The Good and Annoying Austin Restaurant Trends of 2024

As is the tradition when the end of 2024 is coming up, Eater asked a trusted group of friends, industry types, and local bloggers for their takes on the past culinary year in Austin. All answers will be revealed before the year ends — cut, pasted, (mostly) unedited, and in no particular order. Question number five:

What was the most exciting — or most infuriating — local restaurant trend of 2024?

Madeline Hollern, editor-in-chief of Austin Monthly

After years of flash over substance, it was refreshing to see restaurants trend back toward being approachable and not overly gimmicky. The disco bathrooms and robot waiters and flaming cocktails of recent years gave way toward more balance and quality.

Taylor Tobin, restaurant critic at Austin Chronicle and Eater contributing writer

I was really excited about the trend of existing restaurants introducing pop-up menus to try out new concepts. Examples like Aiello’s at Birdie’s, Friendlys Persian Brunch at Nixta Taqueria, and Frankie’s Supper Club at Uptown Sports Club gave incredibly talented chefs the chance to experiment with different flavors and ideas in a low-stakes and high-reward setting, and I love that playful spirit!

Erin Russell, former associate editor of Eater Austin, Eater contributing writer, and freelance writer

I think I am too out of touch to know trends, but I think some menus have gotten questionably unfocused. Like, do churro doughnuts, burrata, and Indian puffy tacos belong on the same menu?

Darcie Duttweiler, freelance writer and Eater contributing writer

I legit love eating with my hands, and the food-on-a-stick trend is totally cool with me. Favorite skewers include Uchiba’s and Texas Sushiko’s yakitori bites, OKO’s inihaw, Swim Club’s oyster mushroom (which I would almost swear is meat), Lao’d Bar’s rib-eye steak, Ezov’s kofta, and so many more.

Jane Ko, blogger of A Taste of Koko

The fancy over-the-top coffee options that cost more than $10 — where can I just get a really good iced latte that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg??

H. Drew Blackburn, former interim associate editor of Eater Austin and columnist of The Barbed Wire

Too many restaurants are more invested in lifestyle marketing than creating a truly exceptional environment for the people dining in. The dining culture in Austin too often feels like you’re living inside of TikTok algorithm rather than experiencing one of the world’s most significant third places of culture and curiosity. You know in The Bear, when Cousin is staging at the fancy restaurant and they’re going over all the things that are special about the people coming to the restaurant that night? In this town, they’re up there whispering about Instagram followers.

Nicolai McCrary, Austin staff writer at The Infatuation

I wrote a piece about Austin dining trends in 2024 over at The Infatuation, where you can see me wax poetic about fish eggs and dive bar steaks, but in short, pizzas have gotten really expensive, and caviar is showing up in a lot of places we don’t really need or want it to be (like baked potatoes and ice cream sandwiches). On the other end, I love seeing the recent boom in Southeast Asian cuisine — Lao’d Bar, P Thai’s, OKO, Wee’s — that’s recently become a big part of dining out in Austin.

Cat Cardenas, freelance writer and photographer, contributing Eater Austin photographer, and writer-at-large of The Barbed Wire

I’ve loved seeing so many restaurants and bars expanding their nonalcoholic options, but please, ENOUGH with the $18 two ingredient mocktails. Let’s get a little more creative! And, while we’re at it, can we get some more affordable cocktail options, too?

Ali Khan, content creator of @alikhaneats

Smash burgers becoming commonplace.

​​Nadia Chaudhury, outgoing editor of Eater Austin and forthcoming editor at Eater Northeast

It’s been a bummer seeing restaurants start out with really strong point-of-view menus and then reverting to a generic pan-approach to food OR just opening with very everything-goes menus without any strong distinctions. I get that they’re trying to “meet” Austin diners where they are (if they don’t have good taste, yeah I said it), but this just means we have so many new restaurants that all seem the same and just bland.

And echoing some answers from above: Austin doesn’t need more “hip” and “cool” restaurants that emphasize style over substance. Do people really want to eat at a loud club?

My Austin-forever favorite trend (going strong through the years) is the beautiful way that chefs and cooks and bakers and etc. etc. showcase such fun and delicious foods through pop-ups and collaborations and food trucks. It’s the culinary heartbeat of Austin.