The Best New Restaurants in Austin, July 2026

New additions include French bistro Alice Poulain Cafe, gluten-free bakery Sweet Charli Girl, Vietnamese-Texan spot Cui, casual Italian restaurant Howdy’s, and the revamped Driskill Grill. Coming off the map are Twin Isle, Kiin Di, Small’s Pizza, Kappo Kappo, and Konbini.

For a look at Austin’s outstanding dining destinations, check out the Eater 38 map. Readers of Eater usually have the same question: Where should I eat right now?

For those looking for what’s hot and new, Eater is updating its heatmap, highlighting a mix of exciting restaurants, trucks, bars, and food experiences. New additions include French bistro Alice Poulain Cafe, gluten-free bakery Sweet Charli Girl, Vietnamese-Texan spot Cui, casual Italian restaurant Howdy’s, and the revamped Driskill Grill.

Coming off the map are Twin Isle, Kiin Di, Small’s Pizza, Kappo Kappo, and Konbini. For a look at Austin’s outstanding dining destinations, check out the Eater 38 map.

Cúi This Vietnamese Texan spot in North Austin just opened in June, and it’s already seeing long lines and sold-out dishes.

Many of its dishes make use of barbecue, like Pho Cowboy with brisket, but there are also more traditional dishes like spicy beef noodle soup, tapioca dumplings, and rice bowls. The indoor dining space is tiny, so get there early.

Roya

Chef Amir Hajimaleki’s Persian restaurant Roya has been in progress since 2018, and in February it finally opened in its full glory. Located on top of one of Hajimaleki’s other restaurants, District Kitchen + Cocktails, the rich blue space sets a sumptuous tone with intricate tilework, art, and unique chandeliers.

Drawing from Hajimaleki’s upbringing in Iran, the restaurant serves dishes like mahiche gheymeh (saffron tomato braised lamb shank), wagyu kebabs with fenugreek seasoning and tarragon chimichurri, and a variety of maze spreads and bites, plus a full cocktail menu. Decision-haters can be guided with sofreh, the chef’s tasting menu based in Persian hospitality.

Sweet Charli Girl

Baker Rachel Metts has been beloved for her custom gluten-free cakes since 2018, and in June she expanded to a restaurant space in Crestview.

Sweet Charli Girl serves coffee and celiac-friendly pastries like donuts, cupcakes, cheesecake, tarts, and cookie cake. The shop is named after her black Labrador, Charli Girl.

Tzintzuntzan

An absolutely stunning creation from the team behind nearby Mexican icon Fonda San Miguel, Tzintzuntzan (which means “place of hummingbirds” in the Purépecha language) finally opened in February as a fancy breakfast and lunch spot.

Dishes include enfrijoladas, chilaquiles with an earthy red or piquant green salsa, and decadent chocoflan. There’s a to-go window with coffee and pastries for those in a hurry, but this is a place to linger. The airy dining room features Mexican art, dried flowers, and a view of the gorgeous walled-in patio that feels like a secret garden bordered by tall cacti with artsy sculptures and a soothing fountain.

Howdys

This casual Italian spot on East MLK in Blackland opened in June with a short but sweet menu of snacks, pasta, and crisp, puffy-crust pizza, plus tiramisu ice cream for dessert. The dishes are heavily seasonal, like a summer corn lasagna or peaches and pepper pizza, though there’s also an intriguing dirty martini pizza with olives, garlic, and blue cheese.

The Driskill Grill

The historic downtown restaurant at the Driskill Hotel reopened in May, with a facelift from MML Hospitality and a new menu from chef April Bloomfield, who joined the group last year after a storied career in New York. Executive chef Nick Erven executes a classic steakhouse menu of salads, prime rib, and beef aged in-house.

The cocktail menu is particularly fun, with a drink for every letter of the alphabet.

Sugarwolf

Just six months after opening Restaurant Francois, Guy + Larry Restaurants opened a downtown bakery and coffee bar that’s seeing consistent crowds.

Conor Smith helms the bakery, which churns out fresh breads, croissants, and pastries throughout the day — check the bake schedule online and don’t miss the pillowy soft cinnamon with tangy icing. There are also breakfast and lunch dishes, like a ham and cheese focaccia and a shredded kale and apple salad, plus a bar with coffee, tea, beer, wine, and cocktails.

The interior leans industrial, but it’s still spacious and welcoming, with glistening pastries on full display.

Restaurant Francois

French food is having a moment in Austin right now, and this restaurant from Guy + Larry Restaurants (Salty Saw, Red Ash) is going all-in on the bit.

The downtown restaurant, which opened in December, serves dishes like Maine lobster thermidor, duck confit, boneless Wagyu short rib bourguignon, and the beefy dry-aged steaks the restaurant group is known for. There’s also bar seating for those wishing to drop in for a drink.

The art deco dining room is the perfect backdrop for the fancy fare — this is definitely a place to get gussied up for.

Shokunin

Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee’s Scratch Restaurants have built their reputation on high-end tasting menus like Sushi by Scratch and Pasta|Bar, and the messy burgers at Not a Damn Chance Burger.

Their latest, Shokunin, lands between those two worlds, a high-quality sushi bar that’s relaxed where diners can choose their own adventure — whether that means a moderately priced meal or spending a pretty penny on an omakase dinner for $145 or $250. With fish flown in weekly from Tokyo’s famed Toyosu Market, the quality shows.

Poeta

After a stint as a prix fixe restaurant, Poeta, the Michelin-recommended sibling restaurant to Intero, moved into East Austin Hotel in January. There are a la carte options like milk-braised pork and lasagne (the prix fixe menu will return in late February).

Poeta brunch means the return of the infamous “wafflegato”— a waffle served with gelato and espresso butter. Poeta has also taken over the lounge area upstairs, serving cocktails and bites until midnight on weekends.

Space Kat BBQ

Space Kat opened in March serving smoked meats out of an offbeat converted schoolbus on Webberville Road, but — is this even possible in Texas? — there’s no brisket on the menu.

Instead, pitmaster Jack Zizzo offers cuts like tri-tip, lamb ribs, hot links, and coppa along with expected sides like mac and cheese and coleslaw. Zizzo, who comes to Texas by way of Ohio and Southern California, met his partner Justin Payton while working at Barley Swine in 2015, so expect tender meats with the occasional fine-dining touch.

Oria

Oria has transformed the Zoe Tong space on Barton Springs Boulevard into a Mediterranean wonderland.

The vibe is neutral colors with wood, stucco, and greenery everywhere and a wood-burning oven where diners can watch pita bread cooking while they sit with a fig leaf martini in hand. From the team behind East Seventh’s Space Cowboy, dishes include fire-roasted harissa branzino, smoked baba ghanoush, and Basque cheesecake.

Kinsho

This sushi restaurant on Rainey Street opened in March from Nick Ford and Wade McElroy, the duo behind vibey North Loop Italian restaurant Rocco’s. Kinsho is not an omakase destination, instead it’s focused on a la carte nigiri, rolls, and skewers, with cocktails.

The vibe is similar to Rocco’s, with dark booths and a cozy atmosphere tucked away from the noise of Rainey.

Ciccio Bomba

Comedian Tom Segura loved chef Gianba Vinzoni’s chocolate croissants at LA’s Cinque Terre West so much that, after moving to Austin, he partnered with the chef to open this bakery and cafe in his new hometown.

After refining the concept at two downtown pop-ups, the flagship location of Ciccio Bomba opened at the South Lamar Union in May, serving daytime pastries, focaccia, and sandwiches along with a new dinner menu of entrees like pasta and grilled branzino. The space has a standing coffee bar as well as table seating for lingering.

Austin Oyster Co. Transport yourself to a New England summer in this chic Holly neighborhood restaurant that opened in March.

Even oyster naysayers will be converted by the impressive selection of briny treasures, curated by founder Brendan Yancy. The clams diablo — littleneck clams in a Calabrian broth with bloody mary relish — reportedly made the menu after approval from chef José Andrés. Landlubbers will find dishes like steak frites and a tomato salad, plus cocktails, including a martini menu.

Sit inside the airy dining room or outside on the patio deck.

Boni’s

The team behind South First staple Lenoir opened a tapas bar on the same property in March. Boni’s, named after co-owner Jessica Maher’s Spanish great-grandfather, is housed in the 1930s bungalow on-site, and serves cocktails (think gin and tonic goblets and seasonal margaritas), wine, espresso, and tapas like oysters, a ham plate, and head-on shrimp.

The interior holds a piano, family photos, and vintage bar furniture while the outside patio has a backyard feel with small shaded tables.

Alice Poulain Cafe

Francophiles rejoiced in May when this all-day French cafe opened on South First. Alice Pulain serves a Parisian breakfast of coffee, croissants, breakfast sandwiches in the morning, then salads, baguette sandwiches, and quiche for lunch and dinner, with pastries available throughout the day.

The cafe has inside seating as well as a covered patio, perfect for enjoying a glass of wine and a charcuterie board.

Leona Botanical Cafe & Bar

Leona Botanical Cafe & Bar is a new five-acre beauty in Sunset Valley from the teams behind the Thai food truck Dee Dee and Mexican restaurant Veracruz All Natural. Leona marks Dee Dee’s first-ever brick-and-mortar location, serving their beloved pad kapow alongside coffee from the Australian-based Proud Mary, with drinks like a banana milk hojicha and Thai pumpkin latte.

Rotating pastries come from local favorites like Rockman Bakery and Sour Duck Market. With a lush garden, ample outdoor seating, and a full bar, Leona is one of the most gorgeous and serene ways to grab a cup of joe.