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Mango-centric dessert shop and Memorial Day specials chill in Austin food news

Almost the whole menu at Hui Lau Shan incorporates mangos.

Editor's note: I'm not a meteorologist, but with the arrival of warm temperatures, the Hot Luck festival, and Memorial Day, it seems safe to say that summer is just about here. The calendar has nothing to do with it here in Austin. Things are kicking off with casual fun, and no pressure. Get out there...or don't. But snacks are available either way.

Openings and closings

Fans of mangonadas (if that's not you, reassess) have a chance to branch out a bit at the new Austin location of the mango-obsessed Hong Kong dessert shop Hui Lau Shan. The chain has been around for more than 60 years, and nearly everything on the menu features some form of mango. Sweet treats include jelly, pudding, juices, mochi, and other signature bites and drinks. The soft opening for the store at 7020 Easy Wind Dr, Suite 150, extends at least for today, May 24, from 4-9 pm. This location is flying under the radar on the Hui Lau Shan website, but is posting on Instagram. The shop seems to be playing the soft opening phase by ear, so check the page for the next chance to head out there.

Other news and notes

Memorial Day (May 27) approaches, and Austinites are getting ready to spend their long weekend eating, drinking, or relaxing by the pool. (If you don't have day off, there's always takeout). Here are just a few options:

May 24-27: Zanzibar Rooftop is serving its red, white, and blue boozy popsicles (vodka, strawberry, lemon, and Blue Curaçao) for a nostalgic summer treat.
May 24-27: RSVP to an event at Punch Bowl Social via Eventbrite for a free shareable dish.
May 25-27: Cover 3 is extending its usual weekend brunch (think upscale sports bar) so that folks can enjoy a rare late Monday morning.
May 26: Carpenter Hotel is hosting a barbecue and pool party with grilled food including pulled pork sandwiches and jackfruit for a meatless alternative, plus live country music by Phil Hollie. $55 includes food; Drinks will be available for purchase.
May 27: Redbud Ice House, the charming new spot at the old Contigo location, is inviting friends to stop by for an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil, with live music by Spaceflight Records artists. (The frozen Painkiller and popcorn enhanced with nutritional yeast are reason enough to celebrate on their own.) Tickets are $40 online or $45 at the door. $10 from each ticket goes to No Kid Hungry.

Hot Luck Festival is underway until May 26, and tickets are still available to all food events. These can get pricey, though. To experience the festivities without spending hundreds on tickets, stop by Uptown Sports Club on May 25 while New Orleans' Turkey and The Wolf takeover. The famous sandwich shop is bringing some of its own menu items as well as collaborating with the host restaurant. It starts at 11 and runs until food sells out. Consider getting there early — this should be a very popular event.

If you're stuck in a rut, ice cream might help. Lick Honest Ice Creams is launching its new and returning summer flavors May 31: a reformulated cherry limeade, cilantro lime, strawberry basil, Orange You Glad it’s Pride (orange and vanilla with rainbow sprinkles), vegan coconut cream pie, and vegan grapefruit Paloma. Lick is known not just for its adventurous flavors, but for sourcing ingredients locally. That also means spring flavors like Lady Bird Lavender Crisp and tres leches are on their way out, so get them while you can. The menu will switch over when it's time here.

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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