Here’s a list of my go-to Austin restaurants and what to eat at each. Order specs are noted with justification for each where appropriate. Each of these restaurants just happens to be a family-owned business helmed by people of color. Give them your money.
Habesha is an Ethiopian restaurant in Austin and I order Habesha take-out faithfully once a week on days I am bogged down with a relentless stacking of back-to-back meetings. Here’s what I order:
Doro Tibs - add rice, make it spicy, no injera. These are my exact specifications. I like injera but it doesn’t keep well in take-out circumstance as it gets quite soggy. Save the injera for when you’re dining at the restaurant and can eat it with your hands. It is a fabulous vessel for everything else on your plate. Now, back to the star; doro tibs. This dish is essentially a chicken curry, but a really sexy take on the formulas I’m used to as an Indian-Caribbean curry lover. It’s a drier curry with INCREDIBLE spices and requesting it spicier than usual almost steam-cleans you from the inside out. HIGHLY recommend getting it as takeout with rice (you’ll need to specify rice for take-out as injera is the default) and it comes with a side salad that’s tangy with its own kick. It’s what I consider a complete dish. There’s really nothing missing here.
Habesha is owned by an Ethiopian couple, and their head chef, Selam Abebe, is a woman. You can check out their full menu here.
Kismet is a middle-eastern restaurant in central Austin. It used to be located on the UT campus when I was an undergrad student, which is when I first discovered it, and have been eating there since roughly 2002. Really, I grew up with Kismet.
Chicken Schwarma wrap - absolute perfection. Gently marinated and seasoned chicken that comes out tender and juicy and stuffed in the wrap with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a delicious sauce. It’s not too saucy, not too dry, and the pita-to-stuffing ratio is ideal because it doesn’t collapse or break apart but its not too tough and unwieldy either.
Fries - Kismet’s fries are my favorite. Make sure to add their hot sauce as a side in your order and dip the fries in mayo and the hot sauce for an other-worldly experience. (For the anti-mayo crowd, just skip that part altogether).
Hot sauce - this is the best hot sauce i’ve ever tasted. Seriously. EVER. I buy extra containers of it to keep in the fridge. I’d pay insane amounts of money to learn this recipe or buy a bottle in a grocery store.
House salad - this salad is a party, but it’s healthy. How often can you say that about a party?
Ceasar salad - I’ve recently come to adore Ceasar salads after decades of unwarranted hate. Theirs is probably my favorite in Austin, followed closely by Via 313’s.
Bombay Express - Completely vegetarian, this little restaurant has the yummiest Indian street food. It’s one of the only restaurants I eat at where i don’t order EXACTLY the same dish each time, because they have about 20 things I absolutely love equally.
Samosa sandwich - get two if that’s all you’re eating. So satisfying. This is probably the best dish for a picnic or road trip because its perfectly portioned and oh-so-neat. No spills or leakages. I’d even feel free to eat it while wearing a white button-down. It’s that safe, y’all.
Chaat - you can’t go wrong with these babies. My favorite chaat is the Dahi Batata Puri. If you get take out, they’ll pack it all separately for you so you can combine it at home and nothing loses crunch. Never eat with a white button-down. Like, ever.
Dosa - perfect for a rainy weekend late lunch you plan to eat over the course of many hours while watching a legal drama. My fave is the mysore masala dosa. Get extra coconut chutney to dip into.
Chole Puri - so comforting, so delicious. Eat with hands! Use the puri to make little finger tacos to grab the chole with and transport into your mouth. This dish is all beans so eat only when you have no plans same-day. You will toot up a storm, guaranteed.
Paneer wrap - I love marinated, grilled paneer with perfectly cut onions! This little wrap is spunky and she always brings the zsoosh.
Thai Kitchen - Another discovery from college years, TK has the best green curry you’ve ever tasted.
Tofu and vegetable green curry - unlike many curries, TK’s brings LOADS of veggies from a variety perspective. You don’t get just one or two, you get carrots, broccoli, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and more! Most thai restaurants give you one protein and MAYBE two veggies. So getting a variety of veggies makes this curry a stand-out. Plus their tofu is perfect. Not soft at all, just perfectly toasty and flavorful. The green curry is so delicious and the heat level is sublime - not too much, but just at the edge. Doable for the sensitive palate with rice.
Cucumber salad - tangy, spicy, sweet, everything your heart desires. It’s a small portion - not teeny, but not at all enough for a stand-alone meal. Consider this more of a side than an appetizer.
Spring rolls - fresh, generously portioned and stuffed with goodness. Amazing with their peanut sauce, of which I suggest you ask extra portions of.
G’Raj Mahal - I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out the Goan flavor king of Austin. G’Raj mahal was the first Goan restaurant to open up in Austin and the very first few folks that worked there were all from Goa - my fabulous birthplace. It started out as a little trailer but went full-on brick and mortar not long after achieving massive success (you should have seen the crowds at this place back in the trailer days). Some of my favorites:
Saag - I’m not really a saag curry person but G’Raj is the place that challenges that for me. I love getting their Saag chicken curry on the spiciest level they’ll allow. Pair with their coconut naan and a bottle of wine and you can slowly eat on it for hours. Amazing for a leisurely date with lots of great convos.
Coconut naan - an absolute must. Sweet and savory, i could treat this naan as a main and dip it in virtually any of their curries and be the happiest me I’ve ever been.
Tamatar - this soup used to be on their menu always, but they’ve since evolved to have a soup-of-the-day model. If you can get it, do it. It’s so exciting. And a great co-conspirator for the coconut naan.
Pani Puri - this one bite snack is BURSTING with flavor. Start your meal here I say!
Chicken tandoor - nobody does barbeque like Indian and Caribbean people (sorry Texas! ILU!) so 100% get this and go wild with the rides. I like to get naan, rice, raita and go to town!