Now Open Near Elan East: Snowy Village Dessert Cafe

The Austin branch of Snowy Village Dessert Cafe is the first installment outside the state of California. When it debuted a few months ago, one of its owners explained to Eater Austin that this city seemed like the perfect place for a new outpost because Austinites are notoriously "adventurous" and "welcoming of new foods and experiences." Given that the bingsu shop already has a loyal local following, it seems like he was right.

Bingsu is a traditional Asian dessert similar to shaved ice, but with a creamier feel due to its milky base. Along with taiyaki, which is a croissant-like cake shaped like a fish, the bingsu has made a big impression on local diners. Indulge in a bingsu-based dessert loaded with fresh fruit and syrup or something even more decadent, like the Oreo bingsu sundae. It features crumbled Oreos, chocolate syrup, milk syrup, and whipped cream with a single whole Oreo on top. If you want to try the taiyaki, you can order sweet or savory versions like Nutella-banana or ham and cheese.

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Try the Coffee-Brownie Ice Pop at Steel City Pops

If you've never eaten a popsicle with a whole brownie at the center, have you ever really lived? Steel City Pops sets out to answer that question one coffee-brownie pop at a time. It's just one of the many specialty pops on the menu, a house-made gluten-free brownie surrounded by a frozen layer of brewed local espresso, ground Turkish coffee, a touch of organic cane sugar, and cream.

Since Steel City Pops opened its doors to Austin eaters in May, local folks with a sweet tooth have flocked here for the gourmet popsicles. If you're not into chocolate, try one of the "fruity pops" like the Elderflower, which is actually infused with whole organic dried elderflowers, plus a touch of organic cane sugar and lemon. The menu also offers creamy pops like the horchata, a blend of milk, cream, and rice, cinnamon, vanilla bean, lime, organic cane sugar, and sea salt.

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Lin Asian Bar And Dim Sum: Classic Chinese Cuisine and Organic, Local Ingredients

Even though Lin Asian Bar and Dim Sum just made its Austin debut in June, in a way, the eatery has been in the making for decades. Many years ago, its owner-chef learned how to craft classic Chinese cuisine alongside her grandmother in Fuzhou City. The experience led to a professional career as a chef, which eventually introduced Chef Ling to the benefits of organic and healthy ingredients. She takes the skills she learned from her grandmother and her contemporary interest in healthy eating and combines them at Lin Asian Bar and Dim Sum.

True to its name, the newly opened restaurant focuses on dim sum—small savory dumplings that are fried or steamed. Make a whole meal out of the eclectic dumplings, which are filled with organic, local, and MSG-free ingredients. Try the Shanghai seafood soup, the veggie, and the scallop dumplings. If you're still hungry, Chef Ling also serves up a full slate of larger entrees.

Home Slice Pizza: A Labor of Love for Three Foodies

A local journalist and an IT expert/movie producer decided to make a major career change in the early 2000s. The married couple, Jen and Joseph Strickland, wanted to open their own pizza shop. Since they didn't have much experience in the culinary business, they enlisted the help of Jen's college roommate and seasoned restaurateur Terri Hannifin. Together, the trio opened the first Home Slice Pizza in 2005. Today, the homegrown business boasts multiple locations, including a new pizzeria in the North Loop.

Grab a slice or order an entire pie to enjoy at the mom-and-pop shop. Savor something simple like the margherita pizza, which features a layer of mozzarella topped with diced Roma tomatoes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, plus fresh garlic and basil. When you're craving something more unique, opt for the pie topped with eggplant parm or chopped white clams. The eatery also serves up some subs, calzones, and a handful of salads and apps.

Suerte’s Early Success Is More Than a Stroke of Luck

Suerte—"luck" in Spanish—began attracting buzz even before it opened in March, thanks to the reputation of chef and restaurateur Sam Hellman-Mass. He'd already established two successful eateries in the area when he decided to buy a storefront on Sixth Street and transform it into Suerte, a colorful and casual Mexican restaurant.

Round up a few friends and head to Suerte for some cocktails and "snackcidents" if you haven't checked it out yet. Share the chips and salsa with Caldera cheddar cheese or the potato and quesillo taquitos. Then enjoy a larger dish, such as the popular green chorizo tlayuda. Its thin and crispy tortilla base features a refried white bean spread topped with queso, almond, pumpkin seeds, and spicy chorizo. Finally, treat yourself to a sweet treat like the tapioca pudding with white chocolate crunch, almonds, and lemon balm anglaise.

Enjoy Fusion Fare at Mandala Kitchen & Bar

Turmeric-infused rice pancakes topped with pork, shrimp, and coconut sauce. Sour-spicy tom yum soup teeming with chicken, veggies, and basil. Chicken wings smothered with a house-made sweet chili sauce. These are a few of the small bites that headline the menu at Mandala Kitchen & Bar, which just opened its doors in March.

Chef Kieu Pham takes the helm in the kitchen, a self-taught chef who learned the ins and outs of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine from her mother. Chef Kieu takes the family recipes and makes them over with an infusion of modern flair. Case in point? The Mandala crawfish, a dish that features the seafood dressed in a Viet-Cajun seasoning with a smorgasbord of corn, red potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, and Cajun-garlic butter. The Cajun fried rice also melds a few different culinary styles with its crawfish tails, hickory-smoked pork, beef sausage, and Cajun seasoning.

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Try a Wild Boar Taco or Eight-Cheese Mac at Fareground At One Eleven

Gooey stovetop mac and cheese infused with an array of eight artisan cheeses. Vegan fruit-veggie broth loaded with ramen noodles, a medley of vegetables, sesame, lime, ginger oil, and avocado on top. Tacos and tortas stuffed with wild boar al pastor. These are just a few of the gourmet eats you'll find at Fareground At One Eleven.

The self-proclaimed first food hall in Austin opened in January on the ground level of an office building downtown. The indoor-outdoor space plays host to six eclectic food vendors, each dishing out a distinct type of artisan cuisine, as well as a central bar (with another one in the works). Guests are invited to grab a bite and a drink then enjoy it at one of the tables indoors or head outside to the adjacent park and find a bench beneath the swaying branches of an oak tree.

Enjoy Farm-to-Table Dining at VOX Table

VOX Table is a progressive new style of American restaurant that offers patrons small plates using farm-to-table preparation methods. They have amazing new food all the time based on what is in season and what is accessible locally. This style of cooking provides diners with the best in French, Spanish and American cuisine that is unlike anywhere else. This is the destination for a unique and delicious meal that you can’t get elsewhere.

Whether you want to enjoy a five course meal with just the right wine on a Friday night or you want to check out the craft cocktails with your menu, this neighborhood restaurant is ready to impress. Diners love the high quality and fresh food that is offered by Chef Joe Anguiano.

Grab a Boozy Java Drink at the Newly Opened Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden

Espresso, cocoa, tequila, milk, and fiery mole spices. These are the ingredients that swirl in the Frozen Boozy Coffee at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden. Since the bar made its debut in January, its baristas/bartenders have been crafting inventive sips like these. In addition to the "Boozy Coffee," the list of spirits also encompasses more traditional cocktails such as the Keyline Sipper, a mix of vodka, garden-fresh basil and honeydew, and aloe seltzer water.

When Cosmic claims that its ingredients are "garden fresh," it means it. You'll pass the raised garden beds when you walk through the front door, and you can check out the pond out back—which supports aquatic herbs and plants. Cosmic Coffee also boasts a chicken coop, which provides fertilizer for the gardens, and a cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation. The eco-friendly establishment invites local food trucks and musicians to round out the experience with great grub and fresh tunes.

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Savor Fresh Mediterranean Food at Hummus Among Us, a New Food Trailer

Chef Berty Richter grew up eating Turkish food in Israel, and he never forgot the flavors of his childhood—not when he started working in kitchens near home or when he took his talents to New York City. Eventually, Richter made his way to Austin, and he realized that this foodie-friendly city was lacking in one area: Mediterranean cuisine. So last September, he decided to do something about it. He opened Hummus Among Us.

Hummus Among Us resides in one of Austin's signature food trailer parks at 1906 East Cesar Chavez Street. Savor the classic hummus plate, which showcases a blend of chickpeas, tahini, green chili sauce, olive oil, and herbs and spices. You can also order your hummus topped with smoked brisket shawarma and onions on top. Or savor the slowly smoked meat on top of your Jerusalem nachos, which come smothered with hummus, veggies, herbs and spices, and a boiled egg.

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