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<\/a><\/p>\nTogether, these spots show what happens when hospitality workers reject the idea that their jobs aren\u2019t \u201ccareers\u201d and instead create something beautiful through skill, care, and the simple desire to make someone\u2019s day or night magical. And isn\u2019t that the magic that keeps us hungry for more in Austin, year after year?<\/p>\n
Fish Shop<\/a>: Best New Restaurant<\/p>\n On a low-key weeknight, when business is steady but far from a circus, Fish Shop<\/a> co-owner Nicole Rossi might step away from the host stand and slip behind the bar to squeeze a grapefruit herself. It\u2019s a small gesture, but it reveals a certain know-how about how restaurants work and genuine personal investment in a space. The same night, a cook might stop in on his day off, half-joking about whether he should be sitting at the bar, being waited on, only for Rossi to remind him that they\u2019re in the hospitality business \u2014 why wouldn\u2019t they be happy to take care of him?<\/p>\n That commitment happens in ways unseen, too. Rossi\u2019s husband and Fish Shop\u2019s co-owner, chef Justin Huffman, drives to the airport three times a week to pick up fish. There\u2019s also an old taxidermied marlin passed down from Huffman\u2019s grandfather that hangs on the wall \u2014 reinforcing Fish Shop as a mom-and-pop, family-run place built to feel like an energetic neighborhood spot.<\/p>\n The burger with fries at Fish Shop. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n Huffman and Rossi met at Justine\u2019s<\/a>, where he was a chef and she a server. It\u2019s the kind of place that teaches you how a room should feel and how a service should run, and it\u2019s clear the pair have brought that same energy to Fish Shop.<\/p>\n A great atmosphere can only take you so far, though, especially with a restaurant that isn\u2019t exactly cheap. People (unfairly) knock Fish Shop for its prices, but for fresh seafood in a landlocked city, restaurants that commit at this level are rare. The mezcal octopus tostada is an explosion of tender, smoky, tangy flavors; the crudo a la swan takes three cuts of fish \u2014 sliced sashimi-thin \u2014 and hits them with shallots, olive oil, and salt-cured capers for a bright, lightly fatty, citrus-leaning plate; and the uni-whipped butter with sourdough from Sour Duck turns something as simple as bread and butter into a little moment of luxury. The spaghetti and clams, tossed in white wine and seaweed butter, is a reminder of how excellent pasta can be when it stays simple. And then there\u2019s the stellar wagyu quarter-pounder burger with American cheese, sauce, and pickles.<\/p>\n Mezcal octopus tostada at Fish Shop. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n The raw bar at Fish Shop. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n Take together Fish Shop\u2019s warm atmosphere, core philosophy of great hospitality, and deep dedication to ingredients, and you start to understand why this restaurant feels so dialed-in. Every part of Fish Shop is a labor of love, down to the finest detail.<\/p>\n Cocktails at Papercut. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n Every Papercut menu is paired with a showing from one (usually) local artist, and the cocktails are crafted from the person\u2019s work on display or from answers to a detailed questionnaire about taste and memory. Opened in December 2024 by co-owner Eric Schild with partners Corey O\u2019Neil and bar manager Dragan Milivojevi\u0107, the bar is currently on its fifth menu, featuring the work of Adreon Henry<\/a>.<\/p>\n The conceit of a bar digging its heels into a highly conceptual menu was not invented by Papercut. Trick Dog in San Francisco<\/a> is legendary for this. And we\u2019ve all seen the pop-culture menus with cheeky names and drinks that lazily gesture toward the subject, like a Prince cocktail that is just\u2026 purple. What makes Papercut special is that its concept is inseparable from the process. The drinks are tied to the artist in a real way, and they are built with techniques that require skill, time, and discipline.<\/p>\n The menu paired with Henry\u2019s work features the Liquid Kolache, inspired by the artist\u2019s love for the beloved Czech pastry<\/a>. It has the silky texture that only milk-washing can provide, but the bar staff takes it further by fat-washing with condensed milk, too, which adds richness and homes in on a drink with as many layers as the pastry it nods to.<\/p>\n Recently, Papercut expanded the back room that houses Konbini<\/a>, the sushi spot led by Tare chef Michael Carranza. Konbibi has been operating inside the bar for months, serving a tight lineup of mostly nigiri and sashimi. The bright, playful room covered in pop-culture decor comes with an expanded menu \u2014 including a hot dog topped with salmon roe \u2014 that pairs well with the drinks. Most of these bites are just filling enough to keep you satiated, and while very tasty, they let the complex drinks be the star of the show.<\/p>\n Papercut flirts with perfection as a baseline because while its pitch black walls showcase works of art, the bartenders bring it to life in liquid form.<\/p>\n Papercut\u2019s salmon roe-covered hot dog. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n The artwork at Papercut. Cat Cardenas\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n A salad topped with chicken at Cenote. Cenote<\/p>\n When Cenote opened in 2012 on Cesar Chavez, it quickly became one of Austin\u2019s most beloved coffee shops. It ticked all the boxes of a proper neighborhood cafe: a place to work, play, eat, or linger \u2014 maybe all in the same day. In 2017, a second location opened in Windsor Park, a sign of a flourishing business. But owner Mary Jenkins closed Windsor Park in 2021<\/a>, following the tragic death of her husband, co-owner Cody Symington, from an accidental fentanyl overdose. In honor of her late husband, Jenkins hosted a NICE Project<\/a> Narcan vending machine at the former Cenote location, dispensing more than 4,000 free doses.<\/p>\n When the shop closed in April after the building sold and the cafe was bought out of its lease, Jenkins ensured that the machine found a new home at the Terrazas Library on Cesar Chavez, which is now the first library in Texas to host one.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Austin didn\u2019t have to wait long for Cenote\u2019s return. The cafe arrived on 7th Street with a liquor license and extended hours in September. Cenote\u2019s new menu is an argument for why chain coffee shops should be reserved for airports or a road trip pick-me-up. Why get confused about whether a venti is a large or a small for the billionth time when you can have an horchata cold brew with a breakfast burrito stuffed with chorizo?<\/p>\n Jenkins tells Eater that some folks are looking into getting a vending machine on site at the new Cenote, which Jenkins is fine with under one condition \u2014 the NARCAN must remain free.<\/p>\n Posse East<\/a>: Best Piece of Old Austin UT fans sit a the bar and watch football at Posse East. Kara Elyse Henderson\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n In Austin, change is the only constant. Your favorite local shop? Who knows how long that\u2019s gonna last before the owners are hurried out and it turns into some national chain, a concept dreamed up by developers, or *shudders* a mixed-use luxury apartment building.<\/p>\n But, thankfully, some spaces endure. Posse East, founded in 1971 by a UT chemical engineering major, is one of them. That\u2019s the best thing about great college bars: They tend to stay consistent. The beer is cold and cheap, the patio overflows on game nights, and the burgers are decent \u2014 or taste like heaven after a few cold and cheap Lone Stars.<\/p>\n Posse East has remained in the lives of generations of Austinites. Students who once staggered in after class are now dropping their kids off at school on chaotic move-in days. Isn\u2019t that something? Go back to 1971 and cruise around The Drag or East Campus, and everything will be virtually unrecognizable. But step inside Posse East and the only thing that\u2019s really changed is the addition of flat-screen TVs. The bar\u2019s already got 50 years under its belt, so here\u2019s to 100 more.<\/p>\n Chips and dip at Posse East. Kara Elyse Henderson\/Eater Austin<\/p>\n Kom\u00e9<\/a>: Best Place to be a Regular<\/p>\n 5301 Airport Boulevard, #100<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n