10 New Austin Restaurants and Bars to Try This Spring
New openings around Austin include everything from intimate omakase spots to casual food trucks and late-night hangouts
In Austin, spring is that very short window between our last freeze and our first string of 100-degree days. For many, it’s the best time of year, representing new energy, new life and new beginnings. At any rate, that certainly seems to be true for restaurateurs, who’ve been quietly and diligently opening up new businesses all over the city, taking advantage of this short pre-oven-like window. These are 10 of our favorite new places to eat and drink this spring.
Sushi | Bar Austin and Golden Ace
419 West 2nd St.
Sushi | Bar Austin first opened in 2020 as a pop-up at Bento Picnic. A year later, they opened their first permanent location on East Cesar Chavez. Now, after much anticipation, they’ve reopened in their newest home in the Warehouse District. The new location will not only offer their signature 17-course, chef-guided food tasting and a front-row view of the chefs at work, but a new bar as well. Golden Ace serves Japanese-style drinks with “Texas spirit,” and can seat up to 40 people, according to the website.
Naatu Indian Food
6901 Ranch Road 620 N
Naatu is a new food truck, serving up traditional Indian dishes including naan, samosas, tikka and butter masalas, as well as drinks like mango lassi, masala chai and gulab jumun—fried milk balls coated in sweet syrup—for dessert. Located in the Four Points area, this little truck could be a great place to stop and pick up food on the way out for a day on the lake.
Mother’s Ruin
1401 E 6th St., Building A, Suite 204
Mother’s Ruin was founded in New York City in 2011. Since then, owners have opened their doors in Nashville, then Chicago, and as of early March, here in Austin. This divey-feeling bar is unique in that it offers a full food and drink menu until 2 a.m. seven nights a week. It’s a great option for a late-night burger in a city where midnight food options are becoming more limited.
Kai Zabb
7221 McNeil Drive
Kai Zabb is a new food truck in Northwest Austin, perfect for enjoying these (relatively) cooler spring nights. It’s an interesting combination of rice, crispy fried chicken and traditional Thai flavors, which makes sense as the founders of this food truck are the guys behind Nashville-style hot chicken spot Dang Hot 89. Diners can choose their preferred spice level, and cool things down with a Thai tea or delicious honey-drizzled bananas for dessert.
Parish Barbecue
3220 Manor Road
Tucked away behind Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches, this food truck opened in late March with a menu combining the flavors of Central Texas barbecue and Louisiana cuisine. Holden Fulco, formerly of Franklin Barbecue and Interstellar BBQ, cooks up items like ham cured in-house, pulled duck, Southern-style sides like Acadiana potato salad and crawfish cornbread dressing. As a Louisiana native turned Austinite, Fulco truly combines the best of both worlds.
CaPhe.in Coffee
3016 Guadalupe St.
Coffee shops are a dime a dozen in Austin, but we think CaPhe.in is worth mentioning because it does things a bit differently. Specializing in phin-dripped Vietnamese egg coffee, matcha drinks, fruit teas and other unique flavors like Coco Ube Coffee, Black Sesame and Viet Caramel, this close-to-campus option is great for students and North-Central residents alike.
Electric Gravy
1050 E 11th St., Suite #100
A new venture from the folks who brought Old Thousand to East Austin eight years ago combines authentic Indian flavors with a uniquely Texan delivery. Dishes are as colorful as they are flavorful, and include items like saag paneer, chana masala, basmati rice and unique Bombay sandwiches—a sort of grilled cheese with fried chicken wrapped in naan. Additionally, Electric Gravy offers a full list of wines, craft beers and signature cocktails like the Lassi Painkiller and Maharashtra Mule.
1972
2530 Guadalupe St.
1972 is Austin’s first women’s sports pub, exclusively “dedicated to celebrating women’s and gender-expansive sports,” according to the website. So named after the year Title IX was codified, prohibiting sex-based discrimination, this new female-owned bar offers up plenty of big screen TVs for game days, fun sports memorabilia throughout the space, and of course a full bar including classic game day fare like burgers, fries and wings.
Haywire
11501 Rock Rose Ave.
This much-anticipated restaurant opened its doors at The Domain in late March, and so far, it has not disappointed. This behemoth of a restaurant includes multiple floors, a Longhorn Lounge and a rooftop retreat. Its menu is dedicated to Texas fine dining with items like elk tacos and hand-cut steaks, as well as plenty of fancy whiskey drinks. This is the fifth Haywire location opened by FB Society here in Texas, but the first in Austin.
Café Largesse
2800 Barton Creek Blvd. Suite #104
This all-day cafe and wine bar is tucked away in the Barton Creek neighborhood in West Austin. Celebrating their grand opening on May 4, this brand-new restaurant features menu items like simple sandwiches, salads, loaded toasts and other breakfast items. After 5 p.m., a dinner menu includes even more options like braised short rib, charcuterie boards and a large wine selection.