I spend a lot of time around St. Elmo. I frequent a lot of the places in The Yard like Spokesman…read moreCoffee, St. Elmo Brewing, and all the food trucks throughout. Until this year, I never noticed right across the street was Vacancy Brewing and the SXSE Food Co food truck. I took advantage of an Austin Asian Restaurant Passport that benefited a local charity, while also promoting local Asian restaurants. SXSE Food Co was one of the participating restaurants, and I wanted to take the opportunity to try Laotian food. The food was solid, with the flavorful sweet and savory balance similar to Thai and Vietnamese food. The skewers were solid but the crispy fried rice was my favorite dish. It had amazing texture with the crispiness and chewy nature of the sticky rice. There's also freshness from the herbs. The dish overall reminded me of the savory sticky rice with Chinese sausage we make in Cantonese cuisine, and the nostalgia made me love it that much more.

Fried rice is often an afterthought, a side or a foundation, not a feature or meal in itself. SXSE…read moreFood flips the script and is turning out what is quite frankly the best fried rice I've ever had. It's the only vegan option, but damn, they absolutely nail it. The rice is genuinely crispy, infused with the warm spice of red curry and fragrant herbs like Thai basil, cilantro, and scallions, for a full sensory experience. There's even some coconut for those rich, toasted notes to round it all out. Just be sure to specify vegan because they also have a version with beef. They're parked out at Vacancy Brewing which means you're never too far from an excellent option to soak up that last beer.

Was really ready to be happy chowing down on a couple of kimchi tacos and the laotian egg roll but…read morethe food turned out to be sub par for my tastes. The tacos fell apart before I could get them to my piehole and what fell out was mostly tomatos and very little pulled pork 'chunkettes' that were hard to find. Hey. Charge more and give me some pork that I don't have to dig around for to find. The laotian egg roll, again, was mediocre but nothing to write home about. Speaking about home, the story on the truck explains the origins and how this was their mamma's cooking. I don't like to say bad things about your mamma's cooking so let's stop here :) Could be that it's just for someone else though and that's ok too. Or, maybe, have mamma do a quality check here and there.

There's never been a bigger advocate of Asian-Latin fusions than me, but since my personal ads…read morehaven't been working very well lately, I was happy to stumble upon Mama Noy's outside the Adelberts Brewery and I had to get me some! I really liked the Vandalized Tacos, which they recommended as the one thing I had to try, they're messy af, but well worth it. I also ordered Pad Thai, because I never turn away the opportunity to have Pad Thai, but it was just okay, or maybe it was unfair for it to have to follow up the Vandalized Tacos, I don't know, but if I ever run into Mama Noy's again I'm definitely going to try more things.

This is one of the food options at Leona off Brodie Lane. The food is unique and service is fast…read more We enjoyed it!

I've been a loyal Dee Dee fan for years but oh man! The quality of the food has gone down…read more The pad kaprow is way too oily and the rice was sooo smooshy. Ever since they've moved to the brick and mortar -- I've been less impressed with their delivery.

We really felt like we found a gem here. We stopped in to try Vacancy brewing and saw this food…read moretruck. I ordered the spiciest level and it was so good. We got beef skewer and pulled pork bun. So good! Then we split a fried rice. I will be dreaming about that rice. It was so good and full of different flavors and crunchy bits! I can't wait to go back and try more of their offerings.

I think this was just a classic case of mismanaged expectation. I'm not sure exactly what I was…read moreexpecting but when I was told we were going to Korean BBQ, I was expecting more beef options. It didn't have to be all you can eat but it ended up being a lot of soups and plated dishes that we're very filling. There was a grill in the center but no one used it so I'm not sure which dishes requires it. I got one of the soups and it was pretty bland even after I added the salt. They gave me 2 strips of beef for the whole thing. No one else at the table seemed completely happy with what they got but the pancake was very good. They have nice servers and the environment is nice for a meal but I just didn't leave satisfied.

I saw that East Side King was going to close and my friend had recommended it so I wanted to stop…read moreby and try it. There was plenty of parking available. When you walk in, you can place your order at the counter. I ordered the Brussels sprouts salad. I asked for the jalapeños and sauce be on the side since I do not eat spicy hot foods. I wanted to add fried tofu, but the person talking my order said the $7 fried tofu addition was just for the curry and I would have to order the appetizer so I passed since I was just one person. There was plenty of seating in the dining area and they brought the food out when ready. My salad had jalapeños and sauce on it even though I asked for them to be on the side. I was able to remove the jalapeños and it was not that spicy. The salad had fried Brussels sprouts with sweet and spicy sauce, cabbage, basil, cilantro, mint, onion, jalapeño, crispy steamed bao bun. My suggestion would be to replace the bun with a fried tofu option and that would be amazing. It was a very herby and fresh salad with all the fresh herbs. Overall I liked my salad and want to try other items on the menu like the bento box and bowls. Sad to see that this establishment will be closing soon.

East Side King gets a lot of praise on r/austinfood, but it was unfortunately mid. My friend who I…read morecame with and I have tried most of the East Asian restaurants in Austin that seem good and are within a reasonable price point, so I really had to do my research to find one that we hadn't been to yet. I had the katsu curry udon, which overall did not have very good of a flavour. My bar is pretty low for chicken katsu and Japanese curry. I am usually easily pleased with these foods, but this was not the case. It wasn't particularly bad however, just mid. My friend got the gyudon bowl, which we both expected to be a bowl of rice with some beef on top, which the picture shows on the online menu. However, it was almost soupy. It was like a pond of beef liquid surrounding a small island of rice. The sogginess was not expected or welcomed. She told me it was good at first, but then the sauce got too salty. I took one bite and felt the strength of the sodium. This is the type of sauce that leaves you dehydrated for the rest of the day. We didn't like the onsen egg either, but we hadn't had one before, so it might just be a flavour we're not used to. This restaurant seems reasonably popular from what I've read online, but it was almost empty when we were there on a Saturday from 6:30-7:30pm. I found that odd. The cocktails on the menu seem good, and they are reasonably priced. I read reviews warning others not to park in the lot right next to the restaurant. The actual parking lot is south of the restaurant and next to a tattoo shop. They have signs posted on the front door to warn customers, but just be extra cautious about it!

Stopped by 888 Pan Asian and ordered the combination pho. It was really good with a flavorful…read morebroth, generous portions, and plenty of meat. The serving size was definitely worth it because I had leftovers, and it somehow tasted even better reheated the next day. Always a great sign when the quality holds up after taking it home. Solid spot for pho if you're looking for a satisfying meal with big portions. Note to self: make sure to ask for the chili crisp oil on the side next time. It didn't taste nearly as good without it, and they don't automatically include it. Definitely worth requesting because it adds so much more flavor.

I don't usually write reviews, but this experience was honestly so confusing that I felt like I had…read moreto. I'm only giving 2 stars because the food was actually good. My boyfriend and I came here because of the great reviews, but unfortunately our visit was nothing like we expected. From the moment we walked in, the experience was disappointing. The host literally pointed to our table instead of walking us to it, which immediately felt unwelcoming. No one introduced themselves or even told us who our server was, so we never knew anyone's name throughout the entire meal. Throughout our meal, no one checked on us even once, and we had to flag our waiter down multiple times whenever we needed something. Plates and drinks were also repeatedly slammed down on the table, which came across as rude and unprofessional. Every interaction felt rushed, and the staff acted like they were annoyed we were there. The customer service was awful, and it made for a really unpleasant first experience. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back.

I'm so glad I tried their sampler baked oysters because they're unbelievable tasty!…read moreI really liked the garlic ones they're fabulous. Also, their combo pad thai was heavenly. I really like coming to this place and I tell all my friends about it. For lunch, dinner or appetizers and a drink. The atmosphere is super laid back and comfy and the food is great! I've always get friendly staff and everyone is super helpful.

This was our first time dining here, and we decided to give it a try because of all the glowing…read morereviews. Unfortunately, I honestly don't understand the hype. The food was bland and lacked seasoning. The calamari and shrimp appetizer was especially disappointing--it was so rubbery it was almost inedible, and at $22.95, we expected much better. The only highlight of our visit was our waitress. She was friendly, attentive, and provided excellent service. If you enjoy bland, rubbery seafood, this may be the place for you. If you're looking for flavorful, well-prepared food, I'd recommend dining somewhere else. Complete waste of a date night and $60!

11/10 One of the…read morebest Pad Thai dishes I've had in Austin! I ordered the Pad Thai at spice level 3, and it was the perfect amount of heat. I definitely wouldn't have wanted it any spicier, so if you're sensitive to spice, I'd recommend sticking with level 3 or below. The food tasted incredibly fresh, the chicken was juicy and full of flavor, and everything came out quickly. The service was just as impressive. The staff checked on me several times to make sure I had everything I needed, and everyone was so friendly and attentive. The great reviews definitely live up to the hype. I highly recommend giving this place a try!

Khao soi was fantastic- it blew me away. Pad se ew was…read moreunfortunately the opposite with chewy overcooked beef and bland noodles. Mango sticky rice was just okay! Note that door dash doesn't include a spice level option, so you have to add a note and pray it gets seen! Had I only gotten the khao soi, it would've been a 5!