The Top Sweet Shops in South Austin

I rarely met a dessert I didn't like!  Here are my picks for best dessert shops in South Central Austin. Updated February 2022.

Dolce Neve, 1713 South First Street (also on E. 5th Street)

A crazy-good Italian gelateria run by Italians! They've embraced South Austin culture, and "do it" in

front of everyone. Lots of traditional (chocolate, salted caramel) and unique flavors (roasted pistachio,

lemon creme).

La Patisserie, 602 West Annie Street (also on Burnet Road)

French pastries like croissants, eclairs and a rainbow array of macarons. The morning bun is a favorite, especially slightly warmed in the toaster oven so the sugar caramelizes.

Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, 1905 South First Street

Not just cupcakes, but cakes, pies, muffins, bars... sugar heaven! Also, owned by good, socially

conscious people.

Thoroughbread, 1709 Bluebonnet

Probably best known for their sourdough bread (which is delicious), but I love their giant cookies!

Confituras, 2129 Goodrich

Comfort food: fresh, warm biscuits and house made jams.

Haleycakes and Cookies, 1700 South Lamar, #316

The most adorable decorated cookies in a ton of designs. They ship anywhere too!

The Salty Donut, 2000 South Congress

Your eyes will glaze (get it?) over upon entering the shop and seeing the stair stepper of holy donut offerings. The over the top ones like dragon + passion fruit were delicious, but I am exceedingly content with the brown butter glazed cake donut or the Texas chocolate sheetcake. 

Vivian’s Boulangerie, online 

Killer almond + chocolate croissants, tiger paws, and more. All online, order delivery or pick up with is a South Austin secret location. As of January 2022, owner Kendall Melton says she's hanging up her apron, but keep an eye on her hilarious social media for any updates.

Other spots of note: 

-- Teal House Bakery at 2304 South Congress Avenue for cinnamon rolls + kolaches

-- Word of Mouth Bakery at 1506 South First Street for cakes, baked goods and light lunches

-- Manolis trailer at 603 West Live Oak for frozen treats

-- Easy Tiger at 3508 South Lamar for bread, pretzels + baked goods

This should hold your sweet tooth for a minute!

Check out the AFBA website for MORE city guides! #ATXbesteats 

Eating in San Francisco

The last week of February, I spent three-ish days in San Francisco before heading a touch north to the San Rafael area. There are no shortages of outstanding places to eat in San Fran. Need more time, money and frankly stomachs to really do it any justice, but here's a look at where we ate. (If you follow my Stories on Instagram, you may have seen some of these posted there.)

Thank goodness we had a reservation for State Bird Provisions because when we got there at 5:30 pm when they opened, the line was halfway down the block. They have menu items that can be ordered, and they also come around with trays or carts like dim sum service. Here are a few of the highlights.

Hearts of palm spring roll with Buddha's hand and chile yuzu aioli. I never have liked hearts of palm much until now!

Farm green ohitashi (spinach soaked in soy + dashi) with cashew cream and meyer lemon ponzu.

Hog Island (north of San Francisco) oysters, housemade potato chips, and an amazing smoked trout dip on the second shelf.

The most tender beef tongue on poppyseed buckwheat pancakes. One of my favorites on the evening.

Lunch in Japantown at Nande-ya, one of the small spots in the Japan Center mall, which really did remind me of actually being in Japan.

Soba with tofu pockets (inari) and grilled eel (unagi); this was a great value! The lunch menu gave you about twelve different items, and you picked two for about $14.

Chapeau! Bistro had outstanding service and food from start to finish.

Roasted kabocha squash soup with pumpkin seeds; velvety smooth and delicious.

My father's Salade Landaise, with duck three ways: confit, liver mousse, and cured duck breast.

Mussels in a white wine sauce, and there were pomme frites on the side.

My mother's bouillabaisse with a ton of seafood in it, scallops, mussels, shrimp, and fish.

French toast with salted caramel, hazelnuts, and vanilla ice cream.

Sunday morning at Yank Sing, one of the classic dim sum restaurants in the city. Afterwards, we walked over to peek at the Ferry Building, a food-lovers wonderland.

Spinach dumplings, snow pea leaf dumplings, and shrimp shumai.

Peking duck with amazingly crispy skin. And while you can't see it, these were very meaty pieces of duck with no extra grease.

Just open since last August is Nari, sister restaurant to Kin Khao. Modern Thai that is already getting rave reviews. My father had read about them in the New York Times and was able to get us a reservation. Loved every bite!

Miang, or little leaf-wrapped savory bites. This version was sorrel leaves with apple, trout roe, lemongrass, lime, coconut and fish caramel sauce. The perfect bite of all the flavors.

Yum som-o: hearts of palm (again!), pomelo, crispy dried shrimp, chili jam dressing. 

And one of the best things I have ever eaten, massaman gae, lamb shank in curry sauce. The meat just fell off the bone and the sauce was filled with rich flavors. I need to figure out how to make this sauce.

Breakfast one morning at Jane on Fillmore. Would have liked to gone to the actual bakery, but next time!

The Nutty Bird Toast, a gluten free bread with nuts and seeds, served with almond butter and jam. Loved this bread.

A shout out to the Panama Hotel in San Rafael! This quirky, historic hotel has rooms of different sizes and themes. I was in the Captain's Room, complete with kitchenette, and it was perfect for one person.

Panama Hotel

The Captain's Room had a nautical theme, though you can't tell from the photo.

Their on-site restaurant was quite nice too, with a complimentary breakfast spread for guests, and a popular dinner spot, some nights with live music. This is wild mushroom + ricotta ravioli with a lemon beurre blanc sauce.

I also enjoyed the Marine Mammal Center in Marin, where they rescue and rehab seals and otters.

Elephant seal statue.

And just a few minutes away from the MMC was this beautiful overlook! Thanks for a delicious time, San Francisco! What are your favorite places to eat in San Francisco?

Comedor: Modern Mexican Food in Downtown Austin

Comedor's fantastic bone marrow 

It turns out that Super Bowl Sunday is an outstanding time to go out and eat at some of Austin's finest establishments. I had friends in from out of town over the weekend, and we did a TON of stuff around town! (See my Instagram post if you missed my Stories as they were happening.) I made a online reservation for Comedor about 3 pm on Sunday for 5:30 that same night, and they had tons of openings. If you're not familiar, Comedor is a modern Mexican restaurant in downtown Austin at 501 Colorado that opened in April 2019. The local food critics have been raving about it, and it was high time for me to check it out. Plus my out of towners were more than willing participants!

The entrance.... kind of like a speakeasy.

A light-filled, modern (but not cold), clean interior.

The restaurant was built on the site of a parking lot, and is built around this central courtyard that also helps bring light into the space. The wood and steel give it a very masculine look, but all the light really balances it out.

The bar

Ancho-guajillo vodka with mango juice and lime. Sublime.

Avocado tostadas with cauliflower and salsa verde.

The quesadilla with local mushrooms and huitlacoche.  Comedor has a masa program, and the menu states the region and name of the farmer from where the corn came. This was a thick tortilla that just tasted like amazing, fresh corn.

Masa spaetzle with esquites (larger corn kernels) and ash from corn husks. Normal spaetzle is made from wheat flour, but this used all corn, and was one of my favorite dishes. Loved the tender chewiness of the spaeztle, without any grittiness.

Sotol-grilled carrots with pea puree; these were good but less memorable to me.

Comedor has become known for their bone marrow dish (see top photo), and it was easy to see why. It was incredible. Our waiter said they first roast the bones, and then broil or torch them with a bit of brown sugar on top to give it a slight caramelization. They're served on top of wilted greens with a basket of fresh tortillas. The suggestion was to build the tortilla with greens, marrow, and a squeeze of lime; they were creamy, tender, juicy....but not the most photogenic.

No bones about it, we really didn't like the bone marrow at all! 😉

We had a great waiter, Michael, who was attentive and very informative. Don't know if it was because it was a slow night or if he just liked us, but they comped us a dessert and we felt compelled to try another one too! This is the tres leches, with Tejate ice cream, corn milk and merengue. 

The simple appearance is misleading! Chocolate semifreddo, avocado mousse and lime sherbet. A bite with all the elements was strangely fabulous! Pastry chef Philip Speer is behind these creations.

Our waiter had told us that the glass brick wall at the front of the restaurant and around the bar were a fairly rare creation. From the exterior, they look black, but from the inside, you can see how crystal clear they are. This photo was taken as we were leaving (after sunset) from the interior corner where the front wall meets the bar wall, looking out.

If the picked-clean marrow bones are any indication, we licked our plates clean. Comedor was a fantastic experience, and highlights new takes on modern Mexican cuisine. We all loved it. It's also a good spot for those with food allergies, as virtually the entire menu was gluten free, and much of it was dairy free as well. Salud to the staff and food of Comedor! Wishing you years of success, as I look forward to returning!