Austin’s New & Notable Restaurant Openings

Austin’s dining scene continues to evolve, offering a dynamic mix of flavors and concepts. There’s always something new to explore around town, from cozy cafes to upscale cocktail lounges. As a fresh batch of openings makes waves across the city—here are a few of Austin’s new restaurants that stand out as spots you won’t want to miss.

Hermanas

1100 E 6th St.

Hermanas, a new Mexican restaurant with Thai and Lao influences, is now open on East Sixth Street. Austin chef Silvino Sanchez’s menu includes scallop tostadas with Thai chile paste, Wagyu larb, red snapper aguachile, and Texas strip steak with panang curry mole. It’s Sanchez’s first solo restaurant following stints at Thai Kun and Denver’s Michelin-starred BRUTØ.

Big Slick

21017 E 6th St.

Chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee have opened Big Slick, an intimate steakhouse and bar in the former Pasta Bar space on East Sixth Street. The à la carte menu centers on live-fire cooking, with dry-aged beef from Lobel’s of New York, game, duck breast, steak tartare and a daily handmade pasta. The 22-seat restaurant also offers Texas cheeses served tableside, desserts from Kallas-Lee and an extensive wine list.

Roccito’s

5001 Airport Blvd.

Austin Italian restaurant Rocco’s now has a more casual sibling tucked into its back garden. The 30-seat Roccito’s serves mozzarella, antipasti and salads alongside orange wine, beer and wine-based “Garden Pounder” cocktails, all without reservations.

Alteño

96 Red River St.

Inside Austin’s newest luxury hotel, 1 Hotel Austin, the chef behind Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina is cooking Jalisco-inspired Mexican food over an expansive wood-fired hearth. Alteño marks Johnny Curiel’s first restaurant outside Colorado. Dishes include jalapeño cornbread with huitlacoche butter, red snapper zarandeado and adobo-marinated chicken with crispy pork skin habanero salsa, while the bar offers Mexican wines, more than 90 agave spirits and an avocado margarita.

Boni’s Bar Next Door

1805 S 1st St.

South First Street has an exciting new addition with Boni’s Bar Next Door, the latest concept from Lenoir and Dovetail Pizza & Bar owners Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher. The Spanish-inspired cocktail bar serves tasty cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks alongside small plates such as preserved Gulf white fish, head-on shrimp and BBQ-spiced pork rinds. Inside, century-old wooden walls and family photos of Maher’s great-grandfather Bonifacio, the bar’s namesake, give the space a personal feel, while the dog-friendly patio extends that welcoming neighborhood atmosphere.

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Kinsho

51 Rainey St. Suite 140-A

Rainey Street now has its first sushi spot with the opening of Kinsho, a new restaurant from the team behind Rocco’s Italian. Led by chef Victor Gonzalez, formerly of Uchiko and Lucky Robot, the restaurant offers a menu of nigiri, sashimi, maki, hand rolls and open-flame kushiyaki, with fish sourced primarily from Japan. An 18-seat sushi bar anchors the space, while the beverage program includes sake, wine, beer and cocktails designed to complement the menu.

Panciuto

4413 Guadalupe St.

Panciuto, the new Hyde Park restaurant from JewBoy Burgers founder Mo Pittle, means “pot-bellied” in Italian — an apt name for a menu of Italian American comfort food such as Italian beef hoagies, focaccia pizza, baked ziti Bolognese and 14-layer vegetarian lasagna. Desserts include house-made tiramisu, cannoli, cheesecake, gelato and affogato. Beer and wine are available, with a full bar planned by year’s end.

Konbini

908 E 5th St. #107

Tucked behind papercut in East Austin, Konbini is a new late-night sushi counter from Tare chefs Michael Carranza and Danielle Martinez. The walk-in-only spot serves a rotating menu of nigiri, sashimi and crudos that blends Japanese technique with Texan and coastal Mexican influences, alongside sake, Japanese spirits and cocktails. 

Shug’s Bagels

1206 Parkway

Dallas-born Shug’s Bagels has opened its first Austin location, bringing New York deli-style bagels to the city. Along with kettle-boiled bagels and flavored schmears, the menu features classic lox, breakfast sandwiches stacked with hash browns and a lineup of chicken cutlet sandwiches.

Roya

7858 Shoal Creek Blvd. Suite C

A new Persian restaurant from Chef Amir Hajimaleki, Roya, has opened on Shoal Creek Boulevard after evolving from a series of Austin pop-ups that began in 2018. The restaurant serves a seasonal, shareable menu that includes dishes such as cauliflower kebob, wild mushroom borani and saffron-braised lamb shank, alongside a chef-curated sofreh meant to echo a meal served at home.

Space Kat BBQ

2431 Webberville Road

From pitmaster Jack Zizzo, Space Kat BBQ’s menu moves beyond the usual brisket-and-turkey routine with meats like tri-tip, baby back ribs, lamb chops and coppa, all slow-smoked over wood and served with sides such as potato salad, coleslaw, cowboy beans and mac and cheese. It’s a new barbecue spot that sticks to traditional smoking methods while carving out its own lane with less common cuts.

RELATED: The Evolution of Austin Barbecue: How the City Became a Global Barbecue Destination