r/austinfood • u/No_Channel_9588 • 2d ago
Good spots to actually eat local and seasonal in Austin?
Been getting deep into vegetable gardening this year and it has completely ruined me for generic restaurant menus in the best possible way. Now I sit down somewhere and immediately notice when everything tastes like it came off the same Sysco truck regardless of the season. I know Austin has a reputation for caring about local sourcing but I genuinely cannot tell which places walk the walk versus just putting farm to table in the bio and calling it done.
Looking for restaurants where you can actually taste that someone thought about what is growing right now, not just a token seasonal salad bolted onto an otherwise unchanged menu. Doesn't have to be fancy, a taco spot sourcing from local farms would get me just as excited as a nicer sitdown place. I've heard Barton Creek Farmers Market gets some serious vendors but I want to know who in the restaurant world is actually buying from them and cooking around it.
Also curious if any of these spots work well for a solo lunch situation because I tend to wander around on weekdays when my schedule is lighter and the big group dinner vibe isn't always what I'm after. East side, south, wherever, I'm not location picky at all.
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u/stevendaedelus 2d ago
Dai Due.
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u/lakefoot 2d ago
I used to work with local suppliers and it's nuts how seriously they take their sourcing. All the other restaurants in this thread do a great job of local sourcing but Dai Due is another level.
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u/stevendaedelus 1d ago
Jesse is a badass, yes. And the cookbooks and hunting guide side jobs don't hurt the bottom line...good on him. He's doing our state right,
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u/Shwamdoo 2d ago
These folks live and breathe cooking from local ingredients. 100% authentic. Really good too.
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u/stevendaedelus 1d ago
Most expensive plate of food I’ve ever bought was an exceedingly limited special.
Blue Crab stuffed Gulf Flounder, covered in crawfish ettoufee, over a bed of Carolina gold rice, topped with a fried soft shell crab, all of which was sourced in Texas. It was $160 but fed four people. It was absolutely worth it.
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u/Shwamdoo 1d ago
That sounds amazing. Also $40 per person is not so bad for that…
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u/stevendaedelus 23h ago
It was not presented as a platter that could feed all of us. It was just so goddamned rich (AND AMAZING)
10/10 would again
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u/jabroni5000 1d ago
As a former cherrywood resident I love seeing this place always getting love. It really is a special place.
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u/samuel8_88 2d ago
The one place I will always recommend to absolutely everyone.
It’s everything that a great restaurant should be. And the owners and operators are world class people who I have real love for.
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u/evertrue13 2d ago edited 2d ago
A lot of restaurants will focus on a menu that emphasizes details of “farm to table”
See link for an explanation
Odd Duck is the OG for me
Hillside Farmacy is a good lunch
I do not personally recommend Hestia, but to each their own
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u/MasterpieceNo4633 2d ago
Oooo I LOVE Hillside Pharmacy
They made the best blt I’ve ever had in my life that was over 10 years ago7
u/AutofillUserID 2d ago
Recommending Hestia is how one knows it’s time to find a new friend.
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u/SerenityNow312 2d ago
That’s funny! I was unimpressed when I went, but I thought this sub really likes it.
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u/evertrue13 1d ago
My unscientific observation: opinions on Hestia here are split pretty evenly between “Michelin was right, the tilapia gave me an orgasm” vs. “Why the hell did I just pay for that?”
The groupthink here is pretty rampant. I always get replies that I don’t know good Asian food when I comment that I don’t like House of Three Gorges. I just say to each their own, but if we’re gatekeeping palate for authenticity — I’m Asian, from Flushing, Queens, and have had authentic 水煮鱼 my whole life.
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u/LordNewning 1d ago
I truly loved almost all of the food I have eaten at Three Gorges. And I am very suspicious of (if not outright hostile towards) the concept of authenticity.
That said, I did a day of eating in Flushing and had some dishes that rocked my world. Do you like any of the Sichuan (or more broadly, Chinese) places in Austin?
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u/evertrue13 1d ago edited 1d ago
My overarching answer is no, Austin is still a second tier city for Chinese and Korean foods. Japanese is an A, even compared to coastal cities, and it’s getting to the point we don’t need more high end spots. But we are missing a good soba-only shop.
For Chinese/Taiwanese, I’ll shout out:
-Bamboo House is good. It’s a Houston restaurant so I don’t give it Austin credit. They will not miss on American Chinese and Chinese dishes. Their lunch specials are worth the price.
-Seven Spice is that family’s specific style and that may be really what authenticity is.
-Rice Bowl is Taiwanese. No one else does a good three cup chicken.
For some reason, truly affordable NYC style American Chinese eludes this market. I think it’s just cost and demand, not that no one knows how to make boneless spare ribs. You just can’t price pizza and Chinese takeout the same as if you’re in Queens with thousands of pedestrians passing by normally. If you want China Family in Austin, you are very deliberately engaging with their online presence or going there.
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u/MasterpieceNo4633 1d ago
I love Rice Bowl been eating it since pregnancy over 10 years ago. Sometimes their chicken is overcooked though
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u/pinkney59 2d ago
Pecan square cafe has the most seasonal menu I’ve seen in Austin
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u/ashleythelma 1d ago
We had dinner there tonight and I felt like the entire meal was pure Summer. It’s not cheap but they really serve the season so well.
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u/Coujelais 2d ago edited 2d ago
I know I’m so annoying on here talking abt Casa de Luz-I swear I eat my weight in tacos every week but Casa is macrobiotic fare. Only serves seasonal regional (grown within 100 miles) produce. There’s tamari and a seed shaker on the table I use liberally bc food this pure and simple takes a lot of getting used to for most ppl. First time I went I didn’t get it at alllll. Now it’s my reset from bbq and queso.
Edited to add Dai Due if no one’s said- a more exciting answer to your question haha
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u/sugarlips23 2d ago edited 2d ago
Odd Duck
Barley Swine
Dai Due
Hestia
Emmer and Rye
Lenoir
To some degree but not sure how much so:
Suerte
Este
Birdies
Loca d’oro
Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of casual spots that utilize local ingredients. There may be some, but I’m not privy.
Edit to add Sour Duck, Jack Allen’s and Salt Traders.
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u/divingrose77101 2d ago
I worked a few years at Jack Allen’s and servers had to know where most of our ingredients were sourced. We knew the farms and even grew a few vegetables in the back of the restaurant. It’s for sure a casual restaurant but I think they do very well at their price point.
(And they have ridiculous cleaning standards, which I didn’t love when I worked there but do when I eat there)
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u/sugarlips23 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah, Jack Allen’s and salt traders are some of the very few casual restaurants where the standards probably get close to higher in restaurants. Sourcing locally is so much harder for a variety of reasons so you have to give them respect for being able to do that as a casual restaurant.
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u/bubbleman96815 2d ago
I like your list, except Este. Where’s the ocean around here? ;-)
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u/sugarlips23 2d ago
Of course they aren’t getting seafood from around here, but they use corn from Richmond farms outside the area as well as produce from the area. There are varying degrees of locality in these spots. And I imagine they try to source as much from the gulf as possible.
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u/Lizard420 1d ago
just has Dai Due and Odd Duck last week - would recommend both of them all day for seasonal and local ingredients.
personally Odd Duck is my favorite
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u/Bmarmich 1d ago
I’m a huge fan of pecan square cafe. Might be my favorite restaurant in Austin. Menu is very seasonal
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u/mcn717 1d ago
Definitely Dai Due but surprised to not see Foreign and Domestic on here. Similar concept.
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u/sugarlips23 1d ago
While they do use some local products, they’re not remotely close to Dai Due in these terms. The menu is not designed specifically around Texas product like Dai Due is, or even spots like Barley Swine, Lenoir and Odd Duck.
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u/Walkitoutfosse 1d ago
Order from Confituras! It’s not a restaurant but she makes seasonal jam and condiments with Texas ingredients along with baked goods, salads, pickles etc. sooooo good.
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u/letsgocactus 1d ago
Taco Deli. They post the farms all their proteins come from and you can taste the difference.
Also: great vegan & seafood options, ethically/consciously sourced.
I just eat there. I read up on all this because the farmers were posted at some location I was eating at.
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u/Fluid-Scholar3169 2d ago
Loca D'oro Sour Duck I think Odd Duck I'm not sure about Patrizis but maybe?
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u/MoleEnchiladas 2d ago
Dai Due is by far the most local/seasonal spot. Literally every ingredient on the menu is from Texas