Austin
“They have a saying around here, ‘keep Austin weird’. Well if this is weird… I think I wanna be weird.”
PHIL'S Austin LOCATIONS
Torchy’s Tacos
Always his first stop when visiting Austin, Phil goes directly from the airport to Torchy’s for some tasty Tex-Mex. His order includes migas (breakfast tacos), a salmon taco, and of course, some green chile queso!
Le Roy and Lewis Barbecue
Phil is joined by the BBQ editor of Texas Monthly Magazine, Daniel Vaughn, for a BBQ crawl! Their first stop is Le Roy and Lewis Barbecue. They are considered new school because of the twists they bring to traditional BBQ. They enjoy beef cheeks, brisket, a bacon-rib, frito pie and many more delicious bbq items. They also have an awesome burger!
Address: 121 Pickle Rd., Austin, Texas 78704
Distant Relatives
The next stop on Phil and Daniel’s BBQ crawl is a food truck called Distant Relatives, located at Meanwhile Brewing. Since it’s attached to the brewery, this African-influenced BBQ truck is the perfect stop for a beer and some lunch. The African spices and flavors that are infused with the meats and the sides create a unique BBQ experience. Phil says, “this is some of my favorite chicken and sauce ever!”
Address: 3901 Promontory Point Dr., Austin, Texas 78744
Suerte
Phil takes a break from the BBQ crawl to visit Suerte, one of his favorite Mexican restaurants anywhere in the world! He is Joined by Emily Gipson and Caitlin Mcfarland, the founders of the ATX Television Festival. Chef Fermin Núñez serves up some beautiful ceviche, tamale mole blanco, and goat barbacoa. Even though it’s not exactly “tex-mex”, this is a can’t miss Mexican restaurant in Austin!
Address: 1800 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
Interstellar BBQ
For the final stop on the crawl, Daniel takes Phil to John Bates’ Interstellar BBQ. Originally from the world of fine dining, chef Bates ultimately chose to switch his focus to BBQ. They enjoy a hefty plate of brisket, burnt ends, lamb, turkey, and some gorgeous peach tea-glazed pork belly.
Address: 12233 Ranch Rd 620 N Ste. 105, Austin, TX 78750
Birdie’s
Phil meets up with his friend Matthew Odom (lead food critic of the Austin American-Statesman) at his new favorite place, Birdie’s. After both working at Gramercy Tavern, Tracy Malechek and Arjav Ezekiel opened Birdie’s, where they serve a seasonal modern American menu paired with an impressive wine selection. They start with chickpea panisse, beef tartare, and roasted sweet potatoes, before moving onto pork sausage orecchiette, and cavatelli with anchovy and tomato. Don’t forget dessert!
Address: 2944 E 12th St Unit A, Austin, TX 78702
Circuit of The Americas
Phil meets with F1 racer Eric Paradis at the Circuit of The Americas for a ride around the track in a Ferrari. With Phil in the passenger seat, they reach speeds over 170 MPH! Luckily Phil decided not to eat before. Phil describes the experience as “like being in multiple car accidents”.
Address: 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX 78617
Nixta Taqueria/Taco Mafia
Phil meets up with the “Taco Mafia” at Sara Mardanbigi and Edgar Rico’s Nixta Taqueria. The Taco Mafia is a collection of taqueria owners in the Austin area. The other members include Beto Robledo Cuantos Tacos, Jerry Guerero from La Tunita, Xose Velasco from Discada. Phil gets to try all of their tacos, starting with a duck carnitas taco that Phil calls one of the best duck dishes of any kind. Next up is Discada tacos featuring a delicious family recipe of confit beef, pork and vegetable tacos. Then Phil tries La Tunita’s birria queso taco made with brisket, served with consume on the side for dipping. Finally he tries Cuantos Tacos’ Mexico City-style campechana tacos, with brisket and chorizo.
Address: 2512 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78702
Free Lunch
Evan Le Roy from Le Roy and Lewis takes Phil to meet his friend Jazz Mills who runs a program called “Free Lunch”. Jazz and her friend Carrie Fussell Bickley started Free Lunch to help the food insecure members of Camp Esperanza, a sanctioned encampment located in Austin. Check out their website to learn more, and consider making a donation!
Kemuri Tatsu-ya
Food Blogger Jane Ko meets Phil at Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, Tatsu Aikawa’s Texas-influenced Izakaya. They enjoy chicken skewers, cheesy brisket-stuffed tofu puffs, and a brisket bento box!
Address: 2713 E 2nd St, Austin, TX 78702
Salt Lick BBQ
Phil is joined by all of his Austin friends for the final meal of his trip at the famous Salt Lick BBQ. A family-run institution, Scott Roberts is the third generation owner of Salt Lick, where they serve all your favorite BBQ hits. Ribs, chicken, brisket, turkey… all prepared according to the Roberts’ family recipes.
Address: 18300 Farm to Market Rd 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619
