Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Austin news of the week. This week's hottest headlines include exciting openings and barbecue news aplenty. Plus: a guide to escaping SXSW. Catch up on our most popular stories below, and then find some weekend fun right here.

1. Popular Italian restaurant follows sudden close with new East Austin space. Popular East Austin Italian restaurant Poeta will begin a new chapter at a new location later this spring.

2. Austin favorite declared best BBQ joint in Texas by Southern Living. Don’t be surprised if the almost ever-present lines grow even longer outside East Austin’s Franklin Barbecue. Offering yet another culinary accolade, Southern Living has crowned Franklin the best barbecue joint in Texas for 2025.

3. 10 Austin-area events and hangouts that escape the madness of SXSW. From a local art pop-up to a Hill Country crawfish boil, we rounded up 10 ideas on how to escape the crowds and craziness of SXSW.

4. Local pop-ups and new Turkish döner spice up Austin food news. This food news roundup includes new food trucks, a new bodega, and more.

Sí Baby-Q is back in a new spot. Sí Baby-Q/Instagram

5. TikTok foodie Keith Lee reviews Michelin-starred Austin BBQ staple. TikTok food star Keith Lee finally has an opinion to share on an Austin restaurant. The casual reviewer, who moved to Dallas in 2024, stopped by Michelin-starred La Barbecue and declared his meal "some of the best barbecue I've ever had in my life, and it's not even close."