Overall, Austin is a laid-back town, known for its hippy roots, ultra-health conscious residents, and granola crunchy ways. Here, pretense is a faux pas; instead Austinites prefer to keep things down-to-earth and weird. There is of course at least one exception to this rule – Austin is pretty pretentious when it comes to food. I’m one of a rare breed who was Austin born and raised. It feels like most the people who live here now are transients from afar who have flocked to this music lovers’ mecca in search of the higher life.
The Austin of today is much different than the Austin of my growing up years during the 90s. Back then, no one really ventured downtown except for work, the East Side was off limits, and going out to eat usually entailed grabbing breakfast tacos or Tex-Mex. The scene today has changed dramatically. Now thanks to the influx of newcomers, traffic is a nightmare and real estate is unattainable, but this city is also a way cooler place to live. Austin has seen an incredible transformation from sleepy capitol city to the bustling metro it is today. The altered skyline now boasts chic condos scraping the sky, the East Side is a hipster’s paradise, and best of all, Austin now has a world-class food scene.
Austin Food Style is my own personal nod to Austin’s incredible and inspiring food scene. While the Tex-Mex of my growing up years is still a staple here, we are now fortunate to have an incredible array of restaurants from which to choose. Whether it’s a new food truck at the trailer park down the street or a white linen steakhouse in the heart of downtown, it seems there is never a shortage of new eateries to try out. Join me as I review old establishments and explore the newest entrants in Austin’s delectable food scene.