Austin’s 2025 Eater Award Winners | Eater Austin

"Warm, hands-on hospitality sets the tone here: on low-key weeknights co-owner Nicole Rossi slips behind the bar to hand-squeeze grapefruit, and staff are reminded that taking care of people is the point. Chef and co-owner Justin Huffman drives to the airport three times a week to pick up fish, and an old taxidermied marlin from his grandfather underscores the mom-and-pop feel the pair honed at Justine’s. For a landlocked city, that commitment justifies prices some unfairly knock, especially with dishes like the mezcal octopus tostada (an explosion of tender, smoky, tangy flavor), the crudo a la swan (three sashimi-thin cuts brightened with shallots, olive oil, and salt-cured capers), uni-whipped butter with Sour Duck sourdough, and spaghetti and clams in white wine and seaweed butter. There’s also a stellar wagyu quarter-pounder with American cheese, sauce, and pickles, plus fresh-seafood crowd-pleasers like tuna carpaccio and mussels. Taken together, the warm room, a core philosophy of true hospitality, and deep ingredient dedication make the place feel utterly dialed-in—a labor of love down to the smallest detail." - H. Drew Blackburn