Austin’s Essential Brunch Spots

So that when it comes time for weekend brunch, you’re in good hands.

1. Bill's Oyster

• Rating: 4.7 (1.3K reviews)
• Cuisine: Seafood
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Downtown
• Description: Here’s one for seafood lovers — a comfortable restaurant with a New Orleans feel where oysters are the star, but everything from tuna tartare to lobster roll is sea-fresh and perfect. Chef and co-owner Daniel Berg worked at Le Bernardin in Manhattan, so you know he knows his fish and shellfish.

Reservations:

• 11:30 AM Dining Room
• 11:30 AM Patio
• 11:45 AM Dining Room
• 11:45 AM Patio

2. VanHorn's

• Rating: 4.5 (1.1K reviews)
• Cuisine: Steakhouse
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Downtown
• Description:

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Patio

3. East Austin Hotel - Pool Pass

• Rating: 4.0 (107 reviews)
• Cuisine: Italian American
• Price Range: $
• Location: East Austin
• Description: Relax pool-side at this boutique hotel with Palm Springs-inspired vibes in the heart of East Austin. Keep things breezy with cocktails at the rooftop bar, or enjoy fresh Italian fare from Poeta and Second Bar + Kitchen for lunch, brunch, and dinner.

Reservations:

• 12:00 PM PoolPass 12P-6P
• 12:15 PM PoolPass 12P-6P
• 12:30 PM PoolPass 12P-6P
• 12:45 PM PoolPass 12P-6P

4. UPTOWN

• Rating: 4.5 (539 reviews)
• Cuisine: American
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Austin
• Description: Famed barbecue bossman Aaron Franklin and local music biz entrepreneur James Moody have breathed new life into this 1949-vintage Eastside hangout: It’s an all-day bar and restaurant serving quality classic cocktails and no-nonsense food with Texas and Louisiana accents (think oysters, po’boys, and gumbo) that you won’t be able to resist.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Covered Patio
• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Covered Patio
• 11:15 AM Dining Room

5. Lin Asian Bar + Dim Sum

• Rating: 4.8 (11K reviews)
• Cuisine: Asian
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Clarksville
• Description: There’s magic in chef Ling’s dim sum: Her inventive creations (think a jumbo seafood soup dumpling and a basil and chicken variety) could rival dim sum parlors on either coast.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Bar seating
• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:30 AM Bar seating

6. Two Hands Austin

• Rating: 4.5 (2.3K reviews)
• Cuisine: Australian
• Price Range: $$
• Location: South Congress
• Description:

Reservations:

• 8:00 AM Dining Room
• 8:00 AM Patio
• 8:15 AM Dining Room
• 8:15 AM Patio

7. Odd Duck

• Rating: 4.8 (26K reviews)
• Cuisine: American
• Price Range: $$
• Location: South Lamar
• Description: Seasonal Texas cuisine wasn’t much of anything until Bryce Gilmore came along. For those longing for the days of Gilmore’s Odd Duck “farm-to-trailer” cuisine — and for those who never got to try it — head to South Lamar Boulevard to hit the jackpot.

Reservations:

• 4:30 PM Bar
• 4:30 PM Chef's Counter
• 4:30 PM Dining Room
• 4:45 PM Bar

8. Fresa's - South First

• Rating: 4.6 (4.1K reviews)
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Price Range: $
• Location: Travis Heights
• Description: It doesn't get more quintessentially Austin than this local favorite from the owners of Launderette, from the one-of-a-kind patio to the signature, modern take on chicken al carbon.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Patio

9. Launderette

• Rating: 4.7 (12K reviews)
• Cuisine: American
• Price Range: $$
• Location: East Austin
• Description: It's a James Beard-nominated converted laundromat with a dessert program that takes the cake.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Bar Seats
• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Bar Seats

10. Dai Due

• Rating: 4.8 (2.5K reviews)
• Cuisine: Local
• Price Range: $$$
• Location: East Austin-Cherrywood
• Description: Lots of places tout their locavore credentials, but few deliver like this one does. A rustic-chic restaurant with an in-house butcher shop, Dai Due is seriously regional and seasonal in sourcing its ingredients, even specializing in Texas wines and beers.

Reservations:

• 5:00 PM Counter (Side-by-Side)
• 5:00 PM Dining Room
• 5:00 PM Patio
• 5:15 PM Counter (Side-by-Side)

11. Mongers Market + Kitchen

• Rating: 4.8 (4.2K reviews)
• Cuisine: Seafood
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Hyde Park
• Description: Part market, part kitchen and raw bar, Mongers is one of the best spots in town to down freshly-shucked oysters and Gulf seafood. Pro-tip: do inquire about the catch of the day, Mongers deals in ocean-deep treasures.

Reservations:

• 11:30 AM Dining
• 11:45 AM Dining
• 12:00 PM Dining
• 12:15 PM Dining

12. Ling Wu Grove

• Rating: 4.7 (1.8K reviews)
• Cuisine: Asian
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Rosedale
• Description: Chef Ling Wu has won fans all over Austin for her restaurants serving richly flavored Chinese fare, and this must-visit Oakmont Heights establishment vividly demonstrates her skills. Whatever else you order, don’t miss the dim sum — Wu’s specialty — which is varied, innovative, and sometimes, even gluten-free.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Bar
• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM High Top
• 11:15 AM Dining Room

13. Citizen All Day

• Rating: 4.0 (561 reviews)
• Cuisine: Australian
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Austin
• Description: One of Australia’s greatest culinary inventions, avocado toast, gets the star treatment at this branch of the Aussie-inspired Citizens group. That’s just the start, though. The daytime menu adds everything from “eggy brekkie” to “fried chicky” to the mix, and you’ll want to try the Down Under gastropub fare — like wings, salads, and fish & chips — for dinner.

Reservations:

• 8:45 AM Dining Room
• 8:45 AM Garden
• 9:00 AM Dining Room
• 9:00 AM Garden

14. The County Line on the Hill

• Rating: 4.5 (1.4K reviews)
• Cuisine: BBQ
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Westlake
• Description:

Reservations:

• 11:30 AM Dining Room
• 11:30 AM Dining Room
• 11:45 AM Dining Room
• 11:45 AM Dining Room

15. Fresa's - 360 & Westlake Dr

• Rating: 4.7 (543 reviews)
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Davenport Ranch West
• Description: You know you’d like to be here, at this third location of Austin’s popular Fresa’s — devouring their trademark wood-grilled achiote-and-citrus or Yucatán-spiced chicken (or something else from the enticing Mexican menu), sipping a margarita or an agua fresca, looking out on a Hill Country vista.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Bar Seat
• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Bar Seat

16. Eldorado Cafe

• Rating: 4.9 (9K reviews)
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Price Range: $
• Location: North Central
• Description: Eldorado chef and co-founder Joel Fried has worked everywhere from Mezzaluna in Vail, Colo., to Angeluna in Fort Worth to Austin’s own Vespaio. The theme at this exuberantly colorful northwest Austin storefront is Mexican and other Latin-styled comfort food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whatever you order, be sure to add a salsa sampler — five housemade salsas from mild avocado to fiery El Scorpio.

Reservations:

• 9:00 AM Dining Room
• 9:15 AM Dining Room
• 9:30 AM Dining Room
• 9:45 AM Dining Room

17. The County Line on the Lake

• Rating: 4.6 (3.3K reviews)
• Cuisine: BBQ
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Northwest Austin
• Description: Because barbecue with a lakefront view doesn’t get any better than this, so take in the scene from the dock, a St. Louis pork rib in hand.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Dining Room
• 11:30 AM Dining Room
• 11:45 AM Dining Room

18. Ling Wu Lantana

• Rating: 4.7 (5.7K reviews)
• Cuisine: Asian
• Price Range: $
• Location: Southwest Austin
• Description: Chef Ling Qi Wu (of Lin Asian Bar) scores again with this luminous Chinese establishment in southwest Austin. Look for showpiece dishes like Peking duck with foie gras paste and salt and pepper whole red snapper — and definitely put the extravagant dim sum brunch on your calendar.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Bar
• 11:00 AM Dining
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Patio

19. Estancia Brazilian Steakhouse

• Rating: 4.6 (8.9K reviews)
• Cuisine: Brazilian
• Price Range: $$
• Location: Arboretum

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Dining Room
• 11:30 AM Dining Room
• 11:45 AM Dining Room

20. Manuel's

• Rating: 4.7 (3.8K reviews)
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Price Range: $
• Location: Great Hills
• Description: A bonafide Austin classic since 1984, Manuel’s goes deep on regional Mexican cuisine with an emphasis on wild-caught Gulf seafood and fish. Come here for dishes like fresh yellowfin tuna ceviche, slow-cooked mole, chile rellenos, and lomo de res, and don’t skip their specialty margaritas.

Reservations:

• 11:00 AM Dining Room
• 11:00 AM Patio
• 11:15 AM Dining Room
• 11:15 AM Patio