PrimeBite's signature burger, La Norteña, is topped with avocado, bacon, cheese, caramelized onions, grilled ham and a housemade chipotle sauce. It comes with fries and a drink for $18. (Courtesy PrimeBite)
South Indian cooking is having a moment in Leander, where two new restaurants are serving pulaos, dosas and Chettinad-style dishes. This week's roundup also brings soup dumplings and dim sum to The Arboretum, a Michelin-starred chef's menu to Round Rock, Mexican-inspired smash burgers to Bastrop and more new flavors across the Greater Austin area.
A new Chinese restaurant is now open in North Austin, located off Research Boulevard. The menu features authentic Chinese cuisine with a variety of Sichuan dishes, including spicy diced chicken, black pepper beef cubes, twice-cooked pork, kung pao chicken, and spicy tripe and duck blood stew. Diners will also find stir-fried dishes, clay pot meals, soups, noodles and rice, dumplings, grilled fish and more.
Sucre Cafe and Go, a locally owned coffee and pastry shop, provides customers in San Marcos with hand-crafted drinks made from scratch, with options for those who are vegan or have dietary restrictions. The coffee and pastry shop is currently offering viral TikTok pastries made to look like realistic fruits, and the eatery’s daily menu can be found on its website.
The new spot serves soup dumplings, dim sum, noodles, bao buns and bubble tea in the Arboretum. Popular dishes include the spicy chicken wontons, cucumber salad, orange chicken and fortune cookie cheesecake. According to the eatery’s website, soup dumplings “contain rich, savory broth inside the wrapper” in addition to meat. Patrons can choose between pork, chicken, crab, shrimp and spinach soup dumplings.
Jack's Modern Artisan Deli's menu features handcrafted sandwiches made with house-made meats and fresh ingredients, like the Italian served with prosciutto, soppressata and capicola. (Courtesy Jack's Modern Artisan Deli).
A fresh spin on the traditional delicatessen offerings, the menu features house-made meats throughout its culinary-focused, handcrafted fare. Sandwiches include crowd favorites such as the Italian—decked with prosciutto, soppressata and capicola with provolone, lettuce, tomato and olive relish, finished with red wine vinaigrette—as well as some chef-led inspirations such as the Citrus Herb Salmon BLT featuring Atlantic salmon, crispy bacon, tomato, arugula and lemon aioli.
Husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Adelita Sanchez are now serving Mexican-inspired smash burgers and other comfort food at Bastrop’s Chestnut Grove Food Truck Court. Daniel Sanchez described the menu as American with a Mexican twist—inspired by a fusion of the couple's Mexican roots with an American classic: the hamburger. According to the owners, the most popular order is the La Norteña—a beef burger with avocado, bacon, caramelized onions, cheese, grilled ham and a housemade chipotle sauce.
Opened July 2
Chestnut Grove Food Truck Court, 710 Chestnut St., Bastrop
A new restaurant is bringing South Indian cooking to Leander. While the restaurant offers both vegetarian pulaos and those made with a variety of meats, the menu also features soups, naans and biryanis. Named after the classic one-pot rice dish, the Pulao Company also has a location in Frisco.
The Grey Orchard Modern American menu includes smash burgers, fish and chicken sandwiches, banh mi and a variety of other dishes. (Courtesy city of Round Rock)
The Grey Orchard dinner menu includes familiar favorites, such as smash burgers, corn dog fried okra, grilled chicken and fried fish sandwiches, as well as fusion dishes including duck banh mi, bao sliders and bang bang shrimp. The restaurant's cocktail menu includes house specialty cocktails, such as the Blues & Basil and Smoky Southern Belle, mocktails, wine, bottled beers and cider and local draft beer from the Jester King Brewery.
On the southern edge of Leander, a restaurant is serving up authentic flavors from Chettinad, a region of South India with a rich history of spice trading.
House of Chettinad offers a restaurant and bar managed by executive chef and founder Mahendran Gunasekaran, whose professional career spans decades and continents.
The Tawa Fish Fry, made from Asian sea bass, is cooked in a house marinade. (Hamera Shabbir/Community Impact)
What they offer
Gunasekaran said Chettinad’s flavors are set apart by the “bold” mixture of spices, owing to the influence of the spice trade on the region.
For those seeking a classic experience of cuisine from Chettinad, Gunasekaran said the Varuthu Aracha Kari is a “very authentic and very mild spice” dish passed down through his family. Gunasekaran said. All the meat in the restaurant is halal.
The restaurant offers Kumbakonam Degree Coffee Dessert, a sweet dish that incorporates South Indian filter coffee and ice cream. (Hamera Shabbir/Community Impact)
In addition to its main fares, House of Chettinad also offers dosas, a savory crepe-like bread, and idlis, a small cake made usually of rice and lentils.
Behind the bar
Beyond the restaurant, Gunasekaran highlighted House of Chettinad’s unique bar, which has drinks paired for various dishes. A professional mixologist and professional barista help prepare drinks and in-house coffee. The restaurant’s most popular drinks include the gin-based currytini, the blackberry-infused ginger bomb and the rum-based jungle bird. The restaurant also features wine from Kalasi Cellars, a Fredericksburg-based winery.
