If Austin restaurants are the heartbeat of our city, then family-owned restaurants are the electrical activity that keep the heart pumping. Our city WOULD NOT be the same without the mom and pop shops that create the unique Austin restaurant experience that you simply can’t find at larger corporations.
I love that y’all asked me to round up a bunch of family-owned local Austin restaurants. Thanks for caring so much about supporting local and keeping our food scene alive during the pandemic!
Since there are so many to list, I’ll keep restaurants descriptions brief. I’m grouping these into three categories. Click below to jump to the one that interests you!
Family-Owned Breakfast Restaurants in Austin
Bouldin Creek Cafe: a staple in the Austin brunch scene, Bouldin Creek Cafe is a meat-free eatery with amazing breakfast staples like tacos, Migas, and melty grilled breakfast sandwiches. |WEBSITE|
Teal House Bakery: get a dozen warm, gooey, homemade cinnamon rolls and a box of kolache for your family on a Saturday morning and you’ll win parent-of-the-year award. |WEBSITE|
Texas Honey Ham: don’t get this place confused with Honey Baked Ham like I did..haha. Texas Honey Ham is a family-owned restaurant in west Austin with amazing breakfast tacos and lunch sandwiches. |WEBSITE|
Family-Owned Lunch Spots in Austin
Asiana: you’ll find a big flavorful menu of Indian cuisine at this family-owned Austin restaurant. Located in south Austin at I35 and William Cannon. |WEBSITE|
Aster’s Ethiopian: a family-owned black-owned restaurant in Austin. These dishes are PACKED with flavor! Plenty of meat and vegetarian options. |WEBSITE|
Bento Picnic: Japanese bento boxes. Everything here is super healthy AND convenient AND delicious. |WEBSITE|
Caspian Grill: have you ever tried Persian food? Try fresh wraps, kebabs, and hot pot dishes at this north Austin family-owned restaurant. |WEBSITE|
Fat Dragon: pan-asian restaurant tucked into a shopping center in northwest Austin. Chinese-American favorites, ramen, Sichuan food, and lots more – the menu is huge! |WEBSITE|
Food Heads: comfy cafe near UT campus with soups and sandwiches. The cutest place – it’s in a converted house! |WEBSITE|
Habañero Mexican Cafe: small South Austin cafe with great breakfast and lunch Tex-Mex favorites like breakfast tacos, gorditas, and fajita plates. |WEBSITE|
(PS: check out my full review of Habañero here.)
Het-Say Vietnamese: Craving a big, steaming bowl of Pho? Go to Het Say on East Oltorf for some spring rolls, banh mi, and pho soup or vermicelli bowls. |WEBSITE|
Honest Mary’s: if you want some quick, easy food that is both healthy AND absolutely delicious, you need to try Honesty Mary’s. |WEBSITE|
Joe’s Bakery and Coffee Shop: home to one of the best breakfast tacos in Austin, but also a great bet for a yummy Tex Mex any day of the week. They’ve been around forever and are on my guide to 23 Classic Austin Restaurants. |WEBSITE|
Also see: the ultimate guide to Austin breakfast tacos
Kiko’s Tacos: small unassuming taco truck parked at a Texaco gas station on Slaughter Ln. If you really want to feel like an Austinite, eat delicious Mexican street tacos at a random ass gas station form a family-owned eatery. 😉 #keepaustinweird |WEBSITE|
Pieous: some of the best pizza you’ll find in Austin, along with amazing pastrami sandwiches and homemade pastries. One of the few restaurants that has earned a spot on my best pizza, best sandwiches, AND best cookies in Austin. Wowza. |WEBSITE|
Also see: your guide to the best pizza in Austin
Sweet Chive: bright and pretty Taiwanese restaurant in East Austin. They have lots of fried, steamed, and boiled dumplings, among other delicious entrees. |WEBSITE|
Taj Palace: my friend Monique says that this is THE place to go for North Indian food. (She grew up on authentic Indian food cooked by her mom, so I always trust her opinion!) Tandoori, curry, and lots of vegetarian options. |WEBSITE|
Family-Owned Dinner Restaurants in Austin
Deckhand Oyster Bar: it will never stop being weird that you can get really good raw oysters in this land-locked city…at a family-owned restaurant located in a Target shopping center. But for real, they have great po’boys, seafood boil, and shrimp fried rice. |WEBSITE|
Eldorado Cafe: anyone who loves Tex Mex in Austin will tell you to try Eldorado Cafe – they’re simply one of the best places to get fajitas, crispy tacos, and margarita after margarita. |WEBSITE|
El Meson: interior Mexican cuisine in South Austin. Come SUPER hungry for ceviche, tacos, Chile relleno, mole, and enchiladas. |WEBSITE|
Lenoir: gorgeous restaurant + wine garden offering “hot weather food”, which means the menu is full of items that are from Texas (or similar hot and dry climates, like Spain.) Beautiful date night spot. |WEBSITE|
Tomodachi Sushi: sweet little sushi restaurant on Parmer Lane with both original and unconventional sushi options. |WEBSITE|
Troy: laid-back Mediterranean restaurant in northwest Austin. If you love felafel, kebabs, and greek salad, try this spot! |WEBSITE|
Vazquez: family-owned Tex Mex restaurant in Austin for over 20 years! They have a few locations, so you can get your burritos and gorditas easily. |WEBSITE|
Looking for more Austin restaurant ideas? Head to my Austin Index to find all the best restaurants in ATX!
