Good morning, happy Friday! 

Here’s something fun that I’m doing over the weekend: going boating on Lake Austin! Seriously…boating is one of my favorite summer activities, and I’m excited to jump into the water and spend a lazy afternoon cruising up and down the lake with mah friends. 

Today, though, I’ve got a round up of a bunch of restaurants I’ve loved recently. I share one of these “5 Restaurants You Should Try In Austin” posts twice a month. Look for them every-other Friday! 

These are all restaurants I’ve tried recently (in the last week or two) that have stood out to me for one reason or another. Some are new, some are quite old, but all of them are here to inspire a fun weekend of eating in ATX! 

5 restaurants you need to try in ATX

1. A new Austin brunch: Yuyo

Yuyo Peruvian Restaurant just launched their weekend brunch, and I went in to try it with some friends last weekend. (Note that this brunch is offered on both Sundays and Saturdays – wahoo!) 

Ok…let’s start by talking about the Pancitos yuca cheese bread (the first picture in this blog post) because it is insane! We started with a plate of that to share, and it ended up being my favorite part of the meal, haha! Pancitos have a soft, gooey texture and taste salty and buttery. They’re served with butter and jam, but I actually preferred the cheese bread by itself. 

Also worth noting: the Picarones (sweet potato doughnuts, pictured above) were a crowd favorite. The chancaca syrup that they’re in looks thick and caramel-y, but it’s actually quite thin and sweet. 

I ordered the Salchipapas plate: beef franks, breakfast sausage, papitas, ají amarillo aioli, and ají limo ketchup with two sunny side up eggs. It was super flavorful and I loved it! The potatoes had a nice crispy texture when the plate was served to me, but they quickly got soft because of all of the aioli. So that was kind of a bummer that I couldn’t eat the papitas quickly enough to enjoy the crispiness, but I don’t think the restaurant could’ve helped that in any way. 

A friend ordered the Vegetables a la Brasa, and he said he was a little disappointed that he didn’t get more bang for his buck. It’s a $17 brunch plate of grilled veggies that left him hungry…so maybe skip that one? 

2405 Manor Rd | WEBSITE

2. New Ranch-Style Tex-Mex Restaurant: Vamonos

Vamonos is the new ranch-style Tex-Mex restaurant on Airport Blvd in the space that used to be Spanish restaurant Bullfight. It’s from the same team that brought us Backspace, Parkside, and Jugo, so it’s in good company! 

I went to Vamonos with my mom and sisters after our mother/daughter trip in Gruene, Texas. (They were all driving back to Dallas and wanted to stop somewhere in Austin for lunch.) 

I loved this place! It’s bright and pink and super cute, and there’s a big outdoor patio with twinkly lights and all the #AustinVibes. I loved the quality of the meat inside the tacos, chicken tortilla soup, and enchiladas… I mean, if you eat a taco with high-quality, nicely-flavored beef, you won’t ever be able to go back to anything chewy or bland. No amount of salsa can cover that up. So I was happy that Vamano uses hormone-free meat and they prioritize the quality of the taco fillings instead of just masking them with tons of toppings. 

Vamonos is great for family meals, casual lunch dates, bachelorette parties (tequila!!), and brunch. 

WEBSITE | 4807 Airport Blvd

3.The gelato truck you need in your life: Dolce Bacio 

Impress your friends with your foodie knowledge by introducing them to this hidden gelato truck. Dolce Bacio is relatively new, so not a lot of people know about it yet (it’s not like the big, well-known ice cream chains like Lick and Amy’s); it’s still the cool kid on the block.

I have a feeling it’s going to get really popular really fast, though, because this stuff is as authentic as it gets!

An Italian couple opened the truck so they can offer 100% authentic Italian artisan gelato to Austinites. They use the highest quality ingredients to create their gelato, granita, cannoli (<- that’s the plural version of cannolo, btw! The owner gave me a hard time for saying “cannolis“ lol), and tiramisu. 

I tried every single flavor of gelato and sorbet, and I was blown away by how rich and intense the flavors were. 

Really….two thumbs up! I was completely wowed by this stuff! 

2207 E Cesar Chavez | WEBSITE

4. New summer menu at Intero

Intero Italian Restaurant launched their summer menu, and I’m so excited for those delicious summer flavors with lots of summer fruits and veggies! Keep in mind that their menu is constantly rotating (they post the dinner menu daily on the website) because they like to use the ingredients available to them, so you might not be able to try the exact dishes that I’ve pictured above. 

Here’s why I’m always singing Intero’s praises: 

• They’re a family-owned local Italian restaurant in Austin. Perfect for a date night spot! 
• Intero strives to be a zero waste kitchen. Look around on the menu, and you’ll notice that all the bits and pieces of the produce are used throughout the menu (from apps to small plates to large entrees) so that they don’t waste anything. 
• There’s a chocolate counter at the entrance with the most amazing truffles and chocolate bark available. Enjoy it for dessert after your meal, or just pop in to order some chocolates to go! (They’re almost too pretty to eat…..almost.)

2612 E Cesar Chavez | WEBSITE 

5. To cure your pregnancy sushi cravings: She’s Not Here

Friends…I miss sushi. I really, really do! I went to She’s Not Here last week for a date night with my husband, fully expecting that I’d have to skip out on the sushi part of dinner…but I was pleasantly surprised to see a they have 6 different vegan sashimi bites! 

I tried the Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) and the Abokado (avocado). They were both so satisfying with the sushi grade rice, seaweed, and salty/soy marinade. I wish I had ordered all 6 to try! 

If you’re not interested in a date night spot, She’s Not Here is also a fun downtown spot for a big group of girlfriends. It has a fun, Instagrammable vibe with high-quality food and tiki cocktails.

Try the Kalua Pork “Hawaiian Carnitas,” the scrumptious pork ribs with sweet soy glaze, and the sultry Tom Kha Scallops in a bath of coconut, lemongrass, mushroom, and lime. Yum. 

WEBSITE | 440 W 2nd St

That’s it for now! Happy weekending, friends!