Eating My Way Through Austin – No Sightseeing, Just Food! 🍽️

Here’s my totally real and unfiltered food journey in Austin: 📍 Jack Allen's Kitchen Oak Hill American but far from basic—creative twists on classics! Loved the cheese appetizer that somehow tasted like lobster 🧀🦞. Highly recommend the Chicken Fried Steak – crispy like fried chicken, tender steak inside 🥩. Skip the pasta though… weird flavor combo. Their desserts? Just okay. 📍 The Salt Lick BBQ THE most famous BBQ joint in Texas! Feels like a rustic ranch with open pit smokers—super authentic vibe 🤠. Go for the Brisket + Pulled Pork Combo – tender, smoky (but not overpowering), and the meat’s natural flavor really shines 🍖! 📍 DAM-A Korean BBQ & Hot Pot Buffet Used to be just K-BBQ, now it’s both! $26 per person on weekdays 💰, but parties of 5+ get auto 20% tip. For a buffet, it’s solid—good meat selection, BBQ is tasty, but the hot pot broth is bland (classic American hot pot issue 🍲). 📍 Shoyu Sugar Hawaiian Food Truck Typical Hawaiian plate lunch vibes—lots of fried and grilled stuff 🍍. Huge $10-15 plates! Tastes like classic Chinese fried chicken 😋—Hawaiian food made for the Chinese soul 🍗. 📍 Bamboo House The go-to spot for Peking Duck in Austin! Cheaper than Minnesota and pretty authentic 🦆. Only downside: the skin wasn’t super hot when served. But the pancakes, sauce, and veggies were on point (cried happy tears after Minnesota’s “duck tacos”… 🌯😭). Also recommend the Spicy Chicken—skip the Sichuan Shrimp and Three Delicacies (standard American-Chinese). 📍 Camino Alamo BBQ Food Truck Searched everywhere for real Chinese-style… and everyone recommended this truck! Limited options but great flavor. Loved the lamb skewers—tasted just like Xinjiang style! 🐑❤️ Chicken hearts were huge and juicy. Avoid the Orléans wings—underseasoned and burnt. 🧁 Dessert & Drinks: Hui Lau Shan: Strong mango vibe 🥭—mango slush with mini mochi = instant happiness! Though the mango chunks were a bit sour. Chi Cha San Chen: Seriously SO good. Why does Texas have more options than Boston/Philly/NY? 😭 drinks are consistent though. Happy Lemon: Tried the Cake Milk Tea for nostalgia… tasted just like that cheap-sweet cake sauce from childhood. Miss those days! #TexasEats #AustinFood #BBQLover #Austin