Summer in Austin means traveling and that I have been doing. Still, I found plenty of great spots to share when it comes to the best food in Austin for June and July.
You might want to break out the stretchy pants because daddy is on a diet after taking down plenty o’ pizza, mozzarella sticks from heaven, Prime rib lunches and a mac n cheese bbq burrito.
The Vitals:
the spot: Maie Day 1603 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
the eats: Prime Rib Special
the bucks: $$
the full nelson: The family friendly Prime Rib deal in Austin
The ultra hip steakhouse vibes fit right in on South Congress avenue, at least in 2024. Situated next to boutique shops one might find on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills or the Design district in Miami, Maie Day should be that chophouse that carries major sticker shop. Unless you come in for lunch on Fridays.
That’s when Chef Michael Fojtasek wheels around a Prime Rib cart, offering a full slab of sous vide than seared Prime Rib perfection for a mere $19. Make it a meal with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach for another $9. Or stick to that caveman diet you have been working on ever since you saw that TikTok.
Speaking of TikTok – my IG video(ok not TikTok) netted over 200k videos: Maie Day Prime Rib, so if you don’t believe what you read, believe what you see. And what you are seeing is clearly a top gun when it comes to value and the best food in Austin.
The Vitals:
the spot: Bufalina 2215 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
the eats: Any pizza you fancy but get adventurous
the bucks: $$
the full nelson: Best happy hour for pizza and wine lovers
Prime Rib isn’t the only way to save a buck. Bufalina is the type of craft pizza one tends to think about when the words “best food in Austin” are brought up. But the savvy foodies know to swoop in for happy hour on weekdays from 4pm-5:30pm and save some serious bucks.
That’s when every pizza is half off as are bottles of wine, under $100. I’ve found the more adventurous you get with the pies here, like the Fresca which skips the tomato sauce or the Anchovy pie, become the most memorable slices. So get crazy and save a glass of Lambrusco for me.
The Vitals:
the spot: Bambino 79 Springdale Rd Suite 153, Austin, TX 78702
the eats: Any pizza you fancy but get adventurous
the bucks: $$
the full nelson: Best happy hour for pizza and wine lovers
There is a lot going on at Austin’s buzziest pizza place to add to the list of best food in Austin. Fiore Tedesco offers a signature pie that muses with ingredients that would make Chris Bianco jealous to a no flop crust that would draw at least an 8 from David Portnoy.
But no, I’m not highlighting the pies or even the burger of the day special. I’m talking Mozzarella sticks. Chef Tedesco is ingredient and process obsessive from the Buffalo milk mozzarella blend to the three stages of breading. The kicker though is the Cacio e Pepe ranch that only leaves us asking this question: when will he roll out the chicken wings?
The Vitals:
the spot: Rollin Smoke BBQ 1108 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78702
the eats: G Thang Burrito
the bucks: $$
the full nelson: Central Texas BBQ meets late night munchies
Just when I think I have seen it all with barbecue I hit up a food truck like Rollin Smoke that marries Texas meat smoking traditions with late night food truck vibes.
Originally serving till the wee hours, Kyle Stallings has scaled it back till 9pm and 10pm on weekends. We all gotta grow up but that doesn’t mean we can’t like a reckless teen either.
Case in point: the G Thang Burrito. Stallings smokes Prime Briskets uses them in a Tejano braise called Carne Guisada. He puts that hearty TexMex beef stew into a flour tortilla along with smoked mac n cheese, and a dual hit of salsas(jalapeno and chipotle crema.
It’s a burrito that should satisfy a late night craving at any hour. Though thankfully the temptation to eat one at 3am(his old last call) is no longer an option. After all, daddy is on a diet.
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