Austin
Terry Black's BBQ
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Terry Black's BBQ
Food Rating: 10/10
Terry Black’s BBQ was my favorite place in Austin! Their brisket was immaculate — perfectly smoked and so tender. It was so flavorful that it didn’t even need BBQ sauce. The pork rib was great and I surprisingly preferred it with their sweet BBQ sauce. This was one of the creamiest Mac n Cheeses I’ve ever had and the cornbread was delicious. I need to try their beef rib when I’m back in Austin!
Ramen Tatsu-Ya
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Terry Black's BBQ
Food Rating: 10/10
Ramen Tatsu-Ya is an amazing ramen spot in Austin! The OG is a standard tonkotsu ramen and I loved each component. The egg was quite possibly the best ramen egg I’ve ever had. It was runny, had a nice soft texture, and soaked up so much flavor. The noodles were thin to my liking and hand crafted to perfection. The chashu was so tender and flavorful and had the perfect amount of fat; I just wish there was more meat! Overall, highly recommend. Ramen in Texas is on par with ramen in California and NY!
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Food Rating: 10/10
Their dark fried chicken was juicy, crispy, and full of flavor, meeting all my criteria for the perfect fried chicken. Their sides were fantastic, too. The flavors of the mac n cheese were on point; I loved the paprika on top and how cheesy it was. And the fries were very well seasoned, giving it some Cajun flair.
Voodoo Doughnut
1618 Asian Fusion
Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken
Food Rating: 10/10
Voodoo Doughnuts is one of our all time favorite donut places. We’ve been to their locations in Portland, LA, and now Austin! I went with one of my go-to’s, which is the Bacon Maple Bar. We also tried the Chuckles and it was amazing. It was Snickers in donut form!
Amy's Ice Creams
1618 Asian Fusion
1618 Asian Fusion
Food Rating: 10/10
Amy’s Ice Cream is an Austin staple. They have high quality ice cream with great flavors. We got Mexican Vanilla and Malted Belgian and absolutely loved both of them. I had a slight preference for the Malted Belgian, but the two flavors complemented each other and went so well together. Highly recommend!
1618 Asian Fusion
1618 Asian Fusion
1618 Asian Fusion
Food Rating: 9/10
1618 Asian Fusion made it to Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants list, so we had to try even though we had to get takeout and eat it on the plane. Their Pad Thai was an explosion of flavor — citrus, spice, nutty, savory, sweet. And the tofu was cooked very well. It wasn’t my absolute favorite Pad Thai, but it was still amazing and I’d want to try their eclectic range of dishes when I’m back in Austin.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Food Rating: 9/10
I couldn’t go to Austin without a burger, so I got a Llano Poblano at Hopdoddy Burger Bar. The patty was so juicy and cooked to perfection. But the highlight was the bacon because it was thick and crispy.
Torchy's Tacos
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Food Rating: 8/10
Our Austin trip wouldn’t be complete without some Tex-Mex, so we went to Torchy’s Tacos for breakfast. I ordered the Wrangler and Bacon, Egg & Cheese tacos. The Wrangler was my favorite because of the brisket, and it doesn’t get more Texas than a brisket taco! The other taco was very standard and just alright. I’d get two of the brisket tacos next time.
Home Slice Pizza
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Home Slice Pizza
Food Rating: 7/10
Home Slice Pizza is a popular pizza spot in Austin, specifically the SoCo (South Congress) area. We ordered Margherita and White with Broccoli and weren’t too thrilled with our slices. I was hoping for both of them to be saucier. Given its popularity, I’m sure that we would’ve liked it a lot more if we ordered different slices. I’d go with a standard Cheese or Pepperoni!