Welcome to another edition of Austin Eats Round-Up! Think of these posts as little glimpses into where I’m going and what I’m loving right now. I’m in the process of updating my Top Places to Get Ice Cream in Austin – 2019 Update for 2020, so this edition is pretty ice cream heavy. It’s super exciting and I can’t wait for everyone to see the updates!
Let’s get into it!
Previous editions can be found here: Austin Eats Round-Up.
Cyclone Anaya’s Tex-Mex Cantina
3120 Palm Way #170, Austin, Texas 78758
Cyclone Anaya’s is a relatively new space up at the Domain NORTHSIDE. They have large indoor and outdoor seating areas, complete with fun ATX lighting and fire pits. Their menu is pretty classically Tex-Mex, with all-day breakfast, daily specials, and lunch deals. They also have a great happy hour menu on bar food and drinks from 11am-6pm Monday-Friday (yeah!). I went with the chilaquiles and I thought they were delicious! They use tortilla strips on the bottom, instead of one large round tortilla, which I liked. It made it easier to eat! You could easily take a large group here – lots of space with a well-rounded menu. I always like places that have something for everyone. They even have a two-page “specialty menu” with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. All their cooking oil is gluten-free. I know will be back for happy hour and drinks!
OMG Squee
4607 Bolm Rd, Austin, TX 78702
OMG Squee is a pretty cute bakery that specializes in Tex-Asian sweets, macarons, and taiyaki. They’re currently renovating the interior of their shop, so you’ll have to excuse their mess! They have plans for extended hours, but right now, they’re only open Saturdays and Sundays. I’ve had their macarons and Japanese cheesecake before, but this visit was for one thing in particular – taiyaki! Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, usually filled with some kind of sweet goodness. At OMG Squee, they fill their taiyaki with red bean or Nutella, plus soft-serve ice cream. The flavors are rotating, but you know I had to go when they had matcha. It’s definitely a “for the ‘gram” kind of place. The soft-serve was good, but a little icy, I thought. I liked the marshmallow topping but had to pay extra for the delicious macaron. Overall, the fancy dessert cost close to $10 (and there’s not a ton of soft-serve inside the taiyaki). I still liked it and got exactly what I wanted – a cute photo for Instagram 🙂
Dolce Neve – Plaza Saltillo
1109 East 5th street, Austin, TX 78702
Dolce Neve has the best gelato in town if you ask me. It is incredibly creamy, fresh, and delicious. I had to consciously slow myself down because I was basically inhaling it. They have a wide variety of rotating flavors, but their staples include chocolate 100%, vanilla from Madagascar, salted caramel, stracciatella, organic pistachio or hazelnut, and crema Dolce Neve (custard with lemon zest). My favorite is their matcha. The flavor is out of this world! If you visit and matcha is on rotation, I highly recommend you order it. They have a cute little house on South 1st where they sell gelato and recently opened a BRAND NEW shop on East 5th.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
11601 Rock Rose Ave. #110, Austin, TX 78758
I’ve had Jeni’s ice cream in Washington DC, Nashville, and now, I’ve had Jeni’s in Austin! Their shop at Rock Rose just opened and they have another on South Congress in the works. I have to say – I was EXTREMELY impressed with Jeni’s. My parents and I got three very different flavors and all three were exceptional. The new Skillet Cinnamon Roll has pastry flakes and dark caramel mixed into a cream cheese ice cream. Blackout Chocolate Cake has four different chocolate pieces mixed in (my personal favorite of the three). I ordered the Wildberry Lavender (admittedly, for the colorful photo) but ended up really liking it. I already love lavender in everything and this had a wonderful lavender flavor.
East Side King
4701 183A Toll Rd. Ste C, Cedar Park, TX 78613
East Side King recently opened its newest location in Cedar Park! I live right around the corner in Leander, so I’m all about stuff moving north 🙂 East Side King is Japanese street food with Austin soul. Created by Paul Qui and Moto Utsunomiya during their time at Uchi/Uchiko, East Side King provided a space for creative freedom and fun with food. I have to say though… I was kind of underwhelmed. Maybe I need to visit their original food truck? I don’t know. It was all just, fine. I’m not sure what I was expecting from a Cedar Park strip mall, but it just didn’t feel as cool as I was hoping it would. The food was fine as well – not bad but not really thrilling either. Brian got the chicken sandwich and pork belly buns, I got the chicken bento box. It does add a nice variety of food to the area, standing out from Cedar Park’s many fast-food chains, but I’m not sure I’ll be back. Cedar Park foodies – I know a bunch of you have been here! What did you guys think? Did I just go on an off night? Did I order the wrong stuff?
That completes another Austin Eats Round-Up! Looking for more delicious Austin Eats? Check out a blog or two you might have missed. So far this year, I’ve blogged about…
