East Austin is full of diverse local cuisines, contributing to the neighborhood’s exceptional restaurants and experimental food concepts. From scrappy taco trucks and award-winning barbecue to intriguing cocktail lounges and French brasseries, a blended identity lies in the Eastside.

In this part of the city, you’ll often see bungalows converted into full-service restaurants, and huge outdoor patios with live music, games, and a lively crowd. Whether you’re seeking the ultimate dinner reservation for a date night or spot to grab quick food during your busy workday, you’ll find it in East Austin.

In this guide, we’ll give you some of the best restaurants in East Austin, including hidden gems you haven’t yet been to. These are our recommendations for a boozy brunch or midday lunch meeting, a dinner reservation worth making, and an irresistible late-night bite. Plus, if you’re a resident of Lirica, a new East Austin high rise apartment building, you’ll have ultimate access to these restaurants in the area.

Brunch & Midday Bites

Sawyer & Co.

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  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Southern / New Orleans / Retro Diner
  • Instagram: @sawyeratx – https://www.instagram.com/sawyeratx/
  • Hours:
    • Mon-Wed: 8AM-3PM
    • Thurs: 8AM-9PM
    • Fri: 8AM-10PM
    • Sat: 9AM-10PM
    • Sun: 9AM-3PM

A backyard patio and casual retro aesthetic make Sawyer & Co a dream for Instagram-vying brunch-goers. They serve cajun southern classics like shrimp and grits, crawfish, and fried chicken biscuits. Make boozy brunch plans in this chic 1950s diner, order their most popular menu items like the Bloody Mary and Étouffée, and enjoy a nostalgic level of comfort in East Austin. Located on East Cesar Chavez Street, residents of East Austin’s newest luxury apartment building, Lirica, can simply walk down the road for a fun and delicious brunch at Sawyer & Co.

Sour Duck Market

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Sour Duck Market is part-bakery, part-casual cafe, and part-beer garden. Serving a daily menu of affordable and artisanal brunch items, from breakfast tacos to smoked mushroom danishes, this spot is perfect for a meeting or a midday laptop session. Grab a hand-crafted sandwich and enjoy Sour Duck Market’s communal outdoor atmosphere. Plus, the patio is dog-friendly!

Bird Bird Biscuit

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  • Price Point: $
  • Cuisine Type: Breakfast & Brunch / Biscuit Sandwiches
  • Instagram: @birdbirdbiscuit – https://www.instagram.com/birdbirdbiscuit/
  • Hours:
    • Mon-Wed: 7:30AM-2PM
    • Thurs-Sat: 7:30AM-9PM
    • Sun: 7:30AM-3PM

Serving primarily as a breakfast/lunch pickup joint, Bird Bird Biscuit offers the best biscuit sandwich in Austin, according to locals. With an easy online ordering system and quick pickup, busy professionals in East Austin frequent Bird Biscuit when on-the-go but seeking a more elevated option. Try favorites like the “Queen Beak” (fried chicken, spiced honey, chipotle mayo), or the “Dough-Doughs” (biscuit dough coated in cinnamon sugar).

Cuantos Tacos

Rated by the MICHELIN Guide, Cuantos Tacos serves authentic Mexico City street-style tacos out of a food truck at the Arbor Food Park. Made on nixtamalized corn tortillas with tender, flavorful meats like beef cheek, brisket, and barbacoa, Cuantos Tacos is a quintessential quick lunch option in East Austin. They are best known for their Suadero and Cachete tacos – a must-try nearby!

Brew & Brew

Brew & Brew is a truly hipster cafe, where you can transition from a morning espresso to a late-afternoon pilsner without leaving your seat. Located on East 5th Street, Brew & Brew is open daily with highly rated coffee, 30+ craft beers on tap, and a brunch, lunch, and bagel menu that’s perfect for the city’s remote professionals to eat while they work. We recommend going early in the morning on a weekday before the bagels sell out!

Uptown Sports Club

  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Texas-Louisiana Fusion / Po’ Boys
  • Instagram: @uptownsportsclub – https://www.instagram.com/uptownsportsclub/
  • Hours:
    • Mon-Thurs: 11AM-11PM
    • Fri: 11AM-2AM
    • Sat: 10AM-2AM
    • Sun: 10AM-10PM

This isn’t your average sports bar. Founded by Aaron Franklin (of Franklin Barbecue), Uptown Sports Club is where you can get Louisiana Cajun fare like po’boys, gumbo, and oysters for brunch or dinner within a cozy old-school New Orleans-style diner atmosphere. Come in for a casual sit-down lunch or reappear in the evening for a hearty meal of burgers and fries.

Where to Make Dinner Plans

Justine’s Brasserie

Justine’s is a romantic French bistro located down the road from Lirica on East 5th (residents can even walk there!) with a vinyl-only soundtrack, private patio bungalows, and a dining room decorated with chandeliers and silk red overhangs. Known for its ambiance, this restaurant is perfect for a date night or high-end girls’ dinner with oysters, escargot, ratatouille, and crème brûlée.

Industry

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  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Modern American / Smoked Meats
  • Instagram: @industryeastside – https://www.instagram.com/industryeastside/
  • Hours:
    • Mon: 9AM-12AM
    • Tues-Thurs: 9AM-1AM
    • Fri: 9AM-2AM
    • Sat: 10AM-2AM
    • Sun: 10AM-12AM

Industry is “a spot for everyone”, with frequent events like jazz jam sessions and ladies’ brunch, and a focus on a communal atmosphere, Industry is where East Austin locals go for scratch-made food and stay late for a lively atmosphere. It’s incredibly spacious with a massive indoor and outdoor area which includes a golf simulator, ping pong tables, and an efficient ordering system, allowing patrons to spend more time socializing.

Try what they’re known for! Brisket tacos, award-winning mac ’n’ cheese, and health food options make this spot perfect for the modern Austin local.

Suerte

  • Price Point: $$$
  • Cuisine Type: Upscale Mexican
  • Instagram: @suerteatx – https://www.instagram.com/suerteatx/
  • Hours:
    • Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs: 5PM-10PM
    • Fri: 5PM-11PM
    • Sat: 11AM-11PM
    • Sun: 11AM-10PM

An award-winning destination focused on house-made masa and carefully selected spirits, Suerte highlights traditional Mexican cooking with Texas ingredients, remaining true to high-quality food and high-class service. The Suadero Tacos, conchas, and hand-selected mezcal and agave spirits are must-orders. Make this luxe dinner reservation in East Austin!

De Nada Cantina

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  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Mexico City Tacos / Margaritas
  • Instagram: De Nada Cantina – @denadacantina – https://www.instagram.com/denadacantina/
  • Hours:
    • Mon-Thurs: 11AM-10PM
    • Fri-Sat: 11AM-11PM
    • Sun: 11AM-10PM

Housed in a vibrant, repurposed greenhouse on East Cesar Chavez, De Nada Cantina is one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in East Austin. Known for strong margaritas served in signature pink cups, barbacoa tacos, and handmade blue corn tortillas, De Nada Cantina is one of those go-tos for good food and a buzzy atmosphere. It’s decorated in bright, bold colors and rustic furniture, and has a lively outdoor patio sought after by locals. This restaurant is a must for happy hour.

Micklethwait Barbecue

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Rated as one of Austin’s Best Restaurants of 2025, Micklethwait Barbecue offers barbecue 100% from scratch. You can order from the food trailer or inside a converted home now-turned BBQ restaurant. Customers rave about the food, primarily the brisket, homemade bread, jalapeño cheese grits, and the frito pie that impress even barbecue aficionados. Micklethwait is an East Austin staple that once you try, will have you coming back for more.

Licha’s Cantina

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  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Mexico City Soul Food
  • Instagram: @lichascantina – https://www.instagram.com/lichascantina/
  • Hours:
    • Mon: Closed
    • Tues-Thurs: 4PM–10 PM
    • Fri: 4PM–11 PM
    • Sat: 12PM–11 PM
    • Sun: 4PM-10PM

Located in a converted bungalow on East 6th, Licha’s Cantina specializes in Mexico City street food. If you want authentic, high-quality Mexican food and margaritas without the upscale atmosphere, Licha’s is where to go. It has a sprawling patio, rustic interiors, and a lively bar. Reserve your spot to try their popular margs and micheladas, beloved Sopecitos, and some of the best authentic Mexican flavors East Austin has to offer.

Revelry Kitchen + Bar

  • Price Point: $$
  • Cuisine Type: Modern Pub Grub / Cocktails
  • Instagram: @rkbatx – https://www.instagram.com/rkbatx/
  • Hours:
    • Mon-Thurs: 4PM-12AM
    • Fri: 4PM-2AM
    • Sat: 11 AM-2 AM
    • Sun: 11 AM-12 AM

Sporting a large outdoor patio, this high-energy East Austin social house bridges the gap between a restaurant, lounge, and sports bar. Known for hosting frequent live music and events, Revelry Kitchen & Bar also has nine TVs, bringing in sports fans who come for the game and stay for the music. Unlike other bars in East Austin, Revelry offers a standout menu, with customer favorites like the brunch Wings & Waffles and $12 carafes, and smash burgers and fried brussel sprouts, making this spot ideal for casual parties.

Central Machine Works

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Housed within an 1940’s metal fabrication shop on East Cesar Chavez Street, Central Machine Works combines the legacy of its industrial roots with craft beer and pub food, creating a sprawling, vibrant beer hall that mimics those of Germany. It’s food menu is a take on pub food with slight European influence. It’s best known for the artisan pizzas, soft pretzels with beer cheese, and German lagers.

Central Machine Works is both family and dog-friendly with large outdoor space and patio tables. Great for group gatherings – make this the first stop before hitting the bars on East Cesar Chavez.

Lustre Pearl East

Lustre Pearl East boasts a restored 1895 house with a huge backyard filled with ping pong, hula hoops, cornhole, and a taco trailer. Both unpretentious and impressive, Lustre Pearl East is where Austin locals come to mingle, bar hop, and grub. Though the menu is drink-forward, their food comes out unexpectedly consistent and exquisite. Even the loaded tots, Cuban sandwich, and street tacos come with unique toppings and incredible presentation.

Nickel City

Nickel City is an unsuspecting hidden gem in East Austin. A dive bar on the outside and a Simpsons-themed bar on the inside, Nickel City truly keeps it “Austin weird”. Open until 2AM on the weekends, Nickel City serves up both craft libations and food trucks with a menu that doesn’t call too much attention to itself but ought to – with mouthwatering favorites like the Looseburger, Double Smash Burger, and famous Detroit-style coney dogs that locals call the best in the city.

Murray’s Tavern

Murray’s Tavern is a newer spot in Austin. Opened in 2023 by the owner of Nickel City, Uncle Nicky’s, and Old Pal, Murray’s Tavern is a sophisticated late-night choice. Its atmosphere and menu are inspired by New York City taverns. A cozy, elevated interior pairs with big-city comfort classics, including fish & chips, prime rib, and chicken pot pie. What’s more is that the cocktail menu is characteristically New York with impeccable cosmopolitans and dirty negronis, and unlike other high-end restaurants, this spot is consistently open until 12AM.

Jewboy Sliders

  • Price Point: $
  • Cuisine Type: Jewish Deli Comfort
  • Instagram: @jewboysliders – https://www.instagram.com/jewboysliders/
  • Hours:
    • Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun: 5PM – 1AM
    • Tues & Sat: 2PM-2:30AM
    • Fri: 5PM-2:30AM

Jewboy Sliders has earned a reputation as one of East Austin’s most beloved late-night food destinations. A spin-off from Jewboy Burgers, Jewboy Sliders serves a hungry after-hours crowd with famously crispy latkes, fries, and a variety of sliders. Try “The Gringo”, made with their special Schmutz (smoky aioli). Open consistently past midnight, there is a good reason this East Austin spot is favored by late-night workers and weekend bar hoppers.

East Austin: The Destination of Diverse Flavors & Laid-Back Vibes

552 f pool at lirica east austin apartments

Pictured: Lirica pool

So, where will you dine next? The good news is – even the unknown, scrappy places are some of the best places to eat in Austin. Where  atmosphere is king and food is hardly remiss of authentic flavors, East Austin is the best neighborhood for incredible dining options.

During your exploration of the Eastside, check out Lirica, a new luxury apartment building in East Austin. We’re located on East 7th Street, steps away from beloved restaurants and with high-rise views of the city. View our studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments now for rent!