Austin » Restaurants » Bustling/Boisterous

• Botticelli's 
•   South Austin  
• ITALIAN
•  $$ 

Loud crowds under the mighty oaks channel customer-service skills for which they tip generously.

• Chez-Zee 
•   North Austin  
• BAKERY, BISTRO
•  $$ 

The piano man keeps it classy for blue-hairs and Audi drivers who frequent this cheery, family-owned restaurant.

• Clay Pit 
•   University  
• INDIAN, VEGETARIAN/VEGAN
•  $$ 

Outwit university students by ordering your fix of tikka masala from the bar's surehanded drink-slingers.

• Curra's Grill 
•   South Austin  
• MEXICAN
•  $$ 

Look past the crumbs and non-complimentary chips and salsa to the tantalizing breakfast tacos that make sleeping in a chore.

• Eddie V's 
•   Downtown  
• SEAFOOD, STEAKHOUSE
•  $$$ 

Weepy, conservative, old broads almost tear their faces apart in smile from the surf and turf.

• Galaxy Cafe 
•   Downtown  
• AMERICAN, SOUPS/SANDWICHES
•  $ 

Keep this Design Within Reach-inspired breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot like a secret.

• Guero's Taco Bar 
•   South Austin  
• MEXICAN
•  $$ 

All walks of life intermingle over queso flameado and tacos al pastor at South Congress epicenter.

• Hula Hut 
•   West Austin  
• HAWAIIAN, MEXICAN, SEAFOOD
•  $$ 

Oh-so-popular waterside spot where Lance Armstrong brings his dates for platters of "Mexonesian" grub.

• Hut's 
•   Downtown  
• HAMBURGERS
•  $ 

The grease-stained lips of the ravenous rest assured knowing their cars are parked meter-free.

• Katz's 
•   Downtown  
• DELI
•  $ 

Boisterous pitchman sells kosher-style hot pastrami inside the deli marked by the sunshine-yellow Cadillac parked out front.

• Kerbey Lane 
•   South Austin  
• AMERICAN, BAKERY, MEXICAN
•  $ 

The Pepsi alternative to 24-hour pancakes sweetens the deal with its dedicated bakery.

• Lamberts 
•   Downtown  
• BBQ, SEAFOOD
•  $$ 

Work off the "fancy" barbecue and deviled eggs tapping along to the live music upstairs.

• Magnolia Cafe 
•   South Austin  
• AMERICAN, MEXICAN
•  $ 

This "Sorry, we're open" cafe counterbalances cups of mud with Eggs Zapatino and Tempur-Pedic mattresses.

• Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill 
•   Downtown  
• AMERICAN, SEAFOOD, SOUTHERN/SOUL
•  $$ 

Neo-comfort food in one of Austin's oldest buildings is something hometown tennis hero Andy Roddick swears by.

• Quality Seafood Market 
•   North Austin  
• SEAFOOD
•  $$ 

Even without an aquarium, the wonders from the deep would not be relevant were it not for the daily specials.

• Ranch 616 
•   Downtown  
• MEXICAN, SEAFOOD, SOUPS/SANDWICHES, SOUTHWEST
•  $$$ 

Chase the snake, not the worm, at this tequila-rich, bordertown cantina transformed.

• South Congress Café 
•   South Austin  
• AMERICAN (NOUVEAU), SEAFOOD, SOUTHWEST
•  $$ 

A restaurant fit for the Jetsons, with wine options aplenty and jalapeno-, corn-, and queso-infused food.

• Stubb's Bar-B-Q 
•   Downtown  
• BBQ
•  $$ 

It's been hailed "Best Rock Club" in America, but music's not even what it's primarily known for.

• Taverna 
•   Downtown  
• ITALIAN, PIZZA
•  $$ 

The town’s only risotteria has a risotto-free menu for its acclaimed, bottomless-bellini brunch.

• The Frisco Shop 
•   North Austin  
• DINER
•  $ 

Don't call it a comeback, hon, the Tuesday special of chicken and dumplings has been here for years.

• The Oasis 
•   Lake Area  
• MEXICAN, SEAFOOD, SOUPS/SANDWICHES
•  $$ 

A perennial out-of-towner destination with a rebuilt network of decks for viewing the jaw-dropping sunsets.

• The Salt Lick 
•   Out of Town  
• BBQ
•  $$ 

All-you-can-eat meat laced with sweet honey sauce discriminates only against the road-weary.

• The Woodland 
•   South Austin  
• AMERICAN, HAMBURGERS, SOUPS/SANDWICHES
•  $$ 

It's not pie in the sky, but the treehouse setting gives off the same effect.

• Threadgill's 
•   South Austin  
• SOUTHERN/SOUL
•  $$ 

Cosmic-cowboy ephemera from the birth of the Live Music Capital of the World is worth the trip.

• Trudy's 
•   University  
• MEXICAN
•  $ 

Thank binge-drinking UT students for the two-per-person limit on lethal Mexican martinis.