Considered the best barbecue in the country by bon appetit magazine—not to mention The Washington Post and the Travel Channel—it should come as no surprise that the food at Franklin Barbecue draws some famous customers. President Obama cut the ever-present line at Franklin Barbecue in July of 2014 and bought more than $300 worth of the famous grub!

With accolades like this, you might be surprised to learn that Franklin Barbecue only opened in 2009. Granted, its founder Aaron Franklin had been perfecting his brisket in a backyard smoker for many years before that, but still, he and wife Stacy were new to the commercial barbecue game. Their modest trailer near Elan East in an East Austin parking lot quickly began drawing a crowd, and it continues to do so today. More than 1,700 Yelp reviewers sing its praises, citing the brisket and Tipsy Texan sandwich as its two best offerings—just don't forget to save room for the bourbon banana pudding pie!

Franklin Barbecue
900 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 653-1187
franklinbarbecue.com/
www.yelp.com/biz/franklin-barbecue-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/stu_spivack

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Pizza parties are to thank for the unique fare served at Via 313 in Austin. When brothers and Detroit natives Brandon and Zane Hunt began tossing around the idea of bringing their home city's style of pizza to Austin, they needed a few guinea pigs to test recipes. Their group of friends became those guinea pigs, attending weekly pizza parties to sample the latest creations. Once a recipe was approved, it was added to the menu for a future pizzeria. That pizzeria is now a food trailer in front of the Violet Crown Social Club, called Via 313. It's just a short trip away from Elan East, making it convenient to try the place for yourself.

Grab a classic Detroit-style pie—that is, a square pizza with four corner slices—at Via 313. Yelp reviewers particularly like the Cadillac, a pie topped with gorgonzola cheese, fig preserves, parmesan, shaved prosciutto, and a balsamic glaze. However, there are also more conventional options like the Detroiter with cheese and double pepperoni or the Herbivore with mushrooms, sweet onions, green pepper, and black olives.

Via 313
1111B E. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 939-1927
www.via313.com/
www.yelp.com/biz/via-313-pizza-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/imgeorge