The best food in Austin, Texas, this November includes a YouTube star’s first restaurant, a North Austin spot that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into South India, a viral burger trend with a mole twist and a bowl of pho that turned my casual appreciation into full-blown love.
Whether it’s a restaurant that’s been on my bucket list or a newcomer hot off the presses, Austin’s dining scene keeps finding ways to surprise me. Here are four Austin restaurants worth seeking out this month.
Joshua Weissman is one of the biggest culinary stars to emerge from the YouTube era. His résumé includes working at Austin’s very own Uchi, but Ben & Lynn’s, named after his parents, marks his first restaurant of his own.
Weissman built a massive following making upgraded versions of famous fast food, so it should come as no surprise that he’s sticking to familiar territory with a fried chicken sandwich. Think of it as the 21st-century approach to fast food, where chains like Shake Shack raised the bar on quality while still appealing to the masses.
When you hear the word chef, you might expect something more complex. But after spending more than two decades covering the food scene, I’ve learned that Americans have a serious soft spot for guilty pleasures. Make a better version of something people already love, and you might just have the next Dave’s Hot Chicken on your hands.
I’ll say this: Ben & Lynn’s passed the family test. IPA on draft for Mom and Dad, and a fried chicken sandwich that traveled well for the teenager who believes every restaurant should be available on DoorDash.
PRO TIP: Don’t overlook the sauces. They’re doing some good work here.
Many food writers, myself included, tend to dismiss the word authentic as a matter of subjectivity rather than cultural accuracy. Then you walk into an Indian restaurant like Sangam Chettinad, where Indian diners seem to outnumber everyone else three to one. Don’t expect to find boeuf bourguignon here.
And don’t expect the tiresome all-you-can-eat Indian lunch buffet, either. Sangam’s menu is deeply rooted in South Indian cooking, with dishes that raised even my eyebrow an inch or two. My advice? Bring a group and order everything you’ve never heard of.
Then get a double order of the flaky, multilayered flatbread. Think of it as a buttery flour tortilla, if you will, made for scooping up that magnificent mutton curry. The cooking is bold, deeply spiced and a reminder of just how much there is to explore beyond the usual Indian restaurant staples.
Oh, and the goat here is the G.O.A.T.
I’ve been following Chef Joseph Gomez’s cooking for years, from taco trucks to elaborate pop-ups. But this latest iteration might take the cake.
Or should I say burger?
Joe’s Burgers puts a Mexican spin on the viral trend of slicing a burger in half and serving it in a pool of sauce. Gomez does the same thing, only with mole. It’s a visual stunner, but what really caught my attention was the masa-infused Japanese milk bread bun.
That bun brings another dimension to the burger, making this more than just an Instagram-worthy gimmick. It’s a clever collision of Mexican flavors, Japanese-inspired bread and the American cheeseburger.
The burger is huge, and yes, it costs $20. But it’s absolutely worth sharing with a friend, especially since they’ve already cut it in half for you.
First, say the name carefully.
And perhaps not in church, synagogue or mosque.
I’ve always liked pho. A lighter Vietnamese noodle soup, with fragrant broth, fresh herbs and rice noodles, has long been a welcome break from the onslaught of ramen. But ramen always felt like more of a main event to me.
Until now.
Pho Cui serves a Texas-inspired take on pho, but regardless of which bowl you order, expect something that might change the way you think about Vietnamese noodle soup. The broth has the kind of depth and flavor that makes you stop talking and start paying attention.
I literally went from liking pho to loving pho here.
And don’t overlook what the restaurant calls its Vietnamese tamales. These banana-leaf-wrapped rice dumplings are a reminder that Vietnamese cooking extends far beyond noodle soup and bánh mì. They’re something I rarely encounter, and exactly the kind of dish that makes exploring Austin restaurants so rewarding.
Austin’s food scene keeps on trucking, even if all four of my picks this month happen to be brick-and-mortar restaurants. Between a mole cheeseburger and a spectacular bowl of pho, we’re giving Houston a reason to look over its shoulder. And with Joshua Weissman bringing his internet fame into the real-world restaurant business, Austin continues to prove it’s a city where new culinary ideas can find an audience.
What I appreciate most is the range. You can spend one afternoon exploring South Indian specialties you can’t pronounce and the next eating a fried chicken sandwich from a chef who built his career teaching millions of people how to cook. Somewhere in between, there’s a burger swimming in mole and a bowl of pho that might just change your life.
That’s a pretty good month of eating.
And apparently, Austin still hasn’t reached peak fried chicken sandwich.
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