Soul-Warming Austin Dishes You Can Have Delivered on New Year’s Day

A sub from Home Slice Pizza will cure what ails you (Photo by Jane Yun / Courtesy of Giant Noise)

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a fun, lively, and memorable New Year’s Eve can lead to a deeply painful and regret-ridden New Year’s Day hangover. When I’m in that situation, the last thing I want to do is get dressed and head to brunch. I want flavorful, indulgent, and comforting food brought to my house, and I want to eat it in my pajamas in front of the TV. Luckily, Austin restaurants know how to handle the sorry aftermath of New Year’s Eve by shuttling their tasty dishes right to diners’ doors. These five spots serve some of our favorite hangover helpers in town, and they’re available for New Year’s Day delivery, either through restaurants directly or via delivery apps like Favor, Grubhub, and DoorDash.

Italian Sandwich From Home Slice Pizza

Savory cured meats, plush Italian bread, piquant provolone, tangy vinaigrette, sharp red onion, and the requisite lettuce and tomato: The Italian sub practically screams “I need to cure my hangover.” And all food-loving Austinites know that the locally beloved Home Slice Pizza makes an Italian sandwich that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with versions made in New York City. (Delivery available through Favor or DoorDash.)

Chimichanga From Texican Cafe

When a night of champagne toasts and ill-advised tequila shots leaves me couch-bound, there’s nothing that makes me happier than good old-fashioned fried food. And Texican Cafe, a classic Tex-Mex joint, serves a deep-fried burrito (aka a chimichanga) that offers everything one might want from that dish: a crunchy exterior, an interior bursting with cheese and your choice of protein, zippy salsas, tangy sour cream, rice and beans on the side, and even a complimentary serving of chips and house salsa. It got me through New Year’s Day 2023, and I’ll be calling upon it to do the same this year.

Bananas Foster French Toast From Phoebe’s Diner

If you’re craving a sweet treat to snap you out of the January 1 blues, Phoebe’s Diner has you covered. Their bananas Foster French toast is a true brunch-dessert hybrid with sliced bananas, pecans, whipped cream, and a heavy drizzle of bourbon caramel.

Cumin Lamb at Fat Dragon

Spicy food can be polarizing for the exhausted and/or hung over among us: Some find that dishes with a kick are too volatile for their delicate stomachs, while others welcome the heat as a way to reset their systems. I fall into the latter camp, so I’ve definitely headed to Fat Dragon, a North Austin Chinese restaurant with a heavy Sichuan lean, on post-partying days. Their earthy, intense, and zesty cumin lamb is the right move for those who like to feel the burn.

Wonton Soup at 1618 Asian Bistro

Soup just might be the most soothing food on Planet Earth, so when you’re starting the year in a wobbly state, a warming, comforting dish could do a lot to help. At 1618 Asian Bistro, a lively Asian-fusion restaurant in East Riverside, the wonton soup comes with a rich and meaty pork broth, tender wontons stuffed with both shrimp and pork, a sprinkling of fried onions for both flavor and texture, and aromatic cilantro to tie all of the flavors together.