I’ve said it time and time again, we are extremely fortunate here in Austin to have such an abundance of amazing dining options and excellent restaurants in and around town. Truth be told, the culinary scene seems to be growing just as fast as the population growth in our fine Central Texas hamlet. More and more unique locations are popping up and the decisions on where to dine are getting that much more difficult.
However, despite the saturation of wonderful foodie experiences to be had here in the Capital City, I still maintain an overwhelming tendency to revisit a handful of my absolute favorites on as frequent an occasion as possible. Specific dishes and experiences you might call, “guilty pleasures.” Realizing I’m running the risk of overexposing my collection of greatness, I felt obliged to share’em with you (even though, many are no longer, by any means, “my little secret”).
So, without further adieu, here’s my gathering of some (but, certainly, not all) of the tremendous within the Austin dining scene. Hope you enjoy. Happy dining, y’all!
1) The Salsa Bar at Polvo’s Interior Mexican Cuisine
2004 South 1st Street
Austin, TX 78704
www.polvosaustin.com
2) The “Fatty” Brisket at Franklin Barbecue
900 East 11th Street
Austin, TX 78702
www.franklinbarbecue.com
3) The Shrimp & Grits at Max’s Wine Dive
207 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701
www.maxswinedive.com
4) The Sunday Brunch Buffet at Jack Allen’s Kitchen
7720 Texas Highway 71
Austin, TX 78735
www.jackallenskitchen.com
5) The “Bob Armstrong” at Matt’s El Rancho
2613 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704
www.mattselrancho.com
6) The French Fries at Hyde Park Bar & Grill
4206 Duval Street
Austin, TX 78751
4521 West Gate Boulevard
Austin, TX 78745
www.hpbng.com
7) The Prime Ribeye and Bacon Mac N’ Cheese at Vince Young Steakhouse
301 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701
www.vinceyoungsteakhouse.com
8) The “Fats Domino” at Hut’s Hamburgers
807 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703
www.hutsfrankandangies.com
9) The Migas and Breakfast Tacos at Maria’s Taco X-Press
2529 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704
www.tacoxpress.com
10) The Habanero Chili at Texas Chili Parlor
1409 Lavaca Street
Austin, TX 78701
www.txchiliparlor.com
11) Pretty much any slice of pie at Home Slice Pizza
1415 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704
www.homeslicepizza.com
12) Boiled Crawfish (when in season) at Shoal Creek Saloon
909 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78703
www.shoalcreeksaloon.com
13) The Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich at Shady Grove
1624 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78704
www.theshadygrove.com
Randall Metting 
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