The Best Restaurants in Austin, According to a Michelin-Starred Chef
Robert J. Lerma
Over the past decade, Tavel Bristol-Joseph has become synonymous with the Texas restaurant scene. As the COO and partner at Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, he helps oversee some of the Lone Star State’s best restaurants. In fact, three of them retained their Michelin-star status in the recently released 2026 Texas guide, including Bristol-Joseph’s dessert bar Nicosi, in San Antonio.
The group’s roots are in Austin, though, where it opened its namesake restaurant, Emmer & Rye, in 2015. It now includes a baker’s dozen of spots throughout the state, including Hestia, Robb Report’s Best New Restaurant in America in 2020. In the lead-up to Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix, in Austin this weekend, we spoke with Bristol-Joseph about his favorite restaurants in the city, from barbecue to ice cream.
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Desnudo Coffee
Image Credit: Luisa Pineda Bristol-Joseph proclaims that he’s not a coffee drinker, but he still tips his hat to Desnudo Coffee, opened in 2022 by the brothers Juan and Sergio Trujillo. They’ve since expanded to four locations throughout the city, serving up Colombian beans and lattes with flavors like shoyu butterscotch. But Bristol-Joseph thinks it’s something beyond their drinks that makes them shine. “You know what makes them special? Hospitality,” he says. “You wouldn’t expect that level of hospitality from a coffee shop, from a little coffee food truck.”
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Austin Oyster Co.
Image Credit: Matt Conant If you’re looking for one of the most exciting recent openings in Austin, Bristol-Joseph suggests Austin Oyster Co., which brings a little taste of the Eastern Seaboard to the South. “They just opened up. I think it’s the hottest restaurant right now in town,” Bristol-Joseph says. “If you want something that’s easy, get some seafood, that’s a really good spot to go to.” The menu features oysters that come from their own farm in Brunswick, Maine, along with bivalves from other oyster farms in New England and Canada.
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Uptown Sports Club
Image Credit: Larry D. Moore/Wikimedia Commons “Another place to walk in if you don’t have any reservation, you want to go and get a good po’boy or something, you want to go to Uptown Sports Club,” Bristol-Joseph says. The Austin mainstay has been around since 1949, when it opened as a neighborhood watering hole. In 2023, the lauded pitmaster Aaron Franklin took over the space along with some friends, and it’s now turning out upscale bar food, like the shrimp and fried green tomato po’boys Bristol-Joseph calls out.
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A Barbecue Tour of Austin
Image Credit: La Barbecue Texas is known for its world-class barbecue, and Bristol-Joseph takes advantage of all Austin has to offer in that regard. “You’re talking to a chef here. I go to barbecue spots for specific things. My list is very broken up,” he explains. “I’m going to La Barbecue because I love the sides. I’m going to Franklin because I’m a fan of his ribs. I’m going to Leroy and Lewis because I love how they do their steaks, and they have a really good burger there. I’m going to InterStellar for those pork belly that they do. So I’m tapping into all these different places for specifics.”
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Whisler’s and Golden Tiger
Image Credit: Jamee Lee Miller For a late-night drink, Bristol-Joseph suggests heading to Whisler’s, a cocktail bar in the historic East Sixth neighborhood. The team creates four seasonal menus a year, with this past summer’s including drinks like the Cowboy Killer, with clarified mezcal and horchata foam. When the inevitable munchies hit, just head outside: “There’s a food truck behind that [called Golden Tiger],” Bristol-Joseph adds. “They basically specialize in fried-chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders and stuff, which is exactly what you want at that time of night.”
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Bésame
Image Credit: Bésame For a sweet treat, Bristol-Joseph is heading to Bésame, an ice-cream truck that opened back in 2021. “They’re doing a lot of fun stuff,” he explains. “They dehydrate a bunch of different fruits and cereals, and then they basically give you the soft serve and then they dust it with a bunch of things in the cup.” Bésame also serves up hard scoops, and they do limited-edition pint drops every Thursday evening, with flavors they don’t sell at the shop itself.
