Austin Restaurants?

Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations for must-go-to restaurants in Austin? I’m heading down to SXSW on Friday and though I’ll probably be around Austin natives (or maybe Austin-familiars) most of the time, I’m open to other suggestions as well.

So far, Jon has recommended these:

• Kerbey Lane, especially for breakfast:

  Kerbey Lane Cafe isn’t an Austin institution for nothing. Its winning combination of good, homecooked fare, its cozy setting and hospitable service have made it a local favorite for years. If you haven’t discovered it yet, what are you waiting for? […]

• Trudy’s, Tex-Mex:

  The stuffed avocado ($8.95) was half of an avocado that had been heaped with spicy chicken, breaded and fried. It was topped with the New Mexican green chile sauce and cheese and served with Spanish rice and black beans that also had a little zing. […]

And, Julie passes these along:

• Pizza Nizza, “great pizza”:

  While there are hundreds of combinations possible, there are specialty pizzas that can make the choice easy. Try the veggie deluxe — with grilled onions, marinated artichoke hearts, sauteed spinach, roasted red bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, zucchini, white sauce and mozzarella — or the classic, with pepperoni, ham, sausage, green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, marinara sauce and mozzarella. […]

• Chuy’s, Mexican food:

  My favorites include the Chuychanga, a fried flour tortilla filled with chicken, cheese, cilantro and green chile, and the Chuy’s Special enchiladas, blue corn tortillas stacked with smoked chicken, cheese and tomatillo sauce. […]

• Bitter End Bistro & Brewewy has “good beer, and a restaurant there”:

  While the casual ambiance might lead you to think otherwise, the Bitter End has been a consistent source of good food and service. Standouts included the mussels steamed in a white wine broth flavored with curry crème fraîche, garlic chives, lemon grass, sliced red bell peppers and garlic and the pork loin topped with crisp onion rings and surrounded by a cilantro-mint cream sauce. [&hellip]

• Threadgill’s, for barbeque:

  Every time I walk into Threadgills, I get this overwhelming sensation of comfort. Maybe it’s a combination of the history of the place and my personal history with it. I know the food will be delivered on time, attentively, and that it will be good. Trust me on this, there are a lot of places that serve so-called comfort food that do not evoke a sense of comfort in me. Threadgills does. […]

• Magnolia Cafe, especially for breakfast:

  The mixed menu features salads and chicken, vegetarian and fajitas, pasta and seafood, quesadillas and soups, something for practically everyone. And if that isn’t satisfying enough, try a chocolate fudge brownie. Ours weighed at least a half pound. Forks up. […]

• Jazz has “big Cajun food”:

  Black is the color of seriously flavorful fare as well at Jazz. Their blackened catfish resonates thunderously across the taste buds of Austin, and the blackened tuna with a zesty dill hollandaise is enough to make Jean Lafitte himself limp up to the dinner table. […]

• Spider House, for lunch or scones & cake:

  The cool thing about Spider House is that you don’t have to take off when you get the late night munchies. There are always about four or five entree choices, from Tamales by Golly and the Pasta Plate to the Mayberry Bagel, named after a Spider House employee. The prices of the entrees range from $2.95 to $4.95. […]

• Iron Cactus, mexican food [sample menu]

• Katz’s, NY Style deli & open all night:

  The warm spinach-artichoke dip ($6.95) was served with bagel crisps. The half roast chicken ($9.95) was served over dressing with gravy, with the choice of two sides. The open roast beef sandwich ($9.95) featured tender, thick slices of meat with gravy. […]

• Amy’s Ice Creams where you “pick flavor, pick toppings and they have paddles and throw it in the air”:

  On warm evenings, Amy’s can get a little loud with the percussion of ice cream paddles beating candies or cookies into scoops. Look up to catch the sight of those same scoops flying high over the tops of the employees’ crazy hats to land with precision (most of the time) into cones and cups. For obvious reasons, Amy’s has been a local favorite since it opened in 1986. […]

• Stubb’s, “good barbeque”:

  The turkey breast had a delicate smoky flavor and was excellent. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, but the pork ribs, in contrast to the previous times I’ve sampled them, were dry and tough. For sides, the serrano pepper cheese spinach, the collard greens and the creamy cole slaw were our favorites. […]