When I was moving back to Texas, many of my friends from Boston asked me about the availability of Asian cuisines in Austin. Honestly, I knew that Austin is famous for Tex-Mex, but I had never tried any Asian food in this mid-size city. Unfortunately, I truly survive on noodles and rice, and I can only handle so many of my own homemade meals. So, shortly after arriving in Austin, I embarked on a quest for good Asian restaurants around town.

To be honest, I was doubtful of the quality of any Asian food in Central Texas at first, but I was oh-so wrong. Let’s start with my campus favorites on Guadalupe St. Being one of the most populous campuses in the United States, it is not surprising to see a great variety of food joints within walking distance of UT’s campus. One of the most popular choices among students is Madam Mam’s. It is a delicious Thai restaurant with an extensive menu of all types of Thai cuisines. One special note for all lovers of spiciness, Madam Mam’s means business with its chili pepper indicator on the menu. Although this restaurant has increased its prices twice in the past year (so I heard from classmates), it is still jam-packed around mealtimes. I have been contributing to the traffic a lot recently as well. For Taiwanese students who are craving some boba milk tea and peppercorn chicken with rice (see note 1), Coco’s and Tapioca House both offer great options. They are usually my friends’ and my go-to choices when we cannot decide on a place for lunch in between classes.

Another choice not too far from campus is near the intersection of Airport Blvd. and Lamar Blvd. where two Korean supermarkets (New Oriental and Han Yang) are located. Aside from Asian groceries and Japanese/Korean snacks, one can find a fairly priced Korean self-service restaurant inside each supermarket. These supermarkets are easy places to both grocery shop and grab a quick meal at once. I must mention, however, a Korean restaurant not near either supermarket, but in the unlikely plaza where Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is situated on W. Anderson Ln. The restaurant is called Korea House, and its Korean BBQ is simply exquisite. It also serves other traditional Korean meals (like tofu pots (see note 2)), which do not require self-cooking, and sushi, but I have only had the Korean cuisine there (i.e. I cannot vouch for the sushi bar portion of the restaurant). However, be prepared to smell like smoky meat when you leave the restaurant ☺

Finally, one last cluster of Asian restaurants I will mention in this entry is on North Lamar Blvd., the so-called Chinatown Center . This plaza has many restaurants that serve things from dim sum to hotpot. This plaza also includes yet another supermarket, and this supermarket is more Chinese-oriented in terms of the type of groceries. I cannot speak too much about the restaurants in this plaza because I have only eaten in a few. But, judging from the packed parking lot on the weekends, it is definitely a plaza worth further exploration.

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of Asian restaurants around Austin; instead, I am simply showing the tip of the iceberg of the blossoming Asian restaurant scene in Austin. I have also saved a few of my favorites up my sleeve, so I am not giving all my secret hangouts away. 😉 Ask me if you would like to know about these as well!

Finally, nothing beats a homemade meal when you know how to cook! (i.e. not me) Thanks to my friends MC and TY. Happy Chinese Niu (“ox” in Chinese) Year! (It’s the year of the ox.)

*Note 1: Read this Wikipedia entry on boba if you are unsure what it is.
*Note 2: Watch this Youtube video for a short clip of a boiling tofu pot!