best bites ever: austin edition

I lived in Austin in 2024 and visited in 2021. Some of the best bites I’ve ever eaten came from Austin.

Terry Blacks

When I moved to Austin, I wasn’t eating beef. I stopped eating it in college for about four years. Terry Blacks is the best bbq (in my opinion) in all of the western world. Trying the brisket here made me start eating beef. It literally changed my life. One time, while standing in line, I met a gentleman who flew in from Dallas and was flying back in a couple hours just to get Terry Blacks. (It should be noted that there is a Terry Blacks in Dallas). It has the best brisket, pork ribs, jalapeño cheddar sausage, mac & cheese, and cornbread muffins. You queue up and order piece by piece of meat which falls apart, is tender and juicy, and smoky and insanely flavorful.

KG BBQ

An Egyptian bbq food truck that blends Egyptian spices with traditional bbq flavor. Everything is incredible but specifically the shredded lamb shoulder. It’s a huge portion and it’s juicy and tender and packed with flavor. 

Uchi

Uchi is a unique sushi and Omakase restaurant. Three years before I lived in Austin, I traveled there with my mom. The second to last night we wanted a special meal so we ate the chef’s tasting menu. Yellowtail with yuzu, toro with wasabi salsa, baked clams with caramelized onions and gruyère cheese, tempura salmon with avocado and sun dried tomato, katsu pork belly with yolk custard, Scottish salmon with preserved lemon and yogurt and at least 3 bottles of their $5 sake. A meal that lives rent free in my head. 

ATX Cocina 

Here there is one this on the menu that changed my life. Crispy pork belly sitting on top of a fried blue corn bowl. All topped with pickled red onion, jalapeño, delicious smoked beans and salsa verde. 

Aba 

Finally we have Aba, my favorite restaurant in Austin and my favorite meal from start to finish. The meal started with housemade stracciatella with tomato and sourdough croutons. It was so flavorful and soft and gooey. Then came the yellowtail tuna in lemon yuzu- a slightly sweet citrusy sauce. It was topped with seeded jalapeños and chunks of grapefruit and mandarin orange. Truly, one of the best bites of my life. Then came the crispy short rib nestled on a bed of homemade hummus. Finally the greatest dessert EVER. A sticky date cake with sumac whiskey caramel and housemade whipped cream. It was soft and not too sweet and the outside was crunchy and caramelized, and had the taste of nutty, burnt sugar. Fun fact, the cake was made in a bread maker.