Yelp About It
Famous barbecue tops Yelp's list of the 25 top places to eat in Austin
It's understandable that lots of people want to take pictures of the beef rib on the right side of the tray.
Online reviews platform Yelp has published its list of the 25 "top places to eat" in Austin — and in a way, it was decided by users.
The list was based on ratings by Yelp Elites, people who are trusted by Yelp for consistently providing clear and useful reviews. From that data from August 2024 to August 2025, Yelp considered both how highly each restaurant was rated and how many times. They also had to be open this September and have a passing health score.
With all that considered, it shouldn't be a surprise that the No. 1 restaurant in Austin was Terry Black's Barbecue.
This famous restaurant is a tourist magnet with reliable quality and a country-yet-urban-enough atmosphere. The most popular menu item if counted by photos is the beef rib — and there's almost certainly some interference from the fact that many visitors have never ordered something on such a big bone before. Roughly 8,400 reviewers — not just Yelp Elites — gave Terry Black's an average of 4.5 of 5 stars.
Following Terry Blacks were two surprising choices and another usual suspect.
Taqueria De Diez, one of CultureMap's best taco joints of 2025, was No. 2 with 4.7 stars and 392 reviewers. This alley taco shop feels a bit like a speakeasy: not technically hidden, but definitely out-of-the-way. Guests can watch the workers shave meat off the trompos, or vertical rotisseries.
Next up at No. 3 was Sushi Yume, a strip mall sushi spot in Round Rock with 4.8 stars and 158 reviews. The quality of reviews overrode the nicheness of the business. Although most Austinites are surrounded with more sushi closer to town than they could possibly eat, reviewers still say it's worth the trip.
Finally Aba, a fancy Mediterranean restaurant on South Congress Avenue, snagged No. 4, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's looked up Austin restaurants. A popular choice for tourists looking for an upscale, memorable meal, and even some celebrities, Aba has 4.4 stars and 1,800 reviews.
The rest of the list is similarly split between obvious favorites and a handful of lesser-known restaurants (usually Asian ones) that broke through the noise by offering notably solid food.
Notably, not a single restaurant on the list is south of Monroe Street, where guests will find Nomade at No. 17. Some selections like Bird Bird Biscuit have locations farther south, but they're not the particular spots that made the list. The farthest north is Salt Traders Coastal Kitchen in Round Rock, at No. 18.
Here's the full list of Austin's 25 top places to eat, according to Yelp and its Elite users:
- 1. Terry Black's Barbecue
- 2. Taqueria De Diez
- 3. Sushi Yume
- 4. Aba
- 5. 1618 Asian Fusion
- 6. Soupleaf Hot Pot
- 7. Red Ash
- 8. Franklin Barbecue
- 9. Bird Bird Biscuit
- 10. Interstellar BBQ
- 11. Ember Kitchen
- 12. Bamboo House Austin
- 13. Pho Phong Luu
- 14. KG BBQ
- 15. Paperboy East
- 16. Eldorado Cafe
- 17. Nomade
- 18. Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
- 19. An Nyeong K Tofu & Bbq
- 20. Canje
- 21. Dumpling World
- 22. The Guest House Austin
- 23. Home Slice Pizza
- 24. Sour Duck Market
- 25. Odd Duck
A very saturated look at spicy chicken and sides.Photo courtesy of Angry Chickz
Cape Bottle Room is pairing ice creams and wines December 9.Photo by Jack Fanelli