A.O.C.

"For a recent friend hangout, we decided to dine at the Los Angeles-based restaurant group’s first Austin restaurant which opened in October. Because it was us, we ordered perhaps far too much that our two round tables could barely fit, but everything was delicious. In particular, the house-made dumplings — especially the xiao long bao, the mustard green wontons served in this really nice broth, and the wonderful chile oil ones — and the house-pulled noodles — the tingly Chengdu Zaijian noodles were fun. The sides were particularly nice, including the springy braised gluten with mushrooms and soft tofu topped with slices of thousand-year eggs. I was the lucky one who got to take home the leftovers, and the spicy cold jelly noodles worked well for lunch the day after. The casual ordering system is interesting — you have to play your order through the QR code on the table, but the service was surprisingly fast and friendly." - Nadia Chaudhury

"We love the patio at A.O.C., but we might love their upstairs wine room even more. It feels like an old-school gentlemen’s club, but one where you drink lots of wine instead of scotch. Because we all know wine is the only way you’re going to get through tonight. Capacity: 40 people in the wine room. 160 seated, 200 standing for a full buyout." - brant cox, nikko duren

"AOC is an excellent option in this area to impress your client over some charcuterie and focaccia on the insanely charming patio. At night, the candlelit patio is pretty romantic, but come daytime, it’s power-lunch heaven and your spot to get the deal done and eat some solid small plates along the way. The Spanish fried chicken is a classic." - brant cox

"Our preferred Valentine’s Day is spent on AOC’s incredible patio, but this year, we’ll happily just do takeout instead. Their $150 prix-fixe menu for two comes with lobster, crab, shrimp louis, citrus salad, scallops, Wagyu tenderloin, and more. Available for takeout and delivery." - brant cox

"A.O.C, which has a second location in Brentwood, has been a trusted LA classic for the past two decades and change. And while some small plates at this Spanish-French-Italian wine bar can seem like holdovers from another era (bacon-wrapped dates, anyone?) other dishes get our full attention, like their arroz negro. This Spanish-style squid ink paella tastes lemony and bright, topped with a pile of tangled baby squids and a blob of saffron aioli in the middle. Like a good creme brulee, this paella has two distinct textures. It develops a nice crust in the oven but stays soft and fluffy inside. " - sylvio martins