A Guide to Eating in Austin by Adrian Quesada of the Black Pumas

Eater

4 days ago

Adrian Quesada is an Oscar nominee and Grammy award-winner who makes up one half of the Black Pumas, one of Austin's most beloved bands. A producer in his own right, he's also a legendary guitarist who has played with Prince, Los Lobos, and even GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan. His latest album, Boleros Psicodélicos II , was released on June 27. Quesada is an Austinite through and through, with a studio in the heart of East Austin. He moved to Bat City from Laredo, Texas for college and has been around since 1995, watching the city go through myriad changes, including the restaurant and bar scene.
Quesada talked to Eater about his favorite restaurants in this town, from the spaces that capture the vibe of 'old' Austin from the 1990s and 2000s, to the new guard pushing the dining scene forward.
'Nixta might be my favorite restaurant in Austin. I'd heard of it for a while after it first started, but after it reopened during the pandemic, I went, and it blew my mind. It still blows my mind to this day. It feels like elevated cuisine, but it doesn't feel pretentious. It's such a casual hang that, even though it's a newcomer relative to how long I've been in this city, it feels like Austin to me. It feels like an extension of places I used to go in college. Everyone I take from out of town, it absolutely blows their minds also. It's worth every bit of hype it gets. I usually get the duck fat carnitas, which are good. There's also a cauliflower taco that's good. When I was there last, they brought something from the kitchen I didn't order, some kind of steak taco. I was already done eating, then I ate that, and it was so insanely good. Another thing worth noticing about the restaurant is that co-owner Sara Mardanbigi is of Iranian descent, and she hosts a lot of curated Persian-influenced meals that my wife and I go to whenever we can make it. You can taste a lot of her influence on the menu.'
'Justine's has become such a classic, such a staple. I have been there through multiple chefs, staff, managers, and people, and it is consistently one of the most fun restaurants for a late-night hang. It's two blocks from my recording studio, and it is one of the places I make sure to take people when they visit Austin. It is always the Hey, we're working late. Where does everybody want to go? spot. You just can't top Justine's for cool ambience. A lot of Justine's thing is that they can change the menu over and over, and we're still going to go. I have stopped drinking cocktails there too much, but the L'Enfant Terrible is what I get. The Sazerac is really good. I joined the wine club, because I'm trying to not get sloshy with cocktails at restaurants before my food. The club is amazing, too. I'm trying to get into wine, and it is so daunting. I need guidance because it's a big world. Justine's club curates a few bottles a month that we learn about.'
'This fairly new taco truck is between my studio and Justine's. The people are so cool and down to earth there; it has become my breakfast taco hang. Everything they do is good: carnitas, beef, even the veggie taco. This is another spot I take bands when they come to my studio. I had a band in from Mexico City on and off for three weeks, and I was a little afraid to take them there. It got the seal of approval — they wanted to go there every day. I grew up in Laredo, Texas, and we had breakfast tacos, but they are called mariachis. You eat them every day. Moving to Austin, it's been great, and I can list 10 breakfast taco spots I go to. They're so convenient, good, and taste like home to me.'
1628 East Cesar Chavez Street
'Oseyo is a fun spot that my wife and I stumbled into a few years back. I'm a meat-eater and she isn't, and with this Korean menu, we can both get what we want. It's also a fun experience there. It is never so insane that you can't get in spontaneously, and that reminds me of the days of Austin's past — it's pretty hard to go anywhere in the city without a reservation or knowing somebody now. There are great drinks always, and it has offered one of the most consistent restaurants around here with the menu and service. This is also one of the restaurants where I don't have a recommendation of what to eat because I bounce around the menu, trying everything.'
'My family's Friday night tradition at home with the kids is Indian food. This spot has become a staple that we love to get delivered. Me and the two kids all order chicken tikki masala with varying levels of spice — I go spiciest, and I've actually gone one notch down because the last time was a little too intense. It's our weekend comfort food, and it's fun having this routine that's almost ceremonial. I don't know if Tarka is making any best-of lists around the world, but it's amazing to us.'
'I am a big fan of everything that chef Fermin Nunez does. The restaurant's offerings have elevated Austin in general with its approach to Mexican seafood. I went really early on, and have seen it grow, including Bar Toti in the back. Este is a place we go when we want a fancier experience or to impress people from out of town. Most people seem to know Nunez's other restaurant, Suerte, better. We take them to experience the fine dining Mexican seafood dishes. One time, Nunez had this hash brown type of thing on the menu, and I asked what the inspiration was. He said McDonald's hash browns [laughs]. As well-recognized and elevated as it is, he isn't pretentious at all.'
3801 South Congress Avenue, #107
'I love Ethiopian food and, behind Mexican food, it is tied with Italian in my favorites list. Back in the day, there weren't a lot of options in Austin for Ethiopian food. This one is really fun — it's such an experience to eat using injira and with your hands. I love that stew-y type food, it's very similar to a lot of stuff in Mexican food. Every culture has a version of flatbread. Having it close by is great. A long time ago, when my wife and I started getting into Ethiopian food, we tried making injira, and it is hard, so going here is a treat.'
408 North Pleasant Valley Road
'Mercado Sin Nombre is a coffee shop with a creative Mexican influence on the drinks. Unique flavors, like an atole cappuccino, a horchata cold brew — fun, different takes. There are so many good coffee shops in Austin, but you can get the same thing with your home espresso machine as you do from this or that place. The food here is pretty great, too. There's a healthier breakfast burrito and sandwiches that I like. Most items use masa and Maseca. It's cool to go here and shake it up now and then.'
'This taco truck also has great breakfast tacos, and I go there quite a bit. It's right by Flitch Coffee and there's another at Cosmic Pickle. There are really good and really bad breakfast tacos in Austin. If you think you can't mess up a breakfast taco, you absolutely can. Pueblo Viejo has fun items on the menu, and when I go, I try their creations — and I am a person who usually orders the same thing in breakfast tacos. When I was growing up, I worked at my dad's trucking company, and we ate at the same little place for breakfast tacos for a decade. It put a thin layer of refried beans on them, whether you asked for it or not, and I got used to having it. Now, I always order beans with my breakfast taco. The beans at Pueblo Viejo are incredible. It's probably a lot of lard and bad stuff, but they're amazing.'
1400 South Congress Avenue
'Perla's has been a consistent spot we go to if we're going to see a show or going Downtown. It's a fun spot to sit outside with a drink and have oysters. I am such an amateur still with oysters. I eat them so much but I have a hard time remembering what people tell me about. I always used to go with the bigger ones, thinking it was more bang for my buck, but now I'm starting to get into the smaller East Coast oysters. The salads here are also stellar. My wife and I go there on a lot of special occasions. You can get in without craziness, lines, or reservations. I've never had a bad experience there; it's super fun and casual.' See More: Dining Out in Austin
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