Sit down with East Austin’s Top chefs as they reveal their faves Words Abby L. Johnson | Photos Baptiste Despois & Ashley Haguewood “Good food is very often, even most often, simple food,” opined the late Anthony Bourdain in his beloved memoir, Kitchen Confidential. The leaders of East Austin’s culinary scene know this all too...

Where Filipino Roots Meet Texas Heat Words Codi Chen | Photos Baptiste Despois Stepping into OKO Austin off East 6th Street, the intimate ambiance, welcoming bar, and generous staff instantly make guests feel excited about the culinary journey that’s about to happen. This is a place where Filipino and Southeast Asian cuisines collide with a...

Practiced hands, a serene mind, and a palate highly attuned to the nuance of a seemingly simple staple in Southern cuisine birthed the blue-ribbon biscuits that hold Bird Bird Biscuit together. The fast casual eatery led by chef Brian Batch is now itself a celebrated staple in the Austin food scene. Chef Brian prides himself...

Not every neighborhood in East Austin can claim walkability to a Michelin recommended restaurant, but Rosewood residents of the 12th Street block know that an exceptionally crafted seasonal meal is just a breezy stroll away. Chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel runs a scrappy kitchen at Birdie’s, the counter-service eatery that, in just under five years of operation,...

Chef Kazu cut his teeth in the thick of the dish pit, working his way up to head sushi chef of Austin restaurant Musashino Sushi Dokoro. He led the charge there for a decade before launching Fukumoto, a sushi and yakitori destination modeled after Japan’s izakayas. The casual pubs, comparable to a modern tapas bar,...