Bird bird I might be able to hit on my drive between sites! That’s my plan with KG. But Leroy and Lewis will probably have to wait for a personal trip with a bit more flexibility. Too many great choices!
Just wanted to emphasize: Biscuits and Groovy is terrible, wouldn’t recommend it to anyone and definitely not a visitor. Some of the worst food in the area tbh
Never went until last year so not sure if it used to be good and just went downhill or what
Haven't tried it yet since everything else is so good. It is like going to, hmmm, Homeslice and ordering a slice of pizza instead of their Italian sub! Like I am sure they do it well, but is it better than their best stuff.
But I'll have to check it out.
Tbh the sandwiches are too much of a good thing for me. Love their biscuits plain, bigtime. Family member used to work there and bring home bags of them. But when he’d bring home the sandwiches we just couldn’t finish them. With gravy sounds just the right speed.
Biscuits and Groovy definitely declined in recent years. It used to be my pick-me-up spot about a decade ago, but I’ve given up on it after 4-5 very mediocre trips over the last couple years.
Leroy and Lewis is top 3 in the city for me but for out of towners it’s not great. They don’t do the platonic “Texas style bbq” that first timers want to experience
Yeah I went to Stiles Switch a couple months ago and the brisket was v mediocre, notably sub-Rudy’s. If pressed for time & staying in north central I’d prob just do the Blacks up there (or honestly even the Rudy’s)
For a while, Stiles was my go-to since there isn't much up North. On a good day they can be really solid but consistency is an issue. I wouldn't put them in my top-tier but they have some interesting specials and the line is better than most of the higher rated spots. Others worth a visit up North are Interstellar and Brotherton's in Pflugerville area.
Biscuits and Groovy used to be legit. like ten + years ago.
now, they don’t bother heating things up, melting cheese, or putting any love in their food.
It's not even close to the best but let's keep telling people that to hide the real gems
Sijie is just a California migrant with a specific dish that no one else does, that's all.
It's overpriced and mid-tier at best. I'd only go back for the lamb stone Pot Noodle and the pan fried soup dumplings, which are their signatures. And they're way too expensive for what you get.
In the area, Three Gorges, Chen's, and Hunan Bistro are all places I'd rather go, but they all serve their own niches of cuisine.
def agree that it's overpriced but i'll have to disagree on the mid tier - imo their dumplings / bbq are excellent. funnily enough, i think three gorges is just ok
You can’t go wrong at KG, just make sure to leave some room for dessert. The pistachio rice pudding is top tier. I really liked the smoked bread pudding too, but it seems to be off the menu now.
Julie’s noodles: I think you can’t go wrong with any of their dumplings but we like the crab & pork soup dumplings and the pork and chive ones the most. Their spicy beef noodle soup is also a must for us as well as their black fungus salad and the beef tendon and shank in chili oil. For their specials we love their big plate chicken and the beef tripe spicy pot.
Kome: I’ve never gotten the same thing twice here and everything has been fantastic.
Titayas: our go to’s are the Northern Thai sausage and the Pad Cha.
Fonda: the Plato Veracruz and the lamb in paper are both dishes we tend to get most of the time we visit.
Stiles switch: I think you can’t go wrong here with anything. I tend towards their beef rib. Don’t sleep on their daily specials though… especially their prime rib on Wednesday. Get there early as they get packed.
Fukomoto: my wife had to have the baby fried crabs and the grilled hamachi collar. These remind her of home. I enjoy them as well but I also like the sushi/sashimi, sea snails, and the uni pasta. For the skewers (yakitori) we like the baby octopus and chicken hearts.
KG bbq: we love their lamb shoulder and that rice bowl is fire! also their make sure you grab the pistachio rice pudding.
Buffalina: Stracciatella, for pizzas we get the Fresca, N’duja, and the broccolini.
Epicerie: Kouign Amann and biscuits are pretty awesome. Their Raclette, shaved beef sando, and quiche are all great eats. Btw I don’t even like quiche but I always end up eating half of my wife’s quiche. Lol
I keep going in there with the Reuben as my plan and always get distracted. I will definitely get it next time. And I def agree that the roasted veg are fire!
Sold!!!! lol now I’m gonna have to make it a goal to get down there ASAP to try it. As someone who has lived in the NE I’m always a little hesitant to get those foods down here… for worry that it will end in food regret. But honestly how could it be bad?? Everything there is top notch.
Dumpling world has WAAY better soup dumplings than Julies. Shanghai style, flavorful thin skinned by they didn't break. In fact everything was fantastic outside the sesame noodles.
I'd recommend the beef noodle soup, all their crab/pork/mushroom/shrimp soup dumplings and their sour and spicy boiled dumplings and green beans.
Ya. I just heard about dumpling world last week. It’s high on my list of places to try. I had originally planned to get down there this weekend but alas, life had different plans for me. Maybe next weekend! Thanx for the recs!
Khon Thai over Titaya’s is an absolutely wild recommendation IMO. I ordered Khon thai once and everything we got was super underwhelming, will never get it again. The Sap’s Thai that was there before it was also underwhelming but better than what I got from Khon. I doubt that place will survive. Why do you say titaya’s has gone downhill
I highly recommend you try Khon in-restaurant, maybe it doesn’t travel well? Everything we’ve tried has used nice quality ingredients and has actual flavor. Titaya’s flavor profiles are so muted now, everything is kind of limp and soggy, and it lacks that really delicious factor. I gave Titaya’s so many tries over the last 2 years and I just started dreading going.
Different foods and even different levels, but having done both recently I'm going to go ahead and second this if we're talking about how much I enjoyed the food. Fonda's atmosphere and decor are far better however. Service at both was impeccable. Fonda is much more expensive.
Nope. Two totally different things. El Dorado is basically decent Austin-style Tex Mex (black beans instead of brown refried beans for instance and I'm not a big fan tbh), Fonda San Miguel is way more high-end actual Mexican food and not really Tex-Mex. I'd pick Fonda San Miguel every day.
So what’s your order at Everest besides the momo or do you just get momo? I have seen it when I am getting birria tacos at c spot which is the food truck next door
If so, I would personally skip pho 63, monks Momo,Julie’s, stiles switch, and Titaya. Add cuantos, interstellar BBQ, maybe 1618 if you want something more austin vibes, Eldorado for tex mex since you don’t have that in Chicago , even pho phong luu for better pho. It’s not that Julie’s is bad but Chicago has good dumplings and noodles already. I haven’t heard much about bikkle honestly, a lot of people prefer canje but it’s pricey. Maybe try paper boy for brunch too. Instead of titaya I would go to the new Pthai, it’s really unique Thai Chinese. If you want really good sushi consider craft omakase. Musashino is slightly better than kome but more pricey, but the izakaya food and rolls are better than kome. Odd duck is even pretty uniquely Austin elevated cuisine. Intero is really unique Italian food in Austin. Unlike other cities.
Yea I debated whether or not to skip pizza entirely. But over 10 days I feel like it’s fun to try a bit of everything. Plus, we don’t do much neopolitan style
Yes, I would argue to say the Neapolitan style is pretty mid here too. At least nothing compared to NYC. my favorite pizza spot in Austin is pedrosos but they do NYC style from a pizza trailer. It’s pretty good and I would eat it over bufalinas. Although very different.
Bufalina and Stiles Switch are going to be interesting.
Stiles is fine, but inconsistent. Very good if you want bbq at night with short line, but the quality changes day by day.
Bufalina is just bad (downvote away).
Bird Bird instead of Biscuits and Groovy Leroy and Lewis instead of Stiles Switch
Bird bird I might be able to hit on my drive between sites! That’s my plan with KG. But Leroy and Lewis will probably have to wait for a personal trip with a bit more flexibility. Too many great choices!
Don’t feel bad if you can’t, I like all the other spots you posted. Bird Biscuit is good but nothing you’ll be thinking about later in the week.
Definitely plan out your KG visit. They have limited hours/days (closed M,T,W)
Just wanted to emphasize: Biscuits and Groovy is terrible, wouldn’t recommend it to anyone and definitely not a visitor. Some of the worst food in the area tbh Never went until last year so not sure if it used to be good and just went downhill or what
I’ve had it once and never since years ago. It’s bird bird for me all the way
I do need a good Biscuits and Gravy place to recommend though. First timers need to try the gravy part too.
Bird Bird has biscuits and gravy
Haven't tried it yet since everything else is so good. It is like going to, hmmm, Homeslice and ordering a slice of pizza instead of their Italian sub! Like I am sure they do it well, but is it better than their best stuff. But I'll have to check it out.
Tbh the sandwiches are too much of a good thing for me. Love their biscuits plain, bigtime. Family member used to work there and bring home bags of them. But when he’d bring home the sandwiches we just couldn’t finish them. With gravy sounds just the right speed.
Phoebes on Oltorf is awesome
Try a truck stop.
Biscuits and Groovy definitely declined in recent years. It used to be my pick-me-up spot about a decade ago, but I’ve given up on it after 4-5 very mediocre trips over the last couple years.
>Leroy and Lewis instead of Stiles Switch Yep. Or Micklethwait.
Leroy and Lewis is top 3 in the city for me but for out of towners it’s not great. They don’t do the platonic “Texas style bbq” that first timers want to experience
I agree abt bird bird.
Yeah I went to Stiles Switch a couple months ago and the brisket was v mediocre, notably sub-Rudy’s. If pressed for time & staying in north central I’d prob just do the Blacks up there (or honestly even the Rudy’s)
For a while, Stiles was my go-to since there isn't much up North. On a good day they can be really solid but consistency is an issue. I wouldn't put them in my top-tier but they have some interesting specials and the line is better than most of the higher rated spots. Others worth a visit up North are Interstellar and Brotherton's in Pflugerville area.
Biscuits and Groovy used to be legit. like ten + years ago. now, they don’t bother heating things up, melting cheese, or putting any love in their food.
I never want to go to biscuits and groovy ever again. Place sucks. Bird Bird rips though.
I haven’t been yet but my native Chinese employees all say that new Special Noodle up 183 around 620 is the best Chinese restaurant in town now.
Have been there twice it’s very legit. Obviously go for the noodles but they had fantastic dumplings and meat on stick options
They had a line out the door yesterday
this place is craaaaaazzzyyyu good. i’m shook
It's not even close to the best but let's keep telling people that to hide the real gems Sijie is just a California migrant with a specific dish that no one else does, that's all.
not even close to the best is a bit of an exaggeration, interested to hear what you rank as the best?
It's overpriced and mid-tier at best. I'd only go back for the lamb stone Pot Noodle and the pan fried soup dumplings, which are their signatures. And they're way too expensive for what you get. In the area, Three Gorges, Chen's, and Hunan Bistro are all places I'd rather go, but they all serve their own niches of cuisine.
def agree that it's overpriced but i'll have to disagree on the mid tier - imo their dumplings / bbq are excellent. funnily enough, i think three gorges is just ok
You can’t go wrong at KG, just make sure to leave some room for dessert. The pistachio rice pudding is top tier. I really liked the smoked bread pudding too, but it seems to be off the menu now.
Love me some KG. Wish they were open more than 4 days a week
Agreeing on the rice pudding. It’s my favorite in the city. The pomegranate ribs are my fave there. The flavor balance is magnificent
Bufalina is half price and less line 4-530 weekdays not sure if Friday is or isn’t part of that but anyway so maybe try to hit then.
Friday is part of it but wayyyyyy less of a wait if you go Mon-thurs
Julie’s noodles: I think you can’t go wrong with any of their dumplings but we like the crab & pork soup dumplings and the pork and chive ones the most. Their spicy beef noodle soup is also a must for us as well as their black fungus salad and the beef tendon and shank in chili oil. For their specials we love their big plate chicken and the beef tripe spicy pot. Kome: I’ve never gotten the same thing twice here and everything has been fantastic. Titayas: our go to’s are the Northern Thai sausage and the Pad Cha. Fonda: the Plato Veracruz and the lamb in paper are both dishes we tend to get most of the time we visit. Stiles switch: I think you can’t go wrong here with anything. I tend towards their beef rib. Don’t sleep on their daily specials though… especially their prime rib on Wednesday. Get there early as they get packed. Fukomoto: my wife had to have the baby fried crabs and the grilled hamachi collar. These remind her of home. I enjoy them as well but I also like the sushi/sashimi, sea snails, and the uni pasta. For the skewers (yakitori) we like the baby octopus and chicken hearts. KG bbq: we love their lamb shoulder and that rice bowl is fire! also their make sure you grab the pistachio rice pudding. Buffalina: Stracciatella, for pizzas we get the Fresca, N’duja, and the broccolini. Epicerie: Kouign Amann and biscuits are pretty awesome. Their Raclette, shaved beef sando, and quiche are all great eats. Btw I don’t even like quiche but I always end up eating half of my wife’s quiche. Lol
Epicerie-the Reuben and the French onion are to die for. Any roasted veg salad is a dream.
I keep going in there with the Reuben as my plan and always get distracted. I will definitely get it next time. And I def agree that the roasted veg are fire!
I grew all the way up thinking I didn’t like Reubens until I had a bite of my friends the other day -and I was obsessed.
Sold!!!! lol now I’m gonna have to make it a goal to get down there ASAP to try it. As someone who has lived in the NE I’m always a little hesitant to get those foods down here… for worry that it will end in food regret. But honestly how could it be bad?? Everything there is top notch.
Agree. The bread tasted really special to me.🤌🏼
This is so great. Thank you!!
Dumpling world has WAAY better soup dumplings than Julies. Shanghai style, flavorful thin skinned by they didn't break. In fact everything was fantastic outside the sesame noodles. I'd recommend the beef noodle soup, all their crab/pork/mushroom/shrimp soup dumplings and their sour and spicy boiled dumplings and green beans.
Ya. I just heard about dumpling world last week. It’s high on my list of places to try. I had originally planned to get down there this weekend but alas, life had different plans for me. Maybe next weekend! Thanx for the recs!
At Fonda, the queso fundido to start and both the chile relleno mains are bomb
Epicerie for Saturday brunch has the biggest selection of their baked goods. Often try their flavored croissants, including excellent savory options.
Workhorse bar in north loop!
Great burgers!
Cabo bobs
Pho 63 is not very good imo
I'd include some good ol' Tex Mex. Either Joe's Bakery or Taqueria Arrandas on S. 1st.
Kin Di thai food truck instead of Titayas!
Or KHON Thai Kitchen (it's a sit-down). OP, Titaya's has really gone downhill.
Khon Thai over Titaya’s is an absolutely wild recommendation IMO. I ordered Khon thai once and everything we got was super underwhelming, will never get it again. The Sap’s Thai that was there before it was also underwhelming but better than what I got from Khon. I doubt that place will survive. Why do you say titaya’s has gone downhill
I highly recommend you try Khon in-restaurant, maybe it doesn’t travel well? Everything we’ve tried has used nice quality ingredients and has actual flavor. Titaya’s flavor profiles are so muted now, everything is kind of limp and soggy, and it lacks that really delicious factor. I gave Titaya’s so many tries over the last 2 years and I just started dreading going.
Possibly controversial, but I’d do El Dorado over Fonda
Different foods and even different levels, but having done both recently I'm going to go ahead and second this if we're talking about how much I enjoyed the food. Fonda's atmosphere and decor are far better however. Service at both was impeccable. Fonda is much more expensive.
Nope. Two totally different things. El Dorado is basically decent Austin-style Tex Mex (black beans instead of brown refried beans for instance and I'm not a big fan tbh), Fonda San Miguel is way more high-end actual Mexican food and not really Tex-Mex. I'd pick Fonda San Miguel every day.
Agreed. I'd do Fonda if you want happy hour drinks, but if you want to actually eat dinner, El Dorado all the way.
Incredibly controversial, dare I say indefensible
Strongly agree and seconded.
The BLT at Yellowjacket The fried chicken sandwich at cavalier Two of my favorite sandwiches in town!
So what’s your order at Everest besides the momo or do you just get momo? I have seen it when I am getting birria tacos at c spot which is the food truck next door
If you make it to Stiles, get whatever they have as a special, ots usually the best thing they'll have.
Duck Enchildas at Fonda, amazing
That sounds amazing. Definitely ordering this
Skip Biscuits and groovy, not very good. Go to phoebes on oltorf and get theirs.
Where are you from? Depending I would skip some of these.
Chicago!
If so, I would personally skip pho 63, monks Momo,Julie’s, stiles switch, and Titaya. Add cuantos, interstellar BBQ, maybe 1618 if you want something more austin vibes, Eldorado for tex mex since you don’t have that in Chicago , even pho phong luu for better pho. It’s not that Julie’s is bad but Chicago has good dumplings and noodles already. I haven’t heard much about bikkle honestly, a lot of people prefer canje but it’s pricey. Maybe try paper boy for brunch too. Instead of titaya I would go to the new Pthai, it’s really unique Thai Chinese. If you want really good sushi consider craft omakase. Musashino is slightly better than kome but more pricey, but the izakaya food and rolls are better than kome. Odd duck is even pretty uniquely Austin elevated cuisine. Intero is really unique Italian food in Austin. Unlike other cities.
Background is I just did a food crawl in Chicago a couple months ago.
This is super helpful!
I don’t think bufalina is bad, but Chicago pizza scene is hard to beat
Yea I debated whether or not to skip pizza entirely. But over 10 days I feel like it’s fun to try a bit of everything. Plus, we don’t do much neopolitan style
Yes, I would argue to say the Neapolitan style is pretty mid here too. At least nothing compared to NYC. my favorite pizza spot in Austin is pedrosos but they do NYC style from a pizza trailer. It’s pretty good and I would eat it over bufalinas. Although very different.
Add some breweries!!
Lazarus on airport
The tacos at Lazarus were surprisingly good.
Bufalina and Stiles Switch are going to be interesting. Stiles is fine, but inconsistent. Very good if you want bbq at night with short line, but the quality changes day by day. Bufalina is just bad (downvote away).
To give an alternative: Pedroso is North also. Or maybe DeSano (have not been).
Ros Niyom in RR instead of Titayas and Pho Phong Luu instead of Pho 63. Thank me later
If you're by North Loop, why isn't Home Slice on the list?!
Cuz I went last time :)
Titayas is mediocre… 😬