I have lived in Austin my whole life, in my 21 years of living I have never eaten food that's so…read moreconsistently otherworldly. The staff is always incredibly nice and helpful, the food always comes out fast even when busy and the vibes make it feel really really homey and it really captures a spirit of old Austin that most places don't have anymore, cannot recommend this place enough.

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.

We started off strong. Got seated right at our 8:30 reservation time which is always good. All of…read moreour food was great, pho beef dumplings, shrimp and crab fried rice, and four seasons duck. All amazing! Timing and tempo could have been better. My meal came out around 5-10 minutes after my dates meal. His was cold by the time mine came. We were done with our meals for quite a while before the server checked on us about dessert. We were told we only had 3 minutes to order dessert which was a bit off putting considering we had been ready to order at least 15 minutes prior. We got our dessert shortly before 10, and at 10:02 the house lights came on glaringly bright - aka time to get out. We hadn't even gotten our check yet. Overall the back end of the night felt rushed which put a damper on the experience. I would come back maybe during social hour or earlier in the day.

Had such a great night at 1618 Asian Fusion celebrating our 4-month anniversary! The food was…read moredelicious, but the bartenders made the night extra special. Abigail and Kathy were so friendly and welcoming, and Jay makes an amazing Matcha Espresso Martini! Highly recommend sitting at the bar--you won't be disappointed!

They've fallen off a cliff. Apparently they got a new chef and his first change was to cut the…read moresizes of the grilled skewers, remove all but one of the cold starters, change the oxtail dish to beef cheek, and remove the bone marrow from the other beef dish. Also: no more special item. New menus not yet printed, so I felt bad for the server who had to explain how much they didn't have anymore, despite what the now "old" menu said. Oxtail was one of the dishes we came back for. We opted to thank our server, leave and dine elsewhere. I hope they get things straightened out... but for now, Oko is an Ono.

Made a reservation for a birthday/anniversary reservation, forgetting we had been before until we…read morepulled up. Decided it was great the last time we went so might as well enjoy them again. The restaurant was mostly empty and when the server came to take our drink order, mentioned she'd be back to update us on "a few menu changes" Those few menu changes omitted almost half of the menu including the secret menu while they rest out a new chef. No longer available are the cold plates or the bone marrow to name a few, and the hot skewers are now "much smaller". This was enough of a change to make us source dinner elsewhere and wonder why they haven't reprinted their paper menus or update their website.

The pho was great best in Austin , service excellent , excellent location 10/10 would recommend…read more The hostess was super friendly :)

A coworker/friend put me onto this place. We were both craving lunch while I was in town. The…read morerestaurant is on the same drag as the office. I love Vietnamese food so I was excited to check it out. It's a counter restaurant and they bring out the food. Thankfully, there was vegan options. I got the veg pho with veg broth with a water. The restaurant is clean, no weird odor, with plenty of seating. The pho arrived to the table. A big bowl of hot soup filled with fresh vegetables. Savory rich broth, whew! You can't get any better than that. The whole meal was delicious! The vegetables were so crisp and cooked to perfection. I didn't get a soup spoon to drink the broth, but had to drink it like cereal from a bowl. The tofu was tasty as well. Very yummy. It tasted like it was Houston quality, but I had forgotten for a second that I was in South Austin. This restaurant did not disappoint!

Parking - easy, has several floor garage though hard to find the entrance again, all doors were…read morelocked from the outside so had to go in where the cars drive in. Where? Across from wholefoods and before the intersection through a large alley. Vibe - cozy, modern, upbeat, yet traditional Service - so friendly! Loved it. And attentive. Food - yummmmmmm I'll be back. Veggie options? YES. We had hot and sour soup delicious Soup dumplings fresh and on point Veggie spinach dumplings flavorful! Yum Egg custard tart small but good

I met a couple of friends here last week for an early (before 5pm) get together that I thought was…read morea happy hour, but turns out they don't have happy hour so we paid regular prices. The place reminded me of Ling Wu in the Grove area because the decor looked similar. Maybe they are owned by the same people? Firstly, I was impressed with the fact they had a FREE parking garage nearby since this is in the downtown area and next to Whole Foods. It took me a bit to find it as I'm directionally challenged, but I did and was just running a bit late. We really enjoyed the food and cocktails. I got the Singaporean noodles, a mezcal drink, and a sake. The serving size was big so I had plenty to take home. We shared many of the other dumplings and dim sum items. Everything was very good! The place wasn't too crowded so after we paid our bill we sat around for a while longer to chat and catch up. Usually someone would come by to see if we needed or wanted anything further, but no one did so we kept chatting and left. I'm happy to know of a central location with easy parking as a future place to meet people. I wish they had a happy hour because the bill for 3 of us was unexpectedly higher than usual.

Visited this local grocery store around the corner from my hotel, and noticed that there was a…read moreMalaysian food pop-up there called Wee's Cozy Kitchen. It piqued my attention enough that I decided to come by several hours later to get my dinner there. Bit of a unique setup as it's literally just a desk at the front with a menu you can order off. You put your order in on Square and wait. And then someone comes to bring your food out all nicely wrapped up! This is probably because the person who would take your order is actually also making the food in the bank/ Ordered the Beef Rendang, since I wanted to try something that was uniquely Malaysian. The beef was very tender and paired well with the sauce. It also had an unexpected spicy kick to it, but it wasn't overwhelming. Did not expect to find Malaysian food in a downtown Austin grocery store, but here we are!

I'm no stranger to restaurants inside of other businesses, but this one took some getting used to…read more While there are a few tables inside of Royal Blue, Wee's is definitely better equipped for takeout. There's a separate register toward the front of the store for you to place your order. However, there's a very good chance the proprietor will be in the back making food, so it's really a spot for you to browse the menu and order online. Once you get past the set-up, however, Wee's is very, very good. The menu offers Malaysian curries, noodles, satays, snacks, and drinks. I opted for a beef rendang and a Thai green tea. After about 15-20 minutes, Wee emerged to hand me my order. She gave me a warm greeting and seemed invested in me enjoying my meal. And enjoy it I did! The meat was tender, the sauce rich and creamy, and the coconut flavors paired well with the pickled vegetables. There was also a lot of it: for $18, I felt like I got my money's worth. Wee's Cozy Kitchen is easy to miss unless you're looking for it, but if you stop by, you're in for a treat.

I'm from Houston but any time I'm in Austin I HAVE to make a stop at spicy boys! The best chicken…read moresandwiches ever! I love dipping the nuggets in the curry AND the green sauce, it's just so good

There's a lot of food trucks in Austin. There are a few that I consider above the rest and Spicy…read moreBoys is one of those joints. Spicy Boys has four locations in the Austin area, with probably their most popular at Zilker Brewing. They are a spicy chicken establishment and their spicy chicken comes in different shapes and sizes from bone-in fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, and nuggets. I have only ever ordered their fried chicken sandwich and every time, I have been a fan. I always get their middle option in heat, the Hot Gai, which is sandwiched between the OG and the Tingly Gai. It hits every time. The mayonnaise, the pickles, the perfectly crisp chicken: you can't miss it. As a side, I ALWAYS without fail get their Tater Tots. They are consistently crispy while remaining soft on the inside. Sometimes I will get it seasoned with their Tingly Sichuan, but the heat is sometimes too much. I cannot recommend the tots enough. Spicy Boys is one of those places that is always there for you. They are consistently open and the people making the orders are putting a ton of dedication into making them smack every time. The sandwich alone comes at $9.50 with the tots at $3.50, which seems on par or slightly lower than a typical food truck if my memory serves me right. I recommend giving them a shot whether you are at Spokesman in Pflugerville, St. Elmo Brewing, or Zilker off 6th Street. It's in the upper echelon of food trucks. RIYL: peak chicken sammys

Previously known as Look Noodles and More, this understated eatery has been a West Campus mainstay…read morefor over a decade. Catering largely to the campus crowd, service is fast, portions are large, and despite going in with low expectations in the flavor department, they know what they're doing in the kitchen. The Veggie Ramen starts with a shoyu (soy sauce) base with customizable spice levels. Embellished with a healthy serving of vegetables, as promised, and a few cubes of fried tofu, it's a strong contender for anyone seeking a hearty meal, even if your dorm room days are long behind you. Even more remarkable, however, is the incredible smashed Cucumber Salad, heady with powerful dose of garlic, scallions, sesame, and soy. It's an ideal light and refreshing foil to a steaming bowl of ramen, when you want to go all-out.

We got the tonkotsu and chicken katsu ramen and they were both fantastic. It's very traditional…read morestyle ramen that was comforting and savory. The portions were perfect and suited the price. It's a great spot if you're looking for quick service and a lowkey dining experience. I would highly recommend to any and everyone.

The staff were very kind and attentive people, and it had kind of a 90s coffeehouse energy. Like…read moreeveryone in there saw everyone else as a person first and then whatever else next. The welcome in felt warm and genuine and my waiter was patient and had a great sense of humor. He helped me with my decision paralysis from their incredible drinks menu, then when I couldn't break a 50/50 on my entree choice. I'm not normally indecisive but after my drink had been so good and it smelled amazing in there, I kind of wanted to try everything because I'm rarely as far north as this in town. My pad thai was the best I have had in Austin and had this incredible freshness to it that I haven't found since I left the West Coast, like everything had very recently been raw ingredients. I loved everything about the place except their tiny parking lot, and I am going to be back soon. I'll probably take the bus or rideshare though. I have a little too much parking anxiety for their lot.

Come here for the food, not the service. The food here is…read moreoutstanding, however the service can babe much better. I ordered 2 flights of sake and none of them were tagged and some personnel didn't know how to explain which one was which. They took too long to offer me water and get my order, the seats are uncomfortable, ambiance is ok, like a cage that got extended into a restaurant. But I will definitely come back for the food, maybe pick up or deliver

I love Austin Restaurant Week because it allows you to try different cuisines at fixed prices for…read morelunch, brunch and dinner along with drink specials. Austin Restaurant Week takes place from August 28th through September 13th. First stop...Rollin Smoke BBQ, located in the Chalmers building, which filled with a crowd of people. I ordered a pull pork sandwich, mac-n-cheese and banana pudding. The pulled pork sandwich was huge, which I shared with the hubs. Quite honestly, I was full after eating 1/4 of the sandwich, which had cabbage, pickles and of course the pork (not the typical stringy pork but chunks of pork bursting with smokey flavor). The mac-n-cheese was substantial with cheese filled shell pasta with a hint of a smokey flavor. So yummy...Well, I might have eaten "all" the banana pudding. This was not your typical banana pudding (dense and flavorful). I certainly understand why they run out of this dessert. Service was superb! Great dining experience...

I have been craving Pork Belly Burnt Ends for the past few days and today, I was able to find a…read moregood parking spot at Chalmers Bar which houses Rollin Smoke BBQ. I order a very nice lite afternoon snack, 1/2 lb of Prime Pork Belly Burnt Ends, 1 Pork Sparerib, and a side of Boozy Brussels. The Prime Pork Belly Burnt Ends which are tossed in bourbon sauce and smoked again for a tender meat candy-like finish which was quite to the contrary, not overbearingly sweet, just a hint. The first time that I went to Rollin' Smoke, I wanted to order the Pork Spareribs but they weren't available so that's when I was introduced to the Pork Belly Burnt ends so today, I ordered just 1 Pork Sparerib today which was good but not great, sadly. I thoroughly enjoyed the Boozy Brussel Sprouts which were smoked and flashed fried, a balsamic glaze with whiskey soaked raisins and parmesan. I am definitely returning to check out the Half Chicken Plate with 2 small sides that I eyeballed.