months but if they are going to survive, especially at Lamar Union, Mandala needs their universes to be in sync.

Have you been to Mandala, and what was your experience with the food and service?