NYC has great food. So does Chicago. So does New Orleans, or Houston, or LA, or SF, or Savannah, or Seattle and so do a lot of places in the USA
NGL Seattle is a cool place but their food selection is weak sauce compared to most other cities of its size.
I must be goin to the wrong places. I love seafood and that’s why I’ve been so disappointed in Seattle’s offerings.
You are out of your ******* mind if you think Austin's food scene is anywhere near Houston. They're barely playing in the same league, forget ballpark. Does Austin surpass Houston in terms of restaurant aesthetic and design? Sure. Lots of hip places and cool concepts. But in terms of diversity, quality, price point, and consistency, they are light years apart. People in Austin don't even think the two cities are on the same level, save for the tourists and west coast transplants who have never stepped foot in Houston. FYI I live in the heart of Austin and my wife is from here. We would both take Houston's food scene over Austin's 1000 times out of 1000. Except pizza. Austin has an astonishingly great pizza scene. Blows Houston's out of the water. Granted my favorite pie is literally $34 so you pay absurdly inflated Austin prices for it.
I should've just scrolled down before hitting reply. This is spot on. What's funny is even before Austin's recent glow up over the last decade or so we were saying the exact same thing 20+ yrs ago - Austinites spoke of places like Kerby Lane, Maudie's, Matt's, and Trudy's like they were culinary treasures. Coming from Houston, we all thought those places were borderline terrible, at least food-wise. Mexican martinis however, were awesome.
The problem w equating growth w better cuisine is that a large portion of the people moving here aren't bringing any unique or diverse food culture of their own. It's been a never-ending wave of west and east coasters who place far more emphasis on aesthetic, novelty, and "sustainability" then authenticity. Legitimate food scenes are born from strong immigrant populations and migration. Austin has literally none of that bc it is far too expensive and far too inaccessible. There isn't a single ethnic cuisine in this city, save for Mexican, that would rank highly in the country.
Anyone who has ever said Maudie’s or Trudy’s food was good doesn’t know Jack **** about food. I’ve lived in Austin 25 years and I have never heard a single person say that.
Those places were revered 20 years ago. Maybe not for their food per se but were some of the first places people said you "had to go to." The only place that lived up to the hype back then IMO was Ranch 616. Food still not terribly great but quintessential Austin. Granted I've never been to Fonda but I doubt it's anything special when compared to places like Hugo's etc. Austin is a cool town, but the food scene here, especially for the price, is simply not good when compared to the big cities Austin always wants to compare itself to. It is what it is.
Just give me a chicken fried steak, pinto beans and gruene beans from the grist mill after an afternoon of tubing.
Not sure who you were hanging around, but nobody ever told me or anyone I’ve been around that ****in Maudie’s was a place they “had to go to”…I guess I could see some 21 year old from some rural town saying that back in 2005. Recommending Maudie’s is like recommending Chili’s, even 20+ years ago. Trudy’s has never been “revered” for anything except their strong margaritas served in a tini shaker. I guess Baby A’s just missed your list? If you’ve never been to Fonda San Miguel then you don’t know what you’re talking about when rendering judgement on Austin’s Mexican food (caveat: I haven’t been since early 2020 so if it’s gone downhill since then I wouldn’t know.) You're hating on Austin’s food scene a lot but you sound like the only other city you're familiar with and comparing it to is Houston.
maybe you just prefer what you can’t have everyday. That’s normal. Also, maybe it’s possible that you have gone to the wrong places. I never said Downtown is where it’s at. Speaking of Pizza, the best place is still Reale’s. It’s not Home slice.
I've live in Austin for the last 30 years and still drive to Houston for food. Anyone that think the food in Austin is as good is Houston for anything other than barbecue doesn't have a clue.
Ha- I think the last thing I said on the podcast we dropped today was… if the Astros want to add a rich hill, sure, why not. He can soak up some innings and is more likely to be competent in doing so than Bielak or Blanco and he shouldn’t cost you anything. That’s exactly the kind of trade I’d do with this team.
I don't think it's world class. It's better than places in the Midwest but doesn't really touch any coastal international cities. It's a lot better than 10 years ago and has some very good places, but I would never travel to Austin for food other than barbecue.
How many cities would you travel to for more than one type of food? There are probably 5-6 cities that boast “destination-level food” in more than one type. You're not going to Boston or Seattle for anything other than seafood. You’re not going to Nawlins for anything but Cajun. The list goes on. Those cities are world class food cities (although I personally have not gotten great meals in Seattle) and easily in the Top 20 in the country. Austin falls in the same class.
