Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Austin

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in Austin? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Fabrik

5.0

5 (368)

$50 and over

Vegan

East Austin

About the restaurant

Winner of The Smart Green Guide's USA Discovery of The Year award, Fabrik is Austin’s first 100-percent plant-based tasting restaurant featuring curated menus that highlight the diversity of plant-based cuisine in an intimate, sophisticated setting.

Led by Executive Chef-Owner Je Wallerstein, Fabrik is focused on seasonality and sustainability, sourcing produce and ingredients from local growers and provisioners wherever possible. We offer an eclectic selection of vegan, biodynamic and organic wines, including an optional wine pairing. Fabrik also offers saké as well as a range of non-alcoholic options.

We offer two fixed 7-course tastings at 6pm and 8:30pm Tues-Sat. With 4 distinct seasonal menus each year, our cuisine highlights Japanese, Nordic, and Italian flavor profiles. Fabrik is 100% independently owned and operated - we look forward to hosting you!

Top review

MadisonVIP

Dined on Jun 18, 2025

One of our favorite restaurants in Austin - beautiful and intimate setting, incredibly delicious and gorgeously plated food, it’s 100% vegan, and our server Mary was absolutely amazing! We even got a complimentary anniversary toast. Perfect place for a special night!!

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Experience

Spring 7-Course Tasting | $95

Experience

Summer 8-Course Tasting | $105

The Roosevelt Room

4.9

4.9 (1369)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Downtown

About the restaurant

The Roosevelt Room is Austin's most awarded cocktail bar, offering a seated experience with table service provided by its knowledgeable bar staff to guide guests through its expansive menu of classic and original cocktails, craft beer, wine, and epicurean bar food.

The Roosevelt Room has received the following accolades: Top Four Best American Cocktail Bar 2022 by the Spirited Awards, Top Four Best American Bar Team 2022 by the Spirited Awards, Top Five Best Cocktail Bar 2022 by Liquor.com's Liquor Awards, Austin's Best New Cocktail Bar 2015 by Thrillist, & Bar of the Year 2017 by TimeOut Austin.

RESERVATIONS ARE STRONGLY SUGGESTED. Walk-ins are welcome, but please note that there may be a short wait for the next available table. If your reservation details change, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate last-minute alterations, but we cannot guarantee immediate seating for any additional guests. For reservations of 11+, click the "Book an Event" tab on our website.

Top review

P KellachVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Always a classic and a fave ...I wish I could afford to go here every day !!!

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4.9

4.9 (2359)

$31 to $50

Caribbean

East Austin

About the restaurant

Traditional meets modern in this new age Caribbean cuisine restaurant brought you by Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph of E&R Hospitality Group.

Named after the Canje pheasant, national bird of Guyana, Canje pulls inspiration not just from mainland Guyana, but from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, and all the islands in between. Our menu explores the cooking techniques, ingredients, and many expressions of vibrant food across the region.

Tucked away on the east side of Austin, this lively environment brings a unique cocktail program boasting both spirit forward and fruit driven cocktails and a small selection of natural wines alongside our inventive food menu.

Top review

Cydney

Dined 6 days ago

Such an amazing vibe! It was our first date night in a while, so we’re so grateful to the incredible staff for making our first Mom + Dad night out in a while so special and fun!

LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue

4.9

4.9 (12)

$50 and over

Barbecue

Austin

About the restaurant

Join us for a Special Steak Dinner Experience featuring a locally grown Steak, butchered and aged in house. Steaks will be selected by our team prior to your experience based on your party size and our current inventory. Steaks are $60 per pound and on average are 2.5-3.5 pounds each. Guests will be offered a tour of the BBQ pit to watch their steak be smoked and then grilled to the temperature they desire and served family style. Our servers can customize your experience at the time of your arrival with appetizers, BBQ meats, sides, dinner menu entrees, and desserts for an additional cost based on availability.

Wines by the glass, Special Wine Bottles, Local Beers and Cocktails can be ordered at the bar or from your server and are priced on the menu accordingly. We do NOT allow BYOB of any kind.

Top review

AngelicaVIP

Dined 4 days ago

I highly recommend the steak night experience so that you can skip the wait, sample as many items as possible (even those that sell out), have a reserved table, and hear the history behind the restaurant. The BBQ was amazing. I am not a huge steak person and like my meat medium well, so I could have skipped the steak itself, but like I said, it's worth every penny to have the perks of the experience. Our waiter was also amazing, very knowledgeable, and hospitable. The pit tour was also great. The guide answered all our questions and to hear the vision and history behind the restaurant was very insightful. Mr. Evan Leroy himself actually cut our steak for us, which was a cool gesture and part of the experience.

Foreign & Domestic - Austin

4.8

4.8 (2135)

$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

carla

Dined 5 days ago

Delicious as always, lovely food and service. Can’t wait to go back!

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Popular dish

Parisian Gnocchi

Popular dish

Gruyere & Black Pepper Popovers

Popular dish

Roasted Berkshire Pork Collar

Nori

4.8

4.8 (409)

$31 to $50

Sushi

Old West Austin

About the restaurant

Plant-based Japanese Cuisine serving sushi, ramen and crafted cocktails. Cozy romantic atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating available. Come try our best seller Volcano Roll and handmade Shiitake Gyozas.

Top review

Julia

Dined 3 days ago

Our waitress was so kind and gave us awesome suggestions. Your food is top notch and the chef gets all this complex flavors into one bite, IT IS AMAZING!

Uchiba Austin

4.7

4.7 (225)

$50 and over

Sushi

Downtown

About the restaurant

:: ADDITIONAL RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE ON RESTAURANT WEBSITE ::

Uchibā, loosely "Uchi Bar" in Japanese, is Uchi's izakaya‑inspired cocktail bar and restaurant delivering a vast selection of Japanese whiskies, unique cocktails, yakitori grill items and Uchi classics. Reservations are encouraged and can be booked online up to 1 month in advance. Walk-in bar seating is available and is subject to wait times. Patio seating is weather permitting and may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. We look forward to serving you, Kanpai!

Top review

Emma

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Very yummy and informative from the servers, enjoyed our meal

Tiki Tatsu-ya

4.6

4.6 (106)

$31 to $50

Pacific Rim

Bouldin Creek

About the restaurant

You’ve never seen anything like this extravagantly decorated tiki-bar funhouse from Tatsu
Aikawa and the team behind Ramen Tatsu-Ya, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya and dipdipdip Tatsu-Ya.

Recently named one of the 40 best bars in Austin by Statesman critic Matthew Odam, Tiki
Tatsu-Ya is disguised by a fake travel company on the outside, but stepping in, you’re
immediately transported to another world. The riotous colors, sound effects and over-the-top
tropical cocktails in custom mugs and glasses feel like an island vacation or 21+ Disneyland.
Shareable drinks come with fire shows, and even the food far surpasses typical bar fare with
mouthwatering dishes like Spam Musubi, Crab Lagoon, Kalua Pork and the Pu Pu Platter, which
shouldn’t be missed. Reservations are recommended.

Top review

JessicaVIP

Dined 1 day ago

I do wish there were more options on the food menu. I’d love to see a pork or spam fried rice with pineapple or a more hearty option or two. Over still outstanding.

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Experience

First Available Habitat*

4.5

4.5 (328)

$50 and over

American

East Austin

About the restaurant

Modern kitchen redefining expectations by blending innovative service with elevated dining. Serving globally inspired, made from scratch plates and cocktails.

Our journey began with a simple idea: to venture into uncharted territory, blending robotics with elevated dining to push the boundaries of what a dining experience can be. Our menu is crafted around a spirit of breaking boundaries since, in space, there are no bounds. Each dish and cocktail is an invitation to taste something unexpected—a fusion of cultures, and styles that feels both familiar and surprising.

While our playful robot servers glide by, delivering your food and drinks with a wink toward the future, Space Cowboy is deeply human at heart. Our team is a collection of creators who infuse their own stories and passions into every sip and bite.

Top review

Esther

Dined on May 31, 2025

Manager was the star of the show, very accommodating me and friend will be returning.

Mexta

4.4

4.4 (231)

$50 and over

Mexican

Downtown

About the restaurant

Mexta extends an invitation to a realm in the heart of Austin where the enchantment of Mexican gastronomy unfolds. It’s a concept that celebrates the magic born when authenticity encounters innovation, where history and contemporary flair merge seamlessly.

Mexta isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a destination for those who seek not merely a meal, but an indelible journey into the extraordinary.

Top review

Toni

Dined 1 day ago

We had an amazing Anniversary dinner at Mexta. The overall ambiance was fantastic. The decor really transported us to Mexico. From the moment we walked in the service was impeccable. Our waitress (I forgot her name, lovely young girl with a full arm sleeve tattoo) was polite and helpful. She had great recommendations. When we got to our table they had a cute sign to say “Happy Anniversary”. The drinks we well made and unique. We ordered Guacamole (with chicharrones), Hamachi ceviche, bone marrow (with onions), smoke filet, and Baja tacos. Everything was great! Well seasoned and classic Mexican flavors. They really went above with complimentary lemon spritz for our anniversary as well. No other restaurant has ever done that. I highly recommend dining at Mexta, we will be back!

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