Austin, TX
For Italian in Austin, the local food press points to Intero Restaurant, Red Ash, and Bufalina Pizza. Picks from The Infatuation Austin and Austin Chronicle, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in The Infatuation Austin, Austin Chronicle, and Texas Monthly. Updated July 2026.
Intero Restaurant · Holly
Infatuation pick. Romantic, dimly lit East Cesar Chavez pasta room; the rotating menu makes every blind point worth it.
Red Ash · Downtown
Infatuation (8.8). One of the toughest reservations in Austin. Live-fire Tuscan grill with heavy Italian influences over a steakhouse menu.
Bufalina Pizza · East Cesar Chavez
Infatuation's highest-rated Italian (9.4). Neapolitan pizza plus a phenomenal natural wine program. The reference East Austin date night.
Patrizi's · East Austin
Patrizi's grew from a Manor Road trailer into a full restaurant, and the family still pulls fresh pasta daily. Cacio e pepe, lasagna, and rotating specials come out generous and unfussy under the oak trees. A 2024 Austin Chronicle Italian readers'-poll honoree, it keeps the trailer's easygoing spirit while cooking some of the most satisfying handmade pasta on the east side.
L'Oca d'Oro · Mueller
Chef Fiore Tedesco's L'Oca d'Oro is a Mueller restaurant cooking seasonal Italian with a Central Texas ingredient list. Wood-roasted mushroom lasagna and octopus ragu with bone marrow show off a kitchen that takes fair-labor and sourcing seriously. Backed by both Austin Chronicle and Texas Monthly coverage, it pairs handmade pasta with a smart wine list in a warm neighborhood room.
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