Go Fish

Austin's 12 best seafood offerings show there are plenty of fish in this sea

Even though we can't see the ocean from here, Austin is a hotspot for imported coastal cuisines. To the dismay of some purists, Austin is a sushi city. Its inhabitants are never more than a mile from some fishy Mexican favorites, and there's always someone shucking up a good oyster.

There's no time like the oppressively hot summer to enjoy something that reminds us of the water, whether it's raw, cured, or fried. The following 12 seafood snacks are some our favorites year-round, but especially when things slow down over the summer and we need something refreshing. Follow it up with a dessert or cocktail for the coolest summer combo.

Este — Everything
While it was sad to see East Side Cafe leave the Manor Road neighborhood, there couldn't have been a better team than the Suerte crew to take over the beloved space. And although Suerte focuses on interior Mexican cuisine, Este transports Austin diners to the Mexican coast with fresh seafood sourced from close relationships with premier fishmongers. From oysters and ceviches to aguachiles, fried fish tacos, and more, you really can't go wrong. Can't decide? Try the seafood tower. — Hannah J. Frías, Editor

Garbo's Fresh Main Lobster — Lobster Rolls
Some of the best news seafood-loving Austinites ever received came when Garbo's food truck found a permanent home on North Mopac. More great news followed a few years later with the opening of a downtown brick-and-mortar on North Lamar. As its name implies, Garbo's serves up both Maine- and Connecticut-style lobster rolls, the former chilled with mayo and celery, and the latter with warm butter. Both are served on soft, buttery New England top-split buns, best enjoyed with a side of Cape Cod Chips. — HJF

Quality Seafood Market — Catfish Po' Boys
You can't mentionAustin seafood without tipping your hat to one of the oldest in the game; Quality Seafood Market has stood the test of time since 1938. It started as a stall in Starr's Fruit and Vegetable Market, located at 1005 Congress Avenue just across the street from the state capitol. Now located on Airport Boulevard, the market is not just a go-to for picking up your own fish to prepare at home; its restaurant serves some of the best fried seafood in the city. Don't skip the blackened catfish po' boys. — HJF

Monger's Market + Kitchen — Happy Hour
A seafood staple on Cesar Chavez for years, Monger's moved to the Hyde Park area in 2020 when it took over the former Vino Vino space on Guadalupe Street. It's hard to pick just one thing from the rotating selection of fresh oysters, shrimp, crab, crudos, and more — partly because it's all delicious, and partly because it changes seasonally. So instead, we'll just point you to the spot's great happy hour, which takes place Tuesdays-Fridays from 4 pm-5:30 pm and features $1 off oysters and other great discounts. — HJF

Dai Due — Fish and Chips
Yes, Dai Due is known for chef Jesse Griffith's James Beard Award-winning full-hog style of cooking, but the restaurant also makes one of the best fish and chips dishes outside the United Kingdom. Available on Wednesdays, the special features beer-battered black drum fried in Peeler Farms beef tallow served with cherry bomb remoulade and a seasonally-appropriate slaw. — HJF

Photo courtesy of Bill's Oyster

Bill's Oyster opened in May and is at the tip of everyone's tongue in the Austin food scene.

Fukumoto — Uni Pasta
There are several big-name sushi places around town, but one of the best flies under the radar on East 6th Street: Fukumoto. One sashimi flight shows off a fish with the whisper of an orange flavor, thanks to its diet of oranges. But the uni (sea urchin) pasta is one of the most unique and delicious menu items. Creamy, like carbonara, it cancels the uni’s sometimes sour, salty flavor and turns it into something sweet and delicate. Share it, though — it’s a heavy dish. — Brianna Caleri, Assistant Editor

Sushi Hi — Poke bowls
In contrast with Fukumoto, Sushi Hi is one of Austin's more nondescript sushi restaurants, which actually makes it great for lunch. These poke bowls are no joke: Finishing one is a pretty big and very satisfying task. They’re all based on greens with an option to add rice, so there’s no awkward bargaining to get both. On top of high-quality fish and large portions, the sauces are delicious, and meant to be mixed. And who doesn’t love complimentary miso soup? — BC

Kemuri Tatsu-ya — “Exotics, rarities”
No offense to ocean lovers, but that place is weird. So much of the ocean remains undiscovered, and so many of us are clinging to our tuna, salmon, and shrimp — the status quo. Things are different at Kemuri Tatsu-ya, which has an entire menu section for hard-to-find “exotics” and “rarities.” Monkfish is one of the most prized (and visually terrifying) delicacies offered, famed for its delicious taste despite its hideous face. Sorry. — BC

Chapulín Cantina — Aguachile de Atun y Callo de Hacha
Aguachile is usually made with shrimp, but Chapulín Cantina’s breaks the rules with impeccable style. This dish dresses citrus salt-cured tuna and scallops with mango-orange vinegar, cucumbers, red onion, cilantro, green melon, avocado, and sesame for a very bright twist on an already refreshing classic. Not only is it beautiful — dotted with pureed mango and garnished to oblivion — it tastes like a fancy evening at a beach resort. — BC

El Mesón — Ceviche
Hot take: Good ceviche tastes basically the same everywhere. The chip is what really makes it, and El Mesón excels in both the base and the topping. Its house-made totopos (tortilla chips) are thick and dark brown for a really toasty flavor — none of this bubbly, tan, crumbly business. The ceviche tradicional is simple and a little spicy, thanks to lots of minced jalapeño, and offers big chunks of fish that let the texture and flavor stand out. — BC

Brasas Peruanas — Jalea
Austinites may be used to Mexican food, but Peruvian food is still a mystery to many. Brasas Peruanas in Round Rock offers a fairly comprehensive menu featuring lots of seafood (consider Peru's extensive coast), including several ceviches. A unique and specifically Peruvian sampler can be found in the jalea, a fried seafood salad featuring calamari, shrimp, and breaded fish. That's all on top of fried yucca and a bright corn and onion salad. — BC

Bill's Oyster — Oysters
Bill's Oyster has been open since May, and people still love asking if you've been. Some of the hype comes from the beautiful interior; classic, custom tiled, but not overwrought. And of course, a lot of it comes from great seafood, especially at the raw bar. The "royale style" kicks things up several notches with sea urchin, caviar, bernaise. It aims to be a friendly neighborhood restaurant — if a very upscale one — and it's well on its way. — BC

Belles of the Ballroom

9 Austin bar and venue experts take over popular Old Austin space near UT

29th Street Ballroom/Facebook

Changes are coming at the 29th Street Ballroom, but the goal is to preserve what already makes it special.

The evolution continues at the 29th Street Ballroom, the music venue formerly attached to Spider House Café. It's no secret, Resound Presents CEO and co-founder Graham Williams says, that he and a large team of other industry pros are taking over the space; but now they're ready to talk about what comes next for the venue and adjoining bar.

Although Spider House Café closed in 2020, the Ballroom stayed open, and has continued serving University of Texas students and anyone else who wants to see a show outside of the ordinary: punk shows, burlesque revues, fundraisers, and more. It'll stay open through most of the renovations, scheduled through January of 2025, and is expected to hold a grand opening in March.

Now Resound — one of Austin's top live music organizers, which was itself born from the ashes of another Austin institution — is lending two of its co-founders to managing the space going forward: Williams and Ian Orth. They're joining seven other team members from venues around town, many of them overlapping: Amy Mullins, Brian Tweedy, Jason McNeely, John Yaklin, and Shannon LeBoeuf of Hotel Vegas, Chess Club, Kinda Tropical, Tweedy’s, and Yellow Jacket Social Club, in varying capacities; and Brian Buscemi and Mike Sanchez of the Little Darlin’.

Williams emphasizes that although things will be changing at the Ballroom, the goal isn't to change anything people already love.

"Over the next few months as we kind of ease into the spring, we're using this downtime to revitalize things, decorate, revamp some of the stuff in the venue and the bar, and just kind of get things moving in the right direction," Williams says, "taking what's already popular about the venue and just adding to it, really."

Bar updates
The biggest shift will be turning the bar from an accessory to live shows into its own entity that's open even when there's nothing else going on. Amy Mullins, best known as a co-owner of Yellow Jacket Social Club, is overseeing that transition. She's never operated a venue that is primarily focused on music, and has been enjoying learning more about how to do it; she even worked the door recently when a staff member called out sick.

Mullins echoes Williams in assuring that the change is more about logistics than tone. It'll still feel like Old Austin, but she does express a hope to run more than the "typical venue bar," handing out simple drinks as quickly as possible. She's working on a new menu that includes wine, beer, craft cocktails, and non-alcoholic options like tea, kombucha, or mocktails. Regardless of what's on the schedule on any given night, Mullins says the menu will stay the same.

"There's no drink too complicated for us to make, however busy we are," she says.

Food options
Another goal for the team will be making sure the space works when there's not someone onstage to crowd around. They'll expand the front and side patios and create a food truck food court that features the same trucks that are there now, plus one newcomer. All in all, that includes Yalla Burger & Wings, Gyro Center, Li’l Nonna’s Vegan Pizzeria, Guppy’s Indian Fried Chicken, Waylon J’s BBQ, and Ay Chihuahua Tacos.

The expanded patio will connect to Tweedy's Bar next door, which also has its own food trucks. The idea is to create a space to hang out after shows that feels fit for the purpose. It's possible to stick around after events now, but the layout does create a vague feeling of loitering.

Artist and fan-friendly tweaks
On the entertainment side, Williams says some of the renovations include putting in a new sound system, redoing the green room, updating the facade, and repainting signs. Since the winter is a slower time for live music, they'll be taking advantage of the extra time to work on things before packing the calendar with more events than before. Resound will handle most of the bookings in live music, comedy, and DJ sets, welcoming both national and local talent.

Whatever the details end up being, this team has proved to Austinites that they know how to run venues worth visiting. And since they're all friends and business partners on multiple levels, it sounds like having this many cooks in the kitchen just isn't an issue.

"Some of us have been roommates and known each other since we were young," says Williams. "It's a good mix of people who are all very like minded, so a lot is being brought to the table per decision. So yeah, it's it's really exciting. Sometimes that's not the case. .... But with this project, it's a lot of really great, creative people that are good at what they do [and] they trust each other."

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