Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in Austin

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in Austin? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Carillon Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (935)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

The Carillon is a New American restaurant featuring familiar food with a refined twist. The Carillon provides a sophisticated and approachable dining experience for all occasions. Our culinary team masterfully creates dishes with local, fresh, and seasonal produce and organic, grass-fed or free-range proteins. The Carillon offers ‘a la Carte’ or 3-course dinner for $45 tasting menu, which can be skillfully paired with award-winning wines.

Located at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, The Carillon delivers an impressive and memorable experience. Complimentary self-parking in the Conference Center Garage. Bring your ticket to be validated. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Top review

Ronnie

Dined on Sep 7, 2024

Quiet atmossphere where you can have a conversation with you dining companion. Great service and food served at your pace.

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro Austin

4.9

4.9 (1613)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro Austin is Chef Tim Love’s second location for his flagship restaurant. Open since 2015 it has become the go to place in Austin for wild game and creative dishes.

In order to serve all our guests in a timely manner, we ask that you arrive on time. A 15 minute grace period will be given to all tables. Unfortunately we are unable to seat partial parties.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 2 days ago

Delicious lunch, enjoyed the prime rib! Love the new location.

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4.9

4.9 (2321)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

How many of the great moments of your life were experienced at a table over a meal with friends and family? Dinner at wink is like coming to big dinner party where great food, quality ingredients, and Austin hospitality set the stage for yet another memorable experience at table. Wink happily embraces omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, pescetarians, and special dietary issues based on what we have in our larder! "The way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world." - Michael Pollan

Top review

Tommy

Dined on Aug 23, 2024

Outstanding restaurant for special occasions! Always attentive to special dietary restrictions. Food and wine pairings were spot on as always.

Foreign & Domestic - Austin

4.8

4.8 (1985)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Central Austin

About the restaurant

We are a bustling neighborhood restaurant in the heart of north loop. We are one of Austins oldest farm to table concepts. Our menu is foreign in style, while domestically sourced. Our menus change with the season, farm availability, & on chefs whim. Join us for our nose to tail tasting menu nightly if you appreciate whole animal usage. Our wine program is aimed toward biodynamic natural small production wines. If you'd like to have pre or post dinner cocktails, our awesome neighbors include the tigress bar & drink.well.
Please note that we have a 15 minute grace period on reservation arrival times. Should you find yourself running late, please give us a call or the table may be released to a waiting guest.
Tables of 1-2 guests will be reserved for 1.5 hours, tables of 3-4 will be reserved for 1 hour and 45 minutes, tables of 6+ will be reserved for 2 hours. These times reflect standard dining times of our guests. Should you feel that you need additional time, please notate this.

Top review

wazoo

Dined 2 days ago

Little mis leading from the outside but an awesome experience inside. Place was extremely busy so service was a bit on the slower side. However the waitress so nice and the food was excellent. Menu changes frequently and they have some different food items on the menu than your typical restaurant. Would love to go back when in town.

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Popular dish

Parisian Gnocchi

Popular dish

Gruyere & Black Pepper Popovers

Popular dish

Roasted Berkshire Pork Collar

Pecan Square Cafe

4.8

4.8 (491)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Pecan Square Café, located in the heart of Clarksville, serves simple, seasonal food inspired by our home in Austin. With a focus on market driven ingredients and an evolving roster of dishes, the menu is straightforward but elevated. The beverage program delivers dynamic variations on classic cocktails, with an approachable and sophisticated wine selection. Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner seven days a week. Service is easygoing, warm, and casually elegant.

Top review

Brendavip

Dined 5 days ago

My favorite restaurant I love everything about every person who works there (Laura 💕) and almost everything on the menu AND the cocktails are sublime.

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Experience

Happy Hour | Monday - Friday

Honey Moon Spirit Lounge

4.8

4.8 (239)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Central Austin

About the restaurant

Honey Moon Spirit Lounge is a vintage-chic restaurant/speakeasy with a well curated menu of elevated comfort food and modern American share plates. The menu includes a craft cocktail list emphasizing fresh juices and classic ingredients, and an extensive and diverse wine list featuring varietals from around the world with a selection of beers and ciders, and a tap of local craft brews.

Top review

Philvip

Dined 7 days ago

Fun place for dinner and drinks - service was great!

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Experience

Burlesque Brunch

June's All Day

4.8

4.8 (1007)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

South Austin

About the restaurant

June’s All Day is a little bit of Paris in Austin—a neighborhood cafe and bar offering late breakfast, brunch, and an all day menu late into the evenings, along bustling South Congress Avenue.

The bistro-style food menu (think Croque Madame, Steak Tartare & Frites, Grilled Chicken Paillard, & Steak au Poivre) is complemented by a frequently changing wine & bar program including unique bottles and classic cocktails The restaurant has a wraparound patio (open year round) and is ideal for people watching and hanging with your friends.

Top review

Craig

Dined 7 days ago

Great experience. The reviews were spot on. Highly recommend.

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Experience

Happy Hour | Monday - Friday

Hestia

4.7

4.7 (1817)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Hestia, named after the Greek goddess of the hearth, is a modern live-fire grill house. Dishes find inspiration from a custom 20-ft hearth which anchors the kitchen and dining room. Our menus offers an opportunity to explore and showcase techniques that highlight the role of fire in food. You may choose to order from our a la carte menu or experience our chef curated tasting menu.

We accept reservations 60 days in advance. For event inquiries, please visit our website.

Top review

Erin

Dined 2 days ago

It was our anniversary and they made us feel special the whole time (card signed by the staff, free champagne, congratulations from all the staff). Everyone was very friendly. The food was delicious and inventive.

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Dry Aged 8oz Texas Wagyu Bavette

The Well

4.7

4.7 (461)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Located in Austin's iconic 2ND Street District at 440 W. 2nd St., The Well blends top-tier nutrition, local and sustainable farming, and authentic flavors for a culinary experience that redefines healthy food in Downtown Austin.

Top review

Kelsey

Dined 1 day ago

The service was the only downside - it took 25 minutes for drinks

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4.6

4.6 (955)

$31 to $50

Unspecified

Downtown

About the restaurant

Garrison features elevated New American Cuisine highlighting the best Central Texas Terroir has to offer. Farm-to-fork produce, Gulf seafood and ranch-raised beef are all enhanced by post oak live fire to create an authentic Austin experience.

Top review

Bobby

Dined 1 day ago

David our server was great: Food was excellent quality.

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