Here are the restaurants that Community Impact featured in its Southwest Austin-Dripping Springs edition in 2024.

La Familia Mexican Restaurant cooks up from-scratch cuisine in Southwest Austin

Carolina Hernandez and the staff at La Familia Mexican Restaurant are serving up homemade Mexican food in hopes of making their customers feel like family.

The familial feel translates to the La Familia menu as well. Everything is homemade from scratch, a way of cooking that reminds Hernandez of the food she grew up eating.

“We grew up eating organic and cooking from scratch, so that’s how we want to cook,” Hernandez said. “We don’t feel like the food tastes the same when you buy it already made.”
A mousse/cobbler cup ($4.50-$7) at Pie Bar comes with mousse scoops and toppings. (Courtesy Pie Bar)
A mousse/cobbler cup ($4.50-$7) at Pie Bar comes with mousse scoops and toppings. (Courtesy Pie Bar)
Pie Bar scoops out dessert in South Austin


A coffee shop on South Congress Avenue is on a mission to be a cozy community hub where people of Austin can satisfy their sweet tooth.

Pie Bar offers pies, cheesecakes, cookies and mousse cups. With each dessert, customers have a large selection of fillings.

“People come in and they expect just traditional pie,” Lisa Jackson said. “When we explain that they can build their own out of any of the fillings that we have and they can taste the fillings first before they build it, they just get really excited.”
'The Kitchen Sink' pizza ($19) includes pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms and more. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
"The Kitchen Sink" pizza ($19) includes pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms and more. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
Stony's Pizza rolls out New-York style pizza in Oak Hill

From a food truck to an established sit-down restaurant, Stony’s Pizza has been serving slices in Austin for over 15 years.


Stony’s Pizza opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Oak Hill in March 2022. The owner, Tony Cohn, said he’s been making pizza since he was 15 years old and working as a busboy at a pizza place in Boston, his home city.

“It's all homemade stuff that I've taken from my grandmother, my family, my aunt, and I've taken all my favorite dishes from other places around California and Boston that I ever worked at,” Cohn said.
The butter chicken ($17.49) with garlic naan ($4.99) is a customer favorite. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
The butter chicken ($17.49) with garlic naan ($4.99) is a customer favorite. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
Tandoori Lounge aims to serve community and Indian cuisine in South Austin

Hamza Ashraf opened Tandoori Lounge in August 2022 with his brother and business partner Kashif Pathan, who has been working in the Austin restaurant scene for over 20 years.

The Tandoori Lounge menu features traditional Indian dishes, such as butter chicken, chicken biryani and palak paneer.


The restaurant’s chef, Thaman Adhikari, has been a chef for over 30 years. Before working at Tandoori Lounge, Adhikari cooked for restaurants in India and Malaysia. The Tandoori Lounge recipes come from his years of experience mixed with changes based on customer feedback.
Cruzteca's enchiladas ($15.99-$16.99) are topped with Austin-style chili beef sauce and cheese. (Courtesy Cruzteca)
Cruzteca's enchiladas ($15.99-$16.99) are topped with Austin-style chili beef sauce and cheese. (Courtesy Cruzteca)
Family-owned Cruzteca offers Mexican cuisine, cocktails in South Austin

Cruzteca owners Jessica Galindo-Winters and her husband, Adam Winters, opened the Sunset Valley restaurant in 2018, 10 years after opening a family food trailer, Mellizoz Tacos, on South First Street.

The family said the food is not just Tex-Mex.

“Our menu touches on different regions of Mexico: the interior, the Pacific coast, the Yucatán Peninsula,” Galindo-Winters said. “We have a little bit of everything.”
The Monte Cristo sandwich ($16) has ham, turkey, gruyere, dijon mustard and raspberry preserves. (Courtesy Louie Ayuma Photography)
The Monte Cristo sandwich ($16) at The Local has ham, turkey, gruyere, dijon mustard and raspberry preserves. (Courtesy Louie Ayuma Photography)
The Local offers classic, tavern-inspired dining in South Austin


With secondhand furniture, wood-toned walls and classic diner dishes, The Local is a neighborhood Americana- and tavern-inspired dining experience in South Austin.

Owner Nate Wales said they take classics and add more flavor and value. The bacon, for example, is candied, and the fries are always tossed in an herb mix of rosemary, thyme, sage and lemon.

“It's straightforward food,” Wales said. “But what we know is that we've added all these little layers to enhance [it]. Hopefully, the guests can taste it and recognize it and see some of the energy that we put into it.”
Mighty Fine's classic burgers ($8.99) have patties that are formed by hand daily from Creekstone Farms Premium Angus Beef. (Courtesy Mighty Fine)
Mighty Fine's classic burgers ($8.99) have patties that are formed by hand daily from Creekstone Farms Premium Angus Beef. (Courtesy Mighty Fine)
Austin-based Mighty Fine serves up burgers, shakes, 'Texas hospitality'

When Tony Ciola and Creed Ford, co-owners and founders of Tc4 & Co., took over ownership of Mighty Fine Burgers, Fries & Shakes in 2021, they aimed to expand while keeping the familiarity of a then 14-year-old Austin brand.


Ford said they emphasize fresh, high-quality ingredients in Mighty Fine meals. Patties are hand-formed with Creekstone Farms Premium Angus Beef, toppings are hand-cut, chicken tenders are hand-battered, and French fries are homemade.