Tom Thornton

When then-fledgling brewers and distillers like Thirsty Planet, Argus Cidery, and Revolution Spirits chose to locate in far Southwest Austin less than a decade ago, the idea seemed like something of a novelty. The farmland was cheap, there were few nearby businesses, and regulations were friendlier than in the central city.
Over the past year, a similar restaurant boom has taken place on the 290 corridor, culminating with this summer's opening of Belterra Village, an outdoor mall with an upsc...

Visitors to Austin’s Deep Eddy Pool this summer could be forgiven for doing a double take: is that a secret tiki hut behind iconic dive bar Deep Eddy Cabaret? With a 1968 Airstream food trailer, a tropical-themed interior and patio, and beachy beverages, Pool Burger became a neighborhood favorite after McGuire Moorman Hospitality (Perla’s, Elizabeth Street Café) opened it in October. MMH assistant beverage director Alex Holder provided us with recipes for a few very summery, very refreshing t...

The summer marks a great time to spend a weekend (or two) visiting Texas wineries. As the burgeoning industry continues to mature, the state’s wine quality is growing with strategic uses of Spanish, Italian, and Rhône grape varietals, which suit the warm Texas climate much better than many of the more well-known grapes from California.
There’s also been a concerted effort to increase Texas grape production, with wineries like William Chris Wines and Perissos Vineyards even utilizing 100 perce...

Since debuting in 2012, the San Antonio Cocktail Conference has morphed from a fledgling seminar showcasing the city’s then-nascent drink culture into one of the largest cocktail events in the country.

Amid Sixth Street’s bluster and noise, Austin’s clandestine Midnight Cowboy enables civilized discourse.

Austin’s wine scene has never been better. The city has one of the country’s best groups of sommeliers, and the evidence is clear when browsing the wine menus of top-notch restaurants and bars, which have raised the game steadily. With staff education on the rise, a focus on concept-driven wine lists, and a new emphasis on value, the Austin wine drinker is spoiled for choice.
There’s a welcome mix of love for classic selections blended with a discerning eye for emerging regions and grapes — m...

Austin new-school barbecue trailer LeRoy and Lewis and San Antonio barbecue joint 2M Smokehouse may be new to the Texas landscape, but their respective pitmasters, Evan LeRoy and Esaul Ramos, are decidedly known and respected.

The 14 best restaurants and bakeries for pie in Austin, TX.

Packaged water did the unthinkable last year when it toppled soda as the most popular drink in America. Small wonder, then, that Coca-Cola recently purchased the U.S. rights to the perennial favorite Topo Chico brand for $220 million. With soda on the outs, and booming sparkling water sales, a surge of Texan entrants was inevitable. This fall, three local sparkling waters – Waterloo, Big Swig, and Rambler – debut in Central Texas.
Big Swig managing partner Sean O'Connor says, "While we've bee...

The 120 Tacos You Must Eat Before You Die - Texas M...

How Austin Does Barbecue: A Primer - Eater Austin

In 2010, Austin’s Hilah Johnson started an Internet...

Tatsu Aikawa has been a restaurateur for only four years, but the ideas he developed are informed by a lifetime of experience. Born in Japan, he moved to Austin, Texas, at age 10 and grew up to gain a unique culinary point of view with equal parts Japanese and Texan influence.
With his co-founder, Takuya “Tako” Matsumoto, Aikawa opened his first restaurant, Ramen Tatsu-Ya, out of opportunity and necessity. At the time in 2012, Austin lacked restaurants serving ramen from scratch, a dish both ...

16 Great Tacos in Austin | Texas Monthly

Rick Bayless On Comfort Food, Podcasting, and the A...