This year has been a struggle for everyone, especially the local, small business owners.

I want to highlight the amazing experiences within the Austin food & bev community that I encountered this year!

Disclaimer: These are all meals/dishes that I have personally had this year.
Since the pandemic hit, I have been supporting a LOT of local places and ensured I ate a variety of meals, out and through takeout.

- B E S T O F 2 0 2 0 -

bar
biscuit sandwich
brisket
brunch
burger
cold-cut sub sandwich
fried chicken sandwich
healthy
margarita
mediterranean
outdoor view
patio
seafood
slice
sushi
takeout
vegan
restaurant overall for 2020

BEST BAR

➜ roosevelt room

307 west 5th street, austin, texas

therooseveltroomatx.com
facebook.com/therooseveltroomatx
instagram.com/rooseveltroomatx

if you know me, you know that I love roosevelt room. one great about roosevelt room is that they have booths and no standing room, so with covid, safety is a huge priority. I might call this place more of a lounge than a bar, but I don’t want to take away from the INSANELY delicious drinks that the mixologists make. the menu is sorted by era, so they have a very wide variety of options.

BEST BISCUIT SANDWICH

➜ little ola’s biscuits

1610 san antonio street, austin, texas

olamaieaustin.com
facebook.com/olamaieaustin
instagram.com/littleolasbiscuits

little ola’s is brought to us from olamaie austin, they made a pivot to preorder during covid, mainly built on their biscuit sandwiches (love seeing this pivot they’ve made!). these biscuits are incredibly made, flaky, crispy, and then topped with some of the best, local meats (house-made sausage!!) and eggs.

BEST BURGER -&- BEST BRISKET

➜ leroy & lewis

@ cosmic coffee + beer garden - 121 pickle road, austin texas

leroyandlewisbbq.com
facebook.com/leroyandlewis
instagram.com/leroyandlewis

as many of my followers know, i had a long love of freedmen’s, which closed a couple of years ago since dorms were being built around it and they were concerned about how that would affect business. but, lucky for austin, evan leroy, opened his own food trailer offering my favorite burger (and barbecue in austin). their burger is made of smoked brisket, by the way. wow. regarding their brisket, it’s akaushi brisket and available saturday and sunday only. don’t forget the beet barbecue sauce either, it doesn’t require it… but the sauce is so delicious!

BEST BRUNCH

➜ sawyer & co

4827 east cesar chavez street, austin, texas

sawyerand.co
facebook.com/sawyerandco
instagram.com/sawyeratx

this new orleans inspired restaurant has my favorite brunch, especially their huey p. benedict with homefries. be sure to sit on the patio, love their vibe there! 

BEST COLD-CUT SUB SANDWICH

➜ little deli & pizzeria

woodrow ave - 7101 woodrow avenue unit a, austin, texas

windsor park - 1804 briarcliff boulevard, austin, texas

littledeliandpizza.com
facebook.com/littledeliandpizza
instagram.com/littledeliandpizza

is it okay to say that i am addicted to their classic italian sub sandwich? i think that the bread is what really makes a sub sandwich spectacular, along with the ratio of bread to meat. and little deli, really nails it. 

BEST FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH

➜ las abuela’s

11444 menchaca road, austin, texas

pollolasabuelas.com
facebook.com/pollolasabuelas
instagram.com/pollolasabuelas

an unassuming small trailer off of menchaca, this place has my favorite chicken sandwich and banderas tots. with particular hours and being closed on sunday and monday, be sure to check beforehand.

BEST HEALTHY RESTAURANT

➜ honest mary’s

rosedale - 4800 burnet road c300, austin, texas

arboretum - 9828 great hills trail suite 300, austin, texas

honestmarys.com
facebook.com/honestmarys
instagram.com/honestmarys

cannot believe that I JUST found honest mary’s. it has been my go-to for a healthy lunch, usually getting a chicken bowl.

BEST MARGARITA

➜ reunion 19

1700 east 2nd street, austin, texas

reunion19atx.com
facebook.com/reunion19atx
instagram.com/reunion19atx

there’s no doubt r19’s slush box is the best (and one of the booziest) margaritas in austin. a drink with high-end ingredients and tequila, frozen, and sweet. additionally, reunion 19 takes covid protocols very serious, which puts your mind at ease while dining there.

BEST MEDITERRANEAN 

➜ mediterranean cuisine

11444 menchaca road, austin, texas

mediterranean-cuisine-mediterranean-restaurant.business.site
facebook.com/Hummus-Cuisine

this lebanese food trailer in south austin off of menchaca is ran by a couple of the sweetest people who make amazing gyro and falafel wraps. if you like tabbouleh, you will love theirs!

BEST OUTDOOR VIEW

➜ tillery kitchen & bar

3201 east cesar chavez street, austin, texas

tilleryatx.com
facebook.com/tilleryatx
instagram.com/tillerykitchenandbar

it’s really hard to beat the colorado river views while having weekend brunch at this stunning east austin restaurant.

BEST PATIO 

➜ aba restaurant

1011 south congress avenue, austin, texas

abarestaurants.com
facebook.com/abarestaurantaustin
instagram.com/abarestaurant

with the new music lane popping up in south congress, we now have aba! they have the most striking patio with an outside bar and greenery.

BEST SEAFOOD

➜ salt traders

zilker park - 1101 south mopac expy, austin, texas

round rock - 2850 north i-35, round rock, texas

salttraderscc.com
facebook.com/salttraderscczilker
instagram.com/salttraderscc

salt traders being owned by the same people who own jack allen’s, I had high hopes for this place, and boy, were my expectations exceeded. first off, get the bbq shrimp, it’s nothing you’d expect, but they are incredible, you will be wanting every last drop of sauce.

BEST SLICE OF PIZZA

➜ little deli & pizzeria

woodrow ave - 7101 woodrow avene unit a, austin, texas

windsor park - 1804 briarcliff blvd, austin, texas

littledeliandpizza.com
facebook.com/littledeliandpizza
instagram.com/littledeliandpizza

after visiting new york and new jersey many years ago, i figured out what a real slice is. ever since then, i have been very particular about my pizza. little deli has a great flop, thin-crust, and amazing taste profile.

BEST SUSHI

➜ neighborhood sushi

1716 south congress avenue, austin, texas

neighborhoodsushi.com
facebook.com/neighborhood-sushi
instagram.com/neighborhoodsushi

this ‘enter through the backdoor’ place, is lively and stunning on the inside, with some of the best sushi being served. fresh, fresh, fresh sushi and new, bold flavors that i would not have placed together, but it works. don’t forget to get a handroll while you’re at it!

BEST TAKEOUT

➜ hank’s

5811 berkman drive, austin, texas

hanksaustin.com
facebook.com/hanksinaustin
instagram.com/hanks.austin

to-go food is tough, but hank’s does such a great job at keeping warm things warm, crispy things crispy, and cold things cold. the first time i tried hank’s, it had to be to-go (thanks to covid) but since it was so great, i had to go back afterward!

BEST VEGAN

➜ revolution vegan kitchen

7800 south 1st street, austin, texas

revolutionvegankitchen.com
facebook.com/revolutionvegankitchen
instagram.com/revolutionvegankitchen

within the awesome thicket food trailer park, you might not realize the amazing hidden gems. food trucks might scare people away but I can say that they can house food and chefs that are better than in a brick and mortar restaurant. revolution offers a ‘munchwrap supreme’ that is fully vegan and better than taco bell’s, in my opinion!

BEST RESTAURANT OVERALL

➜ eberly

615 south lamar boulevard, austin, texas

eberlyaustin.com
facebook.com/eberlyatx
instagram.com/eberlyatx

eberly remained closed for the majority of this year once covid hit, but after going there soon after they reopened, they are still on top of things and the best of the best. the most exquisite restaurant and a back bar that takes you straight to new york city. also, make sure you try their grilled sourdough, it changed my life. lol 

overall, thank you to all of my followers. 2020 has been a struggle and I have seen the most love and support now more than ever. it blows my mind with how much everyone supports local here and cares for one another.

here’s to 2021, y’all. much love!

CHEERS!