Nixta Taqueria

"This Eater Award-winning and Michelin-recognized taqueria produces a spicy, vinegary michelada that showcases its signature lacto-fermented hot sauce. This daring sip pairs perfectly with its menu items, which feature favorites like tuna tostadas and duck carnitas tacos. It shares space with the stellar Comadre Panadería, so don’t forget to grab a box of pastries on your way out. Takeout orders can be placed online." - Reese Oxner

"You might know Nixta as an outdoor counter-service spot serving some of our favorite food in town. But inside on Thursday-Sunday, this Mexican restaurant offers what they call omakase (tacomakase?). It’s far more casual than that lofty label implies, even if the meal does skew fancier than the East Side spot’s regular tacos and tostadas. The menu might have beef tartare, smoked wagyu belly waiting to be piled onto nixtamalized tortillas, and eggplant with creamy mole blanco. We’re all for other tasting menus’ upscale scenery, but It’s refreshing to experience something equally chef-y in such a laid-back environment." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs

"Nixta’s high-low aspect is perfectly Austin. It might be a scrappy counter-service operation, but the food and drinks here are more like what you’d find at a blockbuster restaurant. It’s an excellent place to eat stellar tacos on a spacious outdoor patio full of colorful picnic tables with Selena blasting on the speakers. There’s also a covered outdoor bar where you can drink interesting low-intervention natural wines from places like Texas, California, France, Spain, and Mexico. Like the food menu, the wine list is short and focused, usually consisting of a single pet nat, red, white, orange, rose, and red wine that are available by the glass or by the bottle. The glassware are these short stemmed cheerfully chonky wine glasses, just perfect for picnic table hangs. Nixta also hosts a monthly wine club that highlights different winemakers—usually alongside food—that often sells out." - nicolai mccrary, raphael brion

"Nixta may feel like a garden party, but this counter-service taco restaurant in East Austin has racked up recognition from Eater Austin, the James Beard Awards, and Michelin.  Chef Edgar Rico serves luxe tacos, like duck carnitas, plus dishes that call on his wife and co-owner Sara Mardanbigi’s Iranian heritage, like rice custard with cardamom, turmeric, pistachios, and cinnamon. There’s a tiny indoor dining room but most seating is on the patio, which is adorned with colorful murals and flanked by the restaurant’s garden." - Erin Russell

"The funky little taqueria, from co-owners Edgar Rico (the James Beard Awards’ emerging chef of 2022) and Sara Mardanbigi, became a taco darling for good reason. Rico works magic into every single one of the East Austin spot’s new-school tacos and tostadas. While the meatier items are terrific, the vegetarian options really showcase his inventive skills: The beet tartare is a pure work of art. For something more special, check out its omakase service. The natural wine list is worth exploring. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services." - Nadia Chaudhury, Erin Russell