In Photos: Austin's Booming Food Scene

By Peter Jon Lindberg
June 12, 2015
Jeff Minton
Every day, 164 people move to Austin, Texas, the nation’s second-fastest-growing city. The next morning, they all get in line at Franklin BBQ.

Related: Best Places to Eat Like a Local

There are always 164 people in line at Franklin BBQ; I suspect there may be some city ordinance requiring this. That Aaron Franklin is justly hailed as Austin’s finest pit master is all the more impressive for a 36-year-old ex-punk-drummer who stumbled into the craft. “I was a professional beer drinker and rock-and-roller, playing music full-time,” he says. “I had zero barbecue experience until my mid twenties. When I cooked my first brisket, I actually had to search ‘how to cook brisket’ online.”

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Ribs, brisket, sausage, and sides from Franklin BBQ.

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Chef Paul Qui sears yellowtail on binchotan charcoal for his new restaurant, Otoko.

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Behind the bar at the popular Mezcalería Tobalá.

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The pits at Franklin BBQ.

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Paul Qui (right) with Yoshi Okai, the head chef of Otoko, in the dining room of Qui.

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Head butcher Julia Poplawsky at Dai Due.

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Monkfish liver nigiri from Otoko.

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Chef Thai Changthong at Thai-Kun, one of Paul Qui’s East Side King food trucks.

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Contigo coowner and chef Andrew Wiseheart (left) with co-owner Ben Edgerton.

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Contigo’s outdoor patio.

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“Waterfall pork” from the Thai-Kun food truck.

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Slicing the brisket at La Barbecue.

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South Congress Avenue.

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Meyer-lemon-braised octopus with smoked sweet potato at Lenoir.

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Practicing the two-step at the White Horse honky-tonk.

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Pork belly and watermelon radish from Uchi.

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Tyson Cole, chef-owner of Uchi and Uchiko.

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Chef Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ food truck.

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By Peter Jon Lindberg