News You Can Eat

6 things to know in Austin food right now: Downtown seafood staple gets a major upgrade

The downtown Truluck's is moving a block to a new two-level dining space with outdoor seating and great views.

Rendering courtesy of Truluck's

Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings

Whether it's luck or just a natural result of serving great, reliable seafood in Texas since 1992, the downtown Truluck's is getting an upgrade at 300 Colorado St. The relocation occurs only a block from its current space, but it comes with big updates like a two-level dining space with skyline views, a more technologically advanced kitchen, and a more modern atmosphere overall. A rendering shows a new corner exterior that's hard to miss, with a flat roof with a big gap to let in more light, an outdoor patio on the second floor, large windows, high ceilings, and a bar. The new restaurant plans to open in May 2023.

Circle Brewing, a North Austin beer spot near Q2 Stadium known for its friendly atmosphere, is bringing that attitude east to Elgin. The charming Texas town will house the brewery's second location at 816 Lexington Rd., about a 40 minute drive from the original. Photos of the location on Instagram show a long beer hall in its own clearing with outdoor seating and plenty of shade. It will be ready to visit on April 28, and an opening ceremony on May 6 will include live music, family activities, and of course, freshly brewed beer. Operating hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 4-10 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 8 pm.

Chef Stephan Pyles, often credited with single-handedly establishing a Southwestern culinary style, has broken another culinary boundary by turning his sought-after attention toward senior living. His new restaurant, Alma, is opening with the brand-new Hacienda at Georgetown on April 15 with a ticketed tasting experience ($35). The 12-time James Beard nominee is donating $25 from each ticket purchase to No Kid Hungry, a profit addressing food insecurity for youth in the United States. Even though it's in an unusual venue, Alma is just a regular restaurant that anyone can — and will likely want to — visit. Reserve on OpenTable.

Other news and notes

Devil May Care, one of 6th Street's more glamorous and jazzy destinations, is adding non-alcoholic and low-alcohol menu options for visitors who just want to enjoy the vibes without the buzz. Some new cocktails include the "Red Light District," like a Shirley Temple with a rosemary twist, and a "Blue Devil" with pineapple, Coco Lopez, blue spirulina powder, and more flavors. It's also hosting a new event every Thursday called "The Groove," with R&B DJ sets half-price espresso martinis. Reserve on OpenTable.

Those who celebrate the Thai New Year or friends who want to start have some great foodie options this year. Thai restaurant Sway hosts a long Songkran celebration from April 13-20, with some special menu items including pork belly khao soi (noodles), a prawn stir fry, and a mango sorbet, plus creative cocktails. Fierce Whiskers Distillery offers a night market on April 15 with authentic food vendors, Thai dancing, Laotian musical performances, and a water balloon fight (an actual Songkran tradition).

The much-anticipated Umlauf Garden Party is just around the corner on April 20. The annual event is in its 24th iteration, using that long-established influence to bring together some of Austin's top restaurants for eats in the unique setting. Participants include Uchi, Uchiba, Intero, Barley Swine, Juliet, True Foods, and others not often seen at similar events. There will also be wines to taste and live performances by local artists. Proceeds benefit the sculpture garden's community outreach initiatives. Tickets available at umlaufsculpture.org.

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Peak Plates

7 Austin restaurants make OpenTable's top 100 for 2024

Jeffrey's Restaurant/Instagram

Jeffrey's Restaurant is a great example of the type of fancy, well-established restaurant that made the list.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and seven Austin restaurants have made the list. That's already impressive at a glance — 7 percent of the entire national list in just one city — but compared to other Texas cities, it's huge. Austin is the only Texas city to have more than one restaurant on the list.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" list is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Austin's seven restaurants (including several repeats from OpenTable's 2023 list) are:

Aba: Known for its laid-back, yet fancy patio and being a popular spot for visiting celebrities
J Carver's: Known for a commitment to the classic steakhouse experience and legitimately fancy dining
Jeffrey's Restaurant: Known for fine dining, a connection to Austin before its boom, and a fantastic wine program
Red Ash Italia: Known for approachable, yet high-quality Italian food with rustic touches
Sammie's Italian: Known for its romantic take on the archetype of an East Coast Italian joint
Uchi: Known for bringing Austin into the national sushi conversation and defining the scene
Uchiko: Known for a cool atmosphere and getting creative with sushi and other small plates

Austinites will probably not be surprised by this list, which names some very well-established restaurants that are all upscale. These qualities tend to appeal to similar lists, regardless of who's curating them.

It is interesting, given that the list was democratically based on user ratings, that there were not more beloved food trailers or casual spots. However, other factors that led to high rankings included alerts set and reservations made ahead — things that don't really apply to even the most awesome taco truck.

Mediterranean food was a trend among the Austin picks. Red Ash Italia and Sammie's Italian are, as the names would imply, completely dedicated to Italian food, while Aba covers a wider swath of the Mediterranean. There were also two steakhouses: J Carver's and Jeffrey's Restaurant.

As list-perusers may have guessed, Uchi and Uchiko are in the same family of restaurants, with Uchi being the more formal and Uchiko being a bit more accessible for drop-in meals and cocktails. But are two more incognito duos of sibling restaurants on the list: J Carver's and Red Ash, and Jeffrey's Restaurant and Sammie's Italian.

That could be a coincidence. It could also be a reflection of the utility of money and experience in opening a good restaurant, or a lesson about the effects of good (and expensive) marketing. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like hospitality groups had any direct sway on how OpenTable made its choices.

This list was different from the inaugural list of OpenTable Icons, which launched in 2024. The "Icons" list chose restaurants that are getting a lot of buzz, which ended up being more subjective. It also seemed to let in — as a side effect of the process, rather than a hard eligibility rule — more new and Mexican restaurants. Two restaurants are on both lists: Red Ash and Jeffrey's.

Restaurants outside of Austin that made the Top 100 list, organized alphabetically, are:

Hudson House — Dallas
Steak 48 — Houston
Signature — San Antonio

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