Italian restaurants in Austin: ten to try, from red sauce to a chef’s counter.
For a special occasion, book Red Ash or Juniper; for red sauce, Sammie’s or Juliet; for handmade pasta under $20, Patrizi’s on Manor Road.
The best Italian restaurants in Austin, by the kind of night: Red Ash downtown and Juniper on East Cesar Chavez for a special occasion; Sammie’s Italian, Juliet, and Rocco’s for red sauce; Il Brutto, Intero, and L’Oca d’Oro for seasonal regional cooking; and Asti Trattoria in Hyde Park and Patrizi’s on Manor Road for an easy weeknight. Nine of the ten say they make their pasta in-house. Every address, hour, price, and dish here comes from the restaurant’s own website, menu, or ordering page, read on Oct. 30, 2026, and every pick is inside Austin’s city limits. The list is grouped, not ranked.
Italian restaurants in Austin at a glance, checked Oct. 30, 2026
Pasta prices, hours, and booking for all ten picks, from the same restaurant pages as the picks below. It adds no new facts.
Eight of the ten are open every day of the week; Asti Trattoria closes Sunday and Monday, and L’Oca d’Oro lists no Monday hours. Patrizi’s posts the lowest pasta prices here, and Rocco’s takes no reservations at all.
| Restaurant | Where | Pasta prices | Hours | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Ash | Downtown, 303 Colorado St. | $18 for a half plate to $44 | Every day, 5 to 10 p.m. | Online or by phone; call for eight or more |
| Juniper | Holly, 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St. | $28 to $38 | Every day, 5 to 10 p.m. | Reservations or walk in; call for eight or more |
| Sammie’s Italian | Downtown, 807 W. Sixth St. | $32 to $52 | Every day from 5 p.m., Fridays from noon | Reservations on its site |
| Juliet Italian Kitchen | Zilker, 1500 Barton Springs Road, and the Arboretum, 10000 Research Blvd. | $19 to $28 | Every day from 11:30 a.m., 11 a.m. on weekends | Book a table on its site |
| Rocco’s Neighborhood Joint | North Loop, 5001 Airport Blvd. | $25 to $29 | Dinner every day from 5 p.m., lunch Thursday to Sunday | Walk in only, with an online waitlist |
| Il Brutto | East Austin, 1601 E. Sixth St. | $25 to $29 | Every day from 5 p.m., 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday | Reservations online |
| Intero | Holly, 2612 E. Cesar Chavez St. | $24 to $30 | Every day from 5 p.m. | Reservations online; call for five or more |
| L’Oca d’Oro | Mueller, 1900 Simond Ave. | $25 to $29 | Dining room Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday 4 to 9:30 p.m. | Reservations online |
| Asti Trattoria | Hyde Park, 408 E. 43rd St. | $20 to $28, lasagna $36 | Tuesday to Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m. | Reservations online or by phone |
| Patrizi’s | East Austin, 2307 Manor Road | $12 to $17 | Every day, 5 to 9:30 p.m. | Walk in; requests for six or more |
Price tiers. Each pick’s tier follows the pasta prices on its own menu: $ means most pastas cost under $20, $$ means $20 to $29, and $$$ means $30 to $39.
Extra charges. L’Oca d’Oro includes a 20% pre-tax service charge on every check and adds 2.85% for credit cards, and Intero adds a 20% gratuity for parties of five or more and 22% for 10 or more.
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For a special occasion
- Downtown · $$$ · dinner every day, 5-10 p.m.01
Red Ash
The facts: Red Ash, at 303 Colorado St. downtown, cooks from the traditions of both Northern and Southern Italy around a custom-built wood-burning grill, oven, and plancha, under owner and executive chef John Carver. It makes all of its pasta in-house daily, with a house gluten-free pasta on request, and most pastas come as a half or full plate, such as tagliatelle alla Bolognese at $19 or $32. The 30-day dry-aged steaks, sliced for two or more, are $4.95 an ounce. Dinner runs 5 to 10 p.m. every day. You can book online or by phone, parties of eight or more call, and a host calls back to confirm. It asks for proper attire with no athletic wear, says it is not suitable for young children, takes cards and cash but not tap to pay, and has valet at the Colorado Tower garage entrance on Colorado Street.
My read: The dress-up pick on this list: a stated dress code, valet, and a two-level room that seats most large parties on its upstairs mezzanine.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: about, attire, and parkinghours and reservationsdinner menu
- Holly, East Austin · $$$ · every night, 5-10 p.m.02
Juniper
The facts: Juniper, at 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St., Suite 304, has cooked Northern Italian food with Texas ingredients since chef Nicholas Yanes and Michael Covey opened it in 2015, and executive chef Sterling Ridings runs the kitchen now. Every pasta is made in-house, from campanelle at $28 to agnolotti dal plin at $38, and the steaks come off a wood-fired grill, up to a $115 prime eye of ribeye. The room has 20-foot timber ceilings, an open kitchen, and a glassed courtyard, and its nine-seat chef’s counter serves a tasting menu of six off-menu courses with an optional wine pairing. It is open every night from 5 to 10 p.m., takes reservations and walk-ins, and asks parties of eight or more to call. Aperitivo hour runs 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, valet runs Thursday through Saturday, and a self-park lot sits about 25 yards from the door.
My read: With a tasting counter for two and a private dining room upstairs, it covers both the anniversary dinner and the group celebration. For more restaurants built for an evening out, see the best date night restaurants in Austin.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: dinner menuhours, address, and parkinghistory and chefchef’s counter and aperitivo hour
Red-sauce classics
- Downtown, W. Sixth St. · $$$ · Friday lunch, dinner every day03
Sammie’s Italian
The facts: Sammie’s Italian, at 807 W. Sixth St. on Shoal Creek, is MML Hospitality’s red-sauce restaurant, opened in spring 2021 and drawing inspiration, in its own words, from legendary Italian-American restaurants from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The site has history: Mildred Joseph opened Sammie’s Drive-In there in 1939, it later became Hut’s Hamburgers, and photos of regulars, including generations of the Joseph family, line the walls. The current dinner menu lists spaghetti with meatballs from the chef’s family recipe at $36, lumache alla vodka at $34, chicken Parmigiana at $46, and a 36-ounce prime porterhouse for the table at $150. It opens at 5 p.m. most days and at noon on Fridays, stays open to midnight Thursday through Saturday, closes at 11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday, and has valet parking. Mildred’s Room, a raised semi-private space off the main room, books private events.
My read: It posts the highest pasta prices on this list, so it is a splurge, but it is also the one pick serving lunch downtown on a Friday.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: hours, valet, and private eventsdinner menu and historyaddress, its takeout pageopening year, MML Hospitality
- Zilker and the Arboretum · $$ · every day from 11:30 a.m. · bottomless brunch weekends04
Juliet Italian Kitchen
The facts: Juliet Italian Kitchen has two Austin restaurants, at 1500 Barton Springs Road by Zilker Park and at 10000 Research Blvd. at the Arboretum, both locally owned by Dan and Donna Wilkins, with a third, Juliet Social, in Georgetown. Its house-made pastas run $19 to $28, from roasted garlic and ricotta ravioli to pasta di mare, with spaghetti and meatballs at $21 and lasagna at $24, and chicken Parmigiana is $26 among the entrees. Both Austin locations open at 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends, close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and run happy hour every day from 3 to 6 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., bottomless brunch is $38 a person for unlimited orders from the full menu, half off for kids.
My read: The easiest table here for lunch or an early dinner, since it opens before noon every day, and the only one with a bottomless brunch. For more weekend brunch, see the best brunch in Austin guide.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: addresses, hours, happy hour, and brunchall-day menubrunch priceowners and locations
- North Loop · $$ · walk-in only · lunch Thursday to Sunday05
Rocco’s Neighborhood Joint
Rocco’s, at 5001 Airport Blvd., calls itself a neighborhood Italian joint and runs walk-in only: there are no reservations, but an online waitlist texts you as your table gets close, then holds it for 15 minutes, and incomplete parties are not seated. The August 2026 menu linked from its home page lists lumache with Texas sweet corn and black garlic at $26, rigatoni vodka at $25, spaghetti and meatballs at $25, and chicken Parmesan at $28, and the menu says no cash. Dinner is 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Its own FAQ says the small room gets loud when it is full and asks large groups to get in touch first, and there is a parking lot. It is also on our list of new restaurants in Austin.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: address and hourswaitlist, groups, and parkingmenu
Regional and seasonal kitchens
- East Austin, E. Sixth St. · $$ · every day from 5 p.m.06
Il Brutto
The facts: Il Brutto, at 1601 E. Sixth St. on the corner of Comal Street, takes its name, “the ugly,” from the spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Executive chef Erind Halilaj, who was raised in Italy, writes a menu meant to cover the whole country, and the pasta is made by hand daily: cacio e pepe on tonnarelli is $25, with $1 from each going to The Missy Project, lamb ragù on pappardelle is $29, potato gnocchi all’amatriciana is $27, and a gluten-free tagliolini is on the menu too. Pizzas run $23 to $28. It is open 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and happy hour, 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, takes 50% off alcoholic drinks and sets pizzas and pastas at $18 at the bar. Street parking is paid, and free on Sundays.
My read: Its happy hour runs every day and sets pasta at $18 at the bar, $7 to $11 under the dinner menu prices.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: dinner menuaddress, hours, happy hour, and parkingthe name and the chef
- Back to top
- Holly, East Austin · $$ · every day from 5 p.m.07
Intero
Intero, at 2612 E. Cesar Chavez St. in the old Bud’s Motorcycle Shop building, is the farm-to-table Italian restaurant that two Austin natives, executive chef Ian Thurwachter and chocolatier and pastry chef Krystal Craig, opened in 2018. The menu changes with Texas farms and its whole-animal butchery program; the Oct. 26, 2026, menu lists butternut squash ravioli at $26, ricotta gnocchi with braised pork at $28, and mafaldine Bolognese at $26, and it makes its own gluten-free pasta. Craig’s house chocolates, from truffles and barks to sipping chocolate, are sold during service until they run out. It is open 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, asks parties of five or more to call, and adds a 20% gratuity for them. It cannot allow outside wine under its liquor license, its 28-space lot next door is open after 5 p.m., and dogs are welcome on the patio.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: address, hours, and policiesOct. 26 food menudietary notethe ownerschocolates
- Mueller · $$ · Pay What You Will Tuesdays08
L’Oca d’Oro
The facts: L’Oca d’Oro, at 1900 Simond Ave. in Mueller, is the Italian-inspired neighborhood restaurant that chef Fiore Tedesco and Adam Orman opened in 2016, and it makes its pasta, cheese, salumi, bread, vinegars, and liqueurs in-house from locally grown produce and meat. Pastas on the current menu run $25 to $29, including bucatini carbonara with its own guanciale at $28 and spaghetti aglio e olio with Barton Springs Mill chickpeas at $26. Every check includes a 20% pre-tax service charge that, in its words, guarantees the whole team a living wage, paid time off, and direct primary care, and credit cards add a 2.85% fee that debit cards and cash avoid. On Pay What You Will Tuesdays, 4 to 9:30 p.m., the menu is the same and you choose what to pay for the food, though drinks are full price and the service charge and card fee still apply. The dining room is open 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday and to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and parking is in the AMLI Mueller lot off McBee Street.
My read: For a serious pasta menu on a budget, go on a Tuesday; on other nights, read the service charge into the menu prices.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: about, hours, and parkingmenu and service chargePay What You Will Tuesday
Neighborhood and casual
- Hyde Park · $$ · Tuesday to Saturday, 4-9 p.m.09
Asti Trattoria
The facts: Asti Trattoria, at 408 E. 43rd St., Suite C, in Hyde Park, makes its pasta in-house and serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m.; it is closed Sunday and Monday. Pastas run from $20 for capellini with crushed tomato, garlic, and basil to $28 for lamb sugo pappardelle, with spaghetti carbonara and rigatoni all’amatriciana, both made with guanciale, at $24 each and a lasagna rotolo at $36. Gluten-free pasta and pizza dough cost $6 extra. Happy hour, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, takes half off select pastas and appetizers. Book through OpenTable or call (512) 451-1218.
My read: An early dinner in Hyde Park: it opens at 4, and Tuesday through Friday select pastas are half price until 5:30.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: address, hours, and reservationsdinner menuhappy hour by day
- East Austin, Manor Road · $ · every day, 5-9:30 p.m.10
Patrizi’s
The facts: Patrizi’s original location, at 2307 Manor Road at the Vortex, is the casual one: its page lists food truck vibes, plenty of outdoor seating, a full bar, and all ages welcome, and it serves every day from 5 to 9:30 p.m. The Patrizi family ran a restaurant in Beaumont for 50 years from the 1940s, and Matt and Nic Patrizi revived the name in Austin. The pasta is fresh, hand-pulled fettuccine, and its takeout ordering page lists cacio e pepe at $15, the family red sauce with pork trimmings at $15.50, and carbonara at $17, plus a $55 dinner for two. Walk-ins are welcome, it takes reservation requests for parties of six or more, and its calendar lists live music, shows, and trivia. Its second location, on Cuernavaca Drive in West Austin, sits outside the city limits, so only Manor Road is listed here.
My read: The lowest pasta prices on this list and an every-day schedule make it the weeknight default. For a show before or after, see things to do in Austin this weekend.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: Manor Road hours and detailsfamily historyreservationspasta prices, its takeout page
Before you book an Italian dinner in Austin
- Plan for the wait at Rocco’s. It takes no reservations, so join its online waitlist, which texts you as the table gets close and holds it for 15 minutes; it does not seat incomplete parties.
- Read the check rules. L’Oca d’Oro includes a 20% pre-tax service charge on every check and adds 2.85% on credit cards, Intero adds a 20% gratuity for parties of five or more and 22% for 10 or more, and Rocco’s takes no cash.
- Dress for Red Ash. It asks for proper attire with no athletic wear, says it is not suitable for young children, and does not take tap to pay.
- Leave the wine at home for Intero. It says its liquor license means it cannot allow any outside wine or alcohol.
- Ask about gluten-free pasta. Intero and Red Ash make their own, Asti Trattoria charges $6 extra for it, and Il Brutto lists a gluten-free tagliolini.
How this guide was checked
Every address, hour, price, dish, and policy here was read on Oct. 30, 2026, on the restaurant’s own website, menu, or ordering page, and each pick links those pages. Sammie’s street number comes from its own takeout ordering page, which its website links. Every address was checked against the City of Austin’s jurisdiction map, and all ten are inside the city limits; Patrizi’s location on Cuernavaca Drive is not, so it is left out. Neighborhood names follow the City’s neighborhood planning areas or the restaurant’s own description. Price tiers follow each menu’s pasta prices: $ means most pastas cost under $20, $$ means $20 to $29, and $$$ means $30 to $39. Chains with more than five locations and restaurants that are mainly pizzerias are left out. No restaurant paid or was contacted for this guide, and the picks are not ranked.
What we considered and didn’t include
The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- Casa BiancaA contemporary Italian-American restaurant and cocktail bar at 1510 E. Cesar Chavez St. with handmade pastas, a cold bar of raw oysters and crudo, and a tasting menu. Left off only so East Cesar Chavez Street does not carry a third pick; its happy hour is on our happy hour guide.
- Mandola’s Italian KitchenIts own site lists ten locations across Texas and Florida, including Bee Cave and Cedar Park, and this list leaves out chains with more than five.
- BufalinaNeapolitan pizza is the draw, so it is on our pizza guide instead of this one.
- ArtipastaHandmade pasta from owners born and raised in Italy, at a trailer on South First Street and a counter on the North I-35 frontage road, both bring-your-own wine with no corkage fee. Its own site posts no prices, so it could not be placed on this guide’s price scale on Oct. 30, 2026.
- VespaioIts website did not load for our check on Oct. 30, 2026, so its hours, menu, and prices could not be confirmed from the restaurant itself.
Common questions
- What are the best Italian restaurants in Austin?
- It depends on the night. For a special occasion, Red Ash downtown and Juniper on East Cesar Chavez; for red sauce, Sammie’s Italian on W. Sixth St., Juliet on Barton Springs Road and at the Arboretum, and Rocco’s on Airport Boulevard; for seasonal regional cooking, Il Brutto, Intero, and L’Oca d’Oro; and for an easy weeknight, Asti Trattoria in Hyde Park and Patrizi’s on Manor Road. All ten are inside Austin’s city limits. For Neapolitan pies at Bufalina and other pizzerias, see the best pizza in Austin guide.
- What is the best Italian restaurant in Austin for a date?
- For a dress-up dinner, Red Ash downtown asks for proper attire and has valet at the Colorado Tower garage. For something smaller, Juniper’s nine-seat chef’s counter serves a six-course tasting menu off the regular menu, with an optional wine pairing. Intero’s own site suggests it for a date, and it makes its own chocolates and keeps an amaro collection.
- Where can you get handmade pasta in Austin?
- Nine of the ten restaurants on this list say they make their pasta in-house. Il Brutto makes its pasta by hand daily, Red Ash and Juniper make every pasta in-house, Patrizi’s hand-pulls its fettuccine, and L’Oca d’Oro makes its pasta along with its own cheese, salumi, and bread. Asti Trattoria, Juliet, Rocco’s, and Intero also list house-made pasta.
- What is a good cheap Italian restaurant in Austin?
- Patrizi’s on Manor Road posts the lowest pasta prices on this list, $12 to $17 for hand-pulled fettuccine on its takeout menu, and it is open every day from 5 to 9:30 p.m. L’Oca d’Oro in Mueller lets you pay what you choose for food on Tuesdays from 4 to 9:30 p.m., Il Brutto’s happy hour sets pizzas and pastas at $18 at the bar, and Asti Trattoria’s happy hour takes half off select pastas from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
- Do you need reservations for Italian restaurants in Austin?
- Not everywhere. Rocco’s takes no reservations and runs an online waitlist instead, and Patrizi’s welcomes walk-ins and takes reservation requests only for six or more. Juniper takes walk-ins as well as reservations, Red Ash books online or by phone and has a host call to confirm, and Intero asks groups of five or more to call.
- Which Italian restaurants in Austin have gluten-free pasta?
- Intero makes its own gluten-free pasta, and Red Ash makes a house gluten-free pasta on request. Asti Trattoria offers gluten-free pasta or pizza dough for $6 extra, and Il Brutto lists a gluten-free tagliolini with cacio e pepe or lamb ragù.
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