Definitely want to have one BBQ place, one Mexican, one campus-area greasy spoon, and one upscale choice. I may have to differ on specifics, though:

The County Line: It’s got all the great barbecued meat that the other places have, but their specialty enormous beef ribs and high quality bar area make it the best. Also, from campus it’s a significant enough drive to make going there a special trip, but not as far as the Salt Lick which pretty much eliminates half your night.

BurgerTex: Everyone loves Durty’s so much, but BurgerTex has better burgers AND bulgogi (Korean barbecues beef) on the menu. Mmmmm.

Chuy’s: I know it’s become so cool that it’s uncool, and I know that it’s the least original choice for Mexican food in Austin I could possibly have come up with. But I love the Elvis Presley Memorial Enchilada platter more than I know how to say. Plus: free chips while you wait.

Eddie V’s: I like Eddie V’s. I like live music on Thursday nights. I like Steak Oscar (not on the printed menu, but it’s filet with crabmeat, asparagus, and bearnaise). I like Godiva chocolate cake. I like that I once ate there one table away from mack Brown and Greg Robinson. And I like eating there when someone else is paying.

El Chile
Fonda San Miguel
Salt Lick
Clay Pit

for cheap/quick food, my top 4:
El Chilito
Burger Tex (on Airport)
East Side Pies
Go Bites

THEN: These are the places I ate the most while attending the University of Texas. I’m amazed I didn’t weigh 400 pounds.
Player’s: If you got drive-thru, no matter how close you lived, the bag was soaking with grease by the time you got home.
Mr. Gatti’s (MLK Blvd.): We had a box of coupon books dropped of at the fraternity house. Rather than dirstributing them I kept them all. There was a coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free buffet. My friend and I ate there what seemed like every other day for a semester for $5.
Dirty Martin’s Kum-Bak Place: OT Special, a double bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. It used to be so wonderful, and it sounds so disgusting to me now.
Ray’s (Closed): When my parents would come into town we would always go to Ray’s steakhouse on Guadalupe. It was awesome! I was in Austin with my wife last year and we were going to go to dinner there, I was so disappointed to see it was closed.

Now: These are the places I go now when I visit Austin.
Eddie V’s
Magnolia
Trudy’s
Salt Lick

I know it may not be popular, but I feel as if it is my duty to educate those Trudy’s mex-mart pundits that they are WAY overrated. The best margaritas in our fair town reside at Matt’s El Rancho. Period! Trudy’s bartenders are instructed to pack those shakers as full of ice as they can and they are required to meticulously measure and keep track of their pours, trust me I bartended at Matt’s in college and have made countless batches of their house margaritas and they do it up!!! The key isnt the brand of tequila as much as they use only fresh squeezed lime juice and not that nasty sweet and sour mix that goes into most places “gringo-ritas”. Honestly I cant stand other places ritas after getting used to Matt’s. Trust me!!!

South Congress Cafe- I just had the brunch there and it was outstanding. Dinner has always been good.
Flemings-yes it’s a chain but they have really good steaks and a pretty good wine selection (from what i’ve been told, but I don’t drink wine).
Chuy’s-my wife and I went on our first real date here, sentimental reasons, although I do enjoy the food.
Hut’s-I love the sink burger.

I am not a seafood lover, but my wife is and she loves Eddie Vs, Trulucks and McCormick and Schmicks, for what its worth.

in no particular order, varying cuisines:

ciscos, vespaio, uchi, green pastures($$$$, but worth it. try the texas game sampler)

alternates: el caribe, phils ice house, casino el camino

Remember, these aren’t necessarily the BEST restaurants in Austin, just the top institutions. Here are mine

1) Cisco’s – Every game day begins at Cisco’s and every hangover ends there.
2) Guero’s – The other day I left work, went to lunch at Geuros, had a beer, saw the mom from Friday Night Lights (Mrs. Coach), and petted a guy’s pot-belly pig at the table next to us. These are the things that happen at Gueros
3) Shady Grove – It was either this or Hula Hut’s. Unplugged at the Grove puts this trailer park over the top. I could spend 6 hours at Shady Grove and not even notice it.
4) Hut’s – Are they the best burgers in town? No. But don’t tell that to the people who wait 45 minutes for a lunch table on a Tuesday. Plus…it’s freaking HUT’S MAN!!!

My apologies to: Magnolia Cafe, Casino El Camino, Z Tejas, NXNW, Katz’s, Hula Hut’s, Iron Works, Fonda San Miguel, Chez Zee, and SAM’S FREAKING BBQ (shh, don’t tell anyone about it, but they’re open ‘til 3am)

I’ve linked to the websites for my Top 4.

I. Hills Cafe: Best burgers in town, hands down, and if you haven’t spend a Sunday night on the back patio with a schooner of Shiner listening to a country band, you are missing out. Also, try the White Wings appetizer, its amazing. The building is historic, an old courthouse. Great place for a large group (unlike Trudy’s). Check out the schedule, they have tons of great free shows.

2. Vivo’s: This is the best Tex Mex in the city (to me). Located right off of Manor road behind the Disch, this is a great date place, dark,, great art on the walls, a nice bar. Every girl that goes gets a single rose. The patio is really nice, but I prefer the indoors. Looking for a cool date place with amazing Tortilla Soup, try this out.

3. Juan in a Million: The floors and tables might be dirty or more likely filthy, but to me, nothing beats getting over a Friday night hangover than a Don Juan on Saturday morning. I know breakfast tacos are a whole other thread, but I love this place and its number one for me in that department. By the way, Juan is best on Saturday mornings, Sunday Mornings you gotta be at Shady Grove with a Bloody Mary or 3.

4. Green Mesquite: The BBQ is is always good. Have a great patio, amazing location with a great patio and stage. My favorite thing to eat there, and I think they are the best in Austin, are the wings. Smoked buffalo wings with a tangy sauce. They’re great. Also, great lunch menu and daily specials close to downtown so you can get in and out.

Honorable mention: Flip Happy Crepes, if you can get there when its open…

First of all, you are all wrong – unless you agree 100% with me :-)

1. Mueller’s BBQ in Taylor. Yeah yeah, not Austin, but it’s better than Rudy’s in my opinion. When the son had to close his off Manor, it was a sad day.
2. Titaya (Thai) on Lamar just south of 2222. Austin lacked great Thai for a long time, and it’s here.
3. Sunflower on 183 and Peyton Gin. Awesome Vietnamese.
#4 is kinda hard for me. Most other places, I go for a specific item (migas at Cocina de Consuela, burgers at Hill-Bert’s or Casino or Billy’s on Burnet, El Chile, Sambet’s for sandwiches, Elsi’s for Mexican), but I am gonna go with Hoover’s on Manor. I think he makes the best wings in Austin, and the rest of the menu is consistently above-average. Awesome desserts.

But I’ve got to try Nubian Queen’s at some point.

Native Austinites can’t do this, since it requires explording a lifetime of eating out. I’ve been to restaraunts I loved once, returned and hated it. I’ll try my best, though honestly, some of the best food I’ve had wasn’t at restaraunts, but at fast food joints like Taco Cabana afterhours:

1. Cliche has to be Maudie’s. Whichever location matters not, it’s a popular Austin restaraunt that everyone knows name. I like comfort food, and I know my way around their menu.

2. Thundercloud. I can’t find a better sammich in any other city, and I’ve tried.

3. Dirty Martin’s Dirty’s. No explanation necessary.

4. Kenichi. Everytime my gf comes in town we hit up Kenichi and, although it has been hit or miss on service, I’m a big fan of the food. It’s nice enough where she likes it (she’s from Dallas) but not too pricey, and not too inaccessible.