Hard to Get Reservations in Austin

If you didn’t know any better, you could easily mistake Olamaie’s for someone’s adorable private residence. Inside this white house—with a wraparound porch, window shutters, and beautiful shrubbery—they’re making some of the best upscale Southern food around. Their hush puppies, “hoppin’ John” (beans and eggs), and chicken (served with succotash and a wonderful sauce) are all divine, but the one thing you can’t pass up isn’t even on the menu. Their biscuits are a religious experience and you should order as many as you can eat.

Everything is special about this James Beard Award-winning Japanese restaurant housed in what looks like a little home. The contrast of a cottage exterior with a chic interior of red walls and honey lighting sets the stage for the impressive meal ahead. They have exceptional sushi that they fly in fresh from Japan each day, accompanied by masterful service. This is definitely a place fit for a special occasion. Everything is outstandingly good, so a great option is to go for their very unique “Sake Social” menu—offered on weeknights from 5-6:30—where you can get things from the regular dinner menu for nearly half the price.

E & R offer an American menu of locally-sourced small plates that changes every day, plus a roaming dim sum cart (with unusual offerings) that you can order other items from. In addition to great service and their beautiful garden patio, these guys mill their own grains daily to make their breads, pastas, and desserts, so rest-assured those are all quite special and fresh. This is definitely not an everyday type of place, so pick an occasion and make it even more special by ordering their beloved cacio e pepe, blue crab, or crispy short rib carnitas (with BBQ pork fat!).

This loft-type space—with rough frescos on exposed concrete walls, metal piping, and steel beams—is a creative juxtaposition to the very classic Italian food they’re serving up here (that’s arguably the best around). They have the traditional small plates, a selection of crudos, meat and cheese boards, but also a host of housemade pastas, and a wood-fire grill to cook their meat and fish dishes. It’s all really solid, but the wood-roasted vine tomatoes with burrata starter and the osso buco Milanese are extra special.

Since 1975, Jeffrey’s has been an iconic Austin eatery, delivering great fine dining experiences that are ideal for a special occasion.The wood floors, blue velvet chairs, and white tablecloths give their stylish dining room a very handsome elegance. The American menu—with a French flair—boasts incredibly decadent options like truffled deviled eggs, foie gras “sandies,” a selection of caviars, and their very popular shellfish risotto. Along with their expert service and fine wines, their beautifully-cut meat is cooked to perfection. And, to top it all off, there are roaming martini and cheese carts that’ll show up tableside. Jeffrey’s is pricey, but it’s pretty perfect.

This sister restaurant to the incredible Uchi (also on this list) is actually very similar menu-wise, even sharing some of the same dishes, like the Shag roll, which is a staple at both spots. The design of Uchiko is very distinct from that of Uchi, but the quality of fresh fish, impeccable service, and even the “Sake Social” menu offering are identical. There are delicious desserts and great sake at both, but entirely unique to Uchiko is the ham & eggs roll (with pork belly and yolk custard) and the milk ‘n cereal dessert, which are both quite amazing.

When you enter this upscale, rustic-feeling steakhouse, you’ll pass through a foyer called Kesselus Hall (named after local author Ken Kesselus), which is filled with shelves of books written by Texans. This is where the restaurant’s name comes from. While it’s primarily a steakhouse—with perfectly seared cuts of both Wagyu and Black Angus to choose from—they also have a variety of veggies and salads (large enough to share) made with fresh ingredients from their garden. Their menu changes seasonally, but their red snapper, lobster mac n cheese, and homemade bread (with sweet onion jam) tend to be available year-round, because they’re such popular choices.

Housed in a quaint brick building in the warehouse district, you’ll find something of an anomaly in Lambert’s Downtown… it’s upscale BBQ. While this may sound odd, have no doubt, they are BBQ pros. Whet your appetite with their crispy and honey-glazed wild boar ribs (because, wild boar), which not only resemble chicken wings, but come with a buttermilk blue cheese dipping sauce. Then, move onto some outstanding pulled pork or Black Angus brisket (with a brown sugar and coffee rub), and get a side of their melt-in-your-mouth baked mac & 3 cheeses. If you’re not sold yet, you can top it all off with a nightcap in their upstairs lounge, where a slew of talented musicians pop by to play (you can even order food up there)!