Restaurant Poll - 1996 - Readers - The Austin Chronicle

1996 Readers Poll

Favorites

1. Castle Hill Cafe

2. Threadgill's

3. Eastside Cafe

4. Mezzaluna

5. Z'Tejas

6. Hut's Hamburgers

7. Skyline Grill

8. Houston's

9. Xena

10. Chuy's

11. Magnolia Cafe

12. Jeffrey's

13. Shady Grove

14. West Lynn Cafe

15. Frank & Angie's Pizzeria

16. Louie's 106

17. Mother's Cafe & Garden

18. Kerbey Lane Cafe

19. Guero's Taco Bar

20. Martin Brothers

21. Hyde Park Bar & Grill

22. City Grill

23. Fonda San Miguel

24. Trudy's

25. Kim Phung Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant

26. Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza

27. Sullivan's Steakhouse

28. Hudson's on the Bend

29. Pizza Nizza

30. Suzi's China Kitchen

31. Seoul Food

32. Sea Dragon

33. Jean-Luc's Bistro

Best Appetizer

Louie's 106

Runners-up
Xena, Brio!, Castle Hill Cafe

Honorable Mention

City Grill, Jeffrey's, The Old Alligator Grill, Z'Tejas

Best Barbecue

County Line

Runners-up
The Salt Lick, Ruby's BBQ

Honorable Mention

Iron Works BBQ, Sam's BBQ, Green Mesquite BBQ, Stubb's

Best Hamburger

Hut's Hamburgers

Runner-up
Fuddruckers

Honorable Mention

Dan's Hamburgers, Fran's Hamburgers CLOSED, Shady Grove, Hang Town Grill

Best Steak

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Runners-up
Dan McKlusky's, Sullivan's Steakhouse

Honorable Mention

Austin Land & Cattle, Hoffbrau Steaks, Texas Land & Cattle, Houston's

Best Chicken-Fried Steak

Threadgill's

Runners-up
Lone Star Cafe Texas Grill, Hut's Hamburgers

Honorable Mention

Good Eats, Skyline Grill

Best Chile-Pepper Dish

Chuy's

Runners-up
Manuel's, Shady Grove

Honorable Mention

Coyote Cafe, Thai Kitchen

Best French Fries

Hyde Park Bar & Grill

Runners-up
Hut's Hamburgers, McDonald's, Shady Grove

Honorable Mention

Hang Town Grill, Players, Crown & Anchor Pub

Best Chips and Hot Sauce

Chuy's

Runners-up
Trudy's, Café Serrano's

Honorable Mention

Guero's Taco Bar, Z'Tejas, Ninfa's, Kerbey Lane Cafe

Best Soup

Eastside Cafe

Runners-up
Mother's Cafe & Garden, Thai Kitchen, Houston's

Honorable Mention

Guero's Taco Bar, Hickory Street, Martin Brothers, Souper Salads

Best Salad/Dressing

Houston's

Runners-up
Eastside Cafe, Martin Brothers

Honorable Mention

Castle Hill Cafe, Hickory Street, Mother's Cafe & Garden, Souper Salads

Best Seafood Dish

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Runners-up
Gilligan's, City Grill

Honorable Mention

Xena, Shoreline Grill, Landry's Seafood House

Best Original Recipe

Castle Hill Cafe

Runners-up
Xena, Skyline Grill, Z'Tejas

Honorable Mention

Eastside Cafe, Hudson's on the Bend, Coyote Cafe

Best Pub Grub

The Dog & Duck Pub

Runners-up
Bitter End Bistro & Brewery, Waterloo Brewing Co.

Honorable Mention

Copper Tank Brewing Co., Crown & Anchor Pub, The Tavern, Waterloo Ice House

Best Bagels

Hot Jumbo Bagel

Runner-up
New York Bagelry, The Bagelry

Honorable Mention

Bruegger's Bagels, Bagel Manufactory

Best Sushi

Kyoto

Runners-up
Musashino Sushi Dokoro, Korea House, Seoul Food

Honorable Mention

Central Market North, Ichiban

Best Breakfast

Kerbey Lane Cafe

Runners-up
Magnolia Cafe, IHOP

Honorable Mention

Cisco's, El Sol y la Luna, Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, Star Seeds Cafe

Best Migas

Las Manitas Avenue Cafe

Runners-up
Trudy's, Kerbey Lane Cafe

Honorable Mention

Cisco's, Tamale House, Magnolia Cafe

Best Sandwich

ThunderCloud Subs

Runners-up
Schlotzsky's, Delaware Sub Shop

Honorable Mention

Frank & Angie's Pizzeria, Longhorn Po-Boys & Falafel, Texadelphia, Texicalli Grille

Best Desserts

Chez Zee

Runners-up
Frank & Angie's Pizzeria, Castle Hill Cafe, Hyde Park Bar & Grill

Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention

Best Finger Food

TIE: Louie's 106, Trudy's

Runners-up
Jack in the Box, Empanada Parlour, TGI Friday's

Honorable Mention

Shady Grove, Hula Hut, Bennigan's

Best Ice Cream

Amy's Ice Creams

Runners-up
Baskin-Robbins, Dolce Vita

Honorable Mention

Amadine Bakery, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Dr. Chocolate

Best Coffee

Starbucks Coffee

Runners-up
Ruta Maya, Flipnotics

Honorable Mention

Little City, Mozart's Coffee Roasters, Texpresso

Best Pizza

Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza

Runners-up
Pizza Nizza, Frank & Angie's Pizzeria

Honorable Mention

Brick Oven Restaurant, Conans Pizza, Roppolo's Pizzeria

Best Enchiladas

Chuy's

Runners-up
Trudy's, El Mercado

Honorable Mention

El Arroyo, Guero's Taco Bar, Serrano's, Matt's El Rancho

Best Vegetables

Threadgill's

Runners-up
Eastside Cafe, Good Eats, Mother's Cafe & Garden, Black-Eyed Pea & Market Grill

Honorable Mention

Martin Brothers, Hyde Park Bar & Grill, West Lynn Cafe

Best Chicken Dish

Xena

Runners-up
Threadgill's, Chez Zee, Sea Dragon

Honorable Mention

Bitter End Bistro & Brewery, Eastside Cafe, Skyline Grill

Best Wild-Game Dish

Hudson's on the Bend

Runners-up
Skyline Grill, Xena

Honorable Mention

Jeffrey's, Hut's Hamburgers

Best Tofu Dish

Martin Brothers

Runners-up
Mother's Cafe & Garden, Satay

Honorable Mention

Kim Phung Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant, West Lynn Cafe, Sea Dragon

Best Veggie Burger

Hut's Hamburgers

Runners-up
Hyde Park Bar & Grill, Mother's Cafe & Garden

Honorable Mention

Martin Brothers, Shady Grove, Houston's

Best Italian

Mezzaluna

Runners-up
Basil's, Romano's Macaroni Grill

Honorable Mention

Al Capone's Ristorante Italiano, Carmelo's Ristorante, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Romeo's

Best Indian

Taj Palace

Runners-up
Star of India, Bombay Grill

Honorable Mention

Taj Mahal, Passage to India

Best Chinese

Suzi's China Kitchen

Runners-up
China Town, Hunan Lion

Honorable Mention

Pao's Mandarin House, Sea Dragon, Tien Hong

Best Thai

Thai Kitchen

Runners-up
Satay, Bangkok Cuisine

Honorable Mention

Thai Soon, Thai Noodle House

Best Other Asian

Kim Phung Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant

Runners-up
Satay, Korea House

Honorable Mention

Seoul Food, Mars Restaurant and Bar, Kyoto

Best Vegetarian

Mother's Cafe & Garden

Runners-up
West Lynn Cafe, Martin Brothers

Honorable Mention

Eastside Cafe, Madame Nadalini, Mr. Natural

Best Natural Food

Martin Brothers

Runners-up
Mr. Natural, Clearwater Cafe

Honorable Mention

Eastside Cafe, Mother's Cafe & Garden, West Lynn Cafe

Best American

Threadgill's

Runners-up
Good Eats, Hut's Hamburgers, Houston's

Honorable Mention

Castle Hill Cafe, Hyde Park Bar & Grill

Best Mexican (Not Tex-Mex)

Fonda San Miguel

Runners-up
Manuel's, El Rinconcito

Honorable Mention

El Sol y la Luna, Curra's Grill, Guero's Taco Bar, Las Manitas Avenue Cafe

Best Tex-Mex

Chuy's

Runners-up
Guero's Taco Bar, Café Serrano's

Honorable Mention

El Mercado, Matt's El Rancho, Trudy's

Best French

Chez Nous

Runners-up
Jean-Luc's Bistro, La Madeleine

Honorable Mention

The Belgian Restaurant, Lupin, Jean-Pierre's Upstairs

Best Vietnamese

Kim Phung Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant

Runners-up
Sea Dragon, Saigon Kitchen

Honorable Mention

Fortune Pho 75, Twin Dragon, Hao Hao

Best Other Ethnic

Middle Eastern: Ararat

Runners-up
Belgian: The Belgian Restaurant, German: Gunther's Restaurant

Honorable Mention

Middle Eastern: Armen's, Middle Eastern: Phoenicia Bakery & Deli

Best New Restaurant

Xena

Runners-up
Skyline Grill, Sullivan's Steakhouse

Honorable Mention

Brio!, Bread Alone, Stubb's, Thai Noodles Etc. House

Best Bargain Dish

Noodles at Kim Phung Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant

Runners-up
2 for 1 Burgers at Hut's Hamburgers, Half-Price Venison at Skyline Grill

Honorable Mention

Specials at Central Market, Luann Platter at Luby's, Tacos at Tamale House, Veggie Plate at Threadgill's World HQ

Best Bakery

Upper Crust Bakery

Runners-up
Sweetish Hill Bakery & Cafe, Texas French Bread

Honorable Mention

Bread Alone, Hyde Park Bakery, Phoenicia Bakery & Deli

Best Patio/Beer Garden

Shady Grove

Runners-up
Scholz Garten, The Ginger Man

Honorable Mention

Hula Hut, Waterloo Brewing Co., The Dog & Duck Pub

Best Service

Houston's

Runners-up
Threadgill's, Xena

Honorable Mention

Basil's, Eastside Cafe, Jeffrey's

Best Decor

Chuy's

Runners-up
Fonda San Miguel, Hut's Hamburgers

Honorable Mention

Hula Hut, Pizza Nizza, Mars Restaurant and Bar

Best Sunday Brunch

Fonda San Miguel

Runners-up
Four Seasons, Eastside Cafe, La Zona Rosa

Honorable Mention

Chez Zee, Granite Cafe

Best Fast Food

Taco Cabana

Runners-up
Taco Bell, Sonic, ThunderCloud Subs, Wendy's

Honorable Mention

Short Stop Deluxe Hamburgers, Tamale House

Best Takeout

Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza

Runners-up
Suzi's China Kitchen, Central Market North

Honorable Mention

Tamale House, ThunderCloud Subs

Best Delivery

Eat Out In

Runners-up
Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza, Mr. Gatti's

Honorable Mention

Papa John's Pizza, Suzi's China Kitchen, Takeout Taxi, Pizza Hut

Best Chef

David Garrido at Jeffrey's

Runners-up
Raymond Tatum at Brio!, Kelly Robinson at Skyline Grill, Kiet Lien at Sea Dragon

Honorable Mention

Peter O'Brien at Bertram's

Best Wine List

Mezzaluna

Runners-up
Castle Hill Cafe, Louie's 106

Honorable Mention

Basil's, Xena, Zoot, West Lynn Cafe

Best Smokers Restaurant

Louie's 106

Runners-up
Magnolia Cafe, Star Seeds Cafe, Sullivan's Steakhouse

Honorable Mention

None, Yuck, IHOP

Best Beer Selection

The Ginger Man

Runners-up
The Dog & Duck Pub, Waterloo Brewing Co.

Honorable Mention

Bitter End Bistro & Brewery, B.B. Rover's Cafe & Pub, DoubleDave's Pizzaworks, Bennigan's

Best Buffet

Buffet Palace

Runners-up
Taj Palace, Mr. Gatti's

Honorable Mention

Fonda San Miguel, Fresh Choice, Golden Corral, China Buffet

Best Upscale

Jeffrey's

Runners-up
Castle Hill Cafe, Brio!

Honorable Mention

Louie's 106, Sullivan's Steakhouse, Mezzaluna, Mars Restaurant and Bar

Best Comfort Food

Threadgill's

Runners-up
Luby's, Kerbey Lane Cafe

Honorable Mention

Good Eats, Hut's Hamburgers, Amy's Ice Creams

Best Late Night/All Night

Kerbey Lane Cafe

Runners-up
Magnolia Cafe, Katz's Deli & Bar

Honorable Mention

Momma's Diner, Ruby's BBQ, Taco Cabana, Star Seeds Cafe

Best Dim Sum

Tien Hong

Runners-up
Rainbow Seafood Restaurant, Pao's Mandarin House

Honorable Mention

Shanghai Chinese Restaurant

Best Place to Take Kids

McDonald's

Runners-up
Chuck E. Cheese's, Hang Town Grill

Honorable Mention

Central Market North, EZ's, Luby's, Home

Best Place to Take Parents

Threadgill's

Runners-up
The Oasis, County Line, Luby's

Honorable Mention

Eastside Cafe, Fonda San Miguel, The Salt Lick

Best Romantic

Basil's

Runners-up
Bertram's, Jeffrey's

Honorable Mention

The Belgian Restaurant, Brio!, Hudson's on the Bend, Zoot

Best Restaurant Within 60 Miles

The Salt Lick

Runners-up
Hudson's on the Bend, Walburg Mercantile

Honorable Mention

Bluebonnet Cafe (Marble Falls), Kreuz Market (Lockhart), Barbara Ellen's, The Emerald Restaurant

Best Place We Wish Were Still Open

The Stallion

Runners-up
Night Hawk, G/M Steakhouse, Mad Dog & Beans

Honorable Mention

Moondance Diner, 612 West, Stonewall's

Best Other Restaurant Worth Noting

Eastside Cafe

Runners-up
Gumbo's Louisiana Style Cafe, Mongolian BBQ A&S, SOMA

Honorable Mention

Chez Zee's friendly service, Delta Delta Delta Sorority's Kitchen, Trudy's Texas Star Best After-Work Cigar Bar

Best Waitperson

Susan Howard at Threadgill's World HQ

Runners-up
Palmer Early at Skyline Grill, LaDonna McIntyre at Texicalli Grille

Honorable Mention

Roger Hernandez at Xena, Any person who gets my kid food immediately, Anyone who doesn't make us feel like we're imposing on them, Anyone with the strength

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