The Best Food in Austin Texas: July 2025

Summer might be a quiet time in Austin but not for Austin restaurants. New places have opened up, secret pop ups are popping and it seems like I can go two days without eating out again.

Here is my latest round up for the best food in Austin Texas as of July 2025

Did someone say secret chicken and waffles?

The Vitals:
the spot: Lil Easy ATX presents Ricky’s Chicken and Waffles 5000 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
the eats: Chicken and Waffles
the bucks: $-$$
the full nelson: Chicken and Waffles secret menu at a Cajun restaurant

As if New Orleans inspired eatery Lil Easy was tempting enough with PoBoys, Jambalaya, Hurricanes and frozen drinks, they decided to spice things up. Ricky’s Chicken and Waffles WAS a secret menu available only for pick up and delivery. Now the iconic soul food combo with Amish roots is available for dine in.

PS the authentic Belgian style Liege Waffles made with pearl sugar inside the batter, and you can get tenders on their own or in a PoBoy.

The Fanciest Chicken Wing EVER

The Vitals:
the spot: Le Calamar 1600 S 1st St Suite 100, Austin, TX 78704
the eats: Chicken Wing inspired by one of the most revered living chefs today, Gnocchi, Snapper Ceviche, Mutton Snapper in Salsa Matcha
the bucks: $$$
the full nelson: the fanciest chicken wing God could have imagined.

I confess that I had never heard of Pierre Koffman or his signature Pig Trotter before I went to Le Calamar and that speaks to the special team Le Calamar has assembled. The principles behind Underdog(previous restaurant) have reimagined the same space into a French restaurant that slips into the Austin vibe but make no mistake: the cooking here is coming at a level one sees in NY, Chicago or LA.

The ceviche and gnocchi are divine and I could go into why the mutton snapper is one of the most revelatory Gulf seafood dishes I’ve had to date. But let’s focus on the chicken wing. Inspired by a true chef’s chef whose lineage leads to the likes of Marco Pierre White(the guy who made Gordon Ramsay into a chef), there ain’t no thing like this chicken wing.

Sourced from a local farm, the chicken wing is deboned, stuffed with a mousseline which is a cream made from chicken, huitlacoche, sweetbreads, eggs and probably three other things I’m missing. It is steamed then grilled over Japanese charcoal in a Yakitori style grill and glazed with a chicken jus that takes days to make. The word laborious is an understatement.

The only thing more criminal than how I can eat a dozen of these is that it costs $8 a wing but we ain’t in Buffalo boys and girls. We are at Le Calamar where chickens wings are literally fit for a king.

A sandwich collab for a good cause

The Vitals:
the spot: Bill’s Oyster 205 W 3rd St, Austin, TX 78701 in partnership with Si Baby Q
the eats: Smoked Tri Tip Cajun Shrimp PoBoy
the bucks: $$-$$$
the full nelson: a PoBoy that marries a Taste of Texas BBQ with a taste of New Orleans

Over the summer, Bill’s Oysters has commenced a PoBoy collab with chefs far and wide for a good cause. They donating 10% of their sales to three charities and if that doesn’t get you to deal with downtown parking maybe this surf and turf PoBoy will.

Jonathan Lagos of Si Baby Q smokes his Tri-Tip beef roasts low and slow before a hard sear and a slice. That gets paired with blackened deep fried shrimp, and a slaw dressed with an irresistible jalapeño aioli. The bread, sourced from a 125 year old bakery in New Orleans rounds out a pricey PoBoy that is also an act of goodwill.

How to eat through an Austin Summer

The Vitals:
the spot: Con Vista Al Mar  1209 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78702
the eats: Cachorra Tostada
the bucks: $-$$
the full nelson: a the answer to a long hot summer is cool refreshing Mexican seafood

Con Vista Al Mar arrived to Austin after a fast start in Mexico City where four locations popped up in four years. The vibe is very much straight outta Mexico or at least a beach vacation in Mexico.

The Cachorra tostada I had was teeming with seafood. A layer of crab serves as the bed for shrimp, scallops and octopus. Tomato, thinly sliced onion, salt, pepper and lemon top things off until the Cachorra sauce arrives. It is an umami bomb of flavor, hitting notes more like a Japanese sashimi plate thanks to the soy sauce and maggi sauce.

I can’t think of a better dish on a hot summer day in Austin.

Ultimate Ramen Cheat Code(price hack)

The Vitals:
the spot: Ramen 512 1420 Cypress Creek Road Ste 300, Cedar Park, TX 78613
the eats: Tonkotsu Ramen, Karage
the bucks: $16, $7.50
the full nelson: Top Classic Ramen joint in Austin

I won’t spend too much time talking about Ramen 512 because I have covered it before last year. I will tell you that since then, I have landed on my perfect order, a cheat code if you will. And the level unlocked will save you money.

Go halfsies on a ramen and add extra toppings. And I mean premium toppings like the Pork Chashu and the egg. The order will easily be enough for two and you will spend far less than ordering two bowls.

Yes, you are welcome.

Best food Austin July 2025 recap

I’ve been a busy eater and my reach was far and wide. I’ll leave you with this breakdown:

• Le Calamar is your next date night if you want to spend some $$$, drink some wine and are in the mood to experience some serious skills in the kitchen
• Con Vista Al Mar is how you beat the heat with food this summer. Chilled seafood is the answer kids.
• Bill’s Oysters is a spot to go to for the die hard po boy fan. Their burger on Happy Hour is a deal too.
• Ricky’s Chicken and Waffles might be the place to get my kid off Raising Cane’s. And they have their own Cane sauce riff.
• Ramen 512 might be the most legit ramen I’ve had in Austin. It takes me back to Japan where I was last month and have been to, twice in the last three years.

Eat well and see you next month!