Every month, a new crop of restaurants opens in and around Austin. While everyone loves a good sushi spot, food truck, or outdoor patio, this round-up will give you the high-end spots and the low-end spots that are new to town — be they good, bad, or so bad they’re good/so good they’re bad. Whether it’s a locally owned restaurant or the latest addition of a chain, here’s what’s happening in the world of restaurant openings in Austin and beyond for the month.

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3220 Manor Road, MLK

Located behind Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches, this food truck opened in late March, boasting an interesting fusion of Central Texas barbecue and Louisiana cuisine. Pitmaster Holden Fulco, formerly of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue and Interstellar BBQ, taps into his Louisiana roots, offering slow-cooked meats and homemade sausages that are hickory-smoked on a 1,000-gallon Bison offset pit. Other offerings include ham cured in-house, pulled duck with spiced cracklins made from the duck skin, and Southern-style sides such as Acadiana potato salad, remoulade vinegar slaw, and a crawfish cornbread dressing. Though it is a barbecue joint, vegetarians have options, too. You won’t miss the meat after a bite of the smoked vegetable muffuletta.

Parish Barbecue

1050 E 11th Street, Suite #100, East Austin

Located near Franklin Barbecue, this Mumbai bar and restaurant opened in March, merging an array of bold flavors from India with a Texas flair. Electric Gravy serves colorful drinks and food, featuring samosas and “gravies,” including saag paneer, pork vindaloo, and chana masala over basmati rice. The Bombay sandwiches might be the most eclectic combination on the menu, with fried chicken wrapped in naan and grilled cheeses infused with butter chicken, chutneys, and saag paneer. In addition to wine and craft beers, Electric Gravy offers its spin on cocktails, like its Mahsarata Mule (vodka, kokum, lemon, cucumber, and Fever Tree ginger beer), and the Mumba 75, a rendition of the French 75 that infuses dry gin with rosewater, cardamom, lemon, and sparkling wine. There is also a dirty chai espresso martini, and frozen drinks like a Lassi Painkiller and Electric’s signature margarita.

Electric Gravy

11501 Rock Rose Avenue, #100

FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind restaurants like Velvet Taco and Mexican Sugar, opened the fifth location of Haywire in Austin on Tuesday, March 25. Located in the Domain Northside, the rustic multi-level restaurant aims to capture the spirit of Texas in its massive 13,000-square-foot space, which features a Longhorn Lounge and a Shasta-style trailer for a rooftop retreat on the second-floor patio. Diners will find dishes like hand-cut steaks, elk tacos, and fancy whiskey drinks, including an Old Fashioned that is smoked tableside.

The Nix Company

Dobie Center, 2308 Rio Grande Street

Houston’s hot dog shop has made its way to Austin, but you’ll have to go to the University of Texas at Austin’s food court to eat there. Located in UT’s Dobie Center, the new stall serves its signature oversized hot dog topped with cream cheese and sriracha-honey mayo, served on a toasted bun. Diners can get their hot dog in vegetarian form, and add fun sides like wings, fries (served plain or bulgogi style), and Fritos pies to their order.

83 Rainey Street, Downtown

This Downtown bar made its big return on Sunday, March 23, opening in the space that once housed the now-shuttered Icenhauer’s. The aptly-named Bungalow, which is in a converted house, touts itself as a laidback, dog-friendly watering hole, with drink specials, live music and DJS, backyard games, and sports games broadcast on their TVs. The bar, which features a spacious back patio and rotation of food trucks, originally opened on Rainey Street and later closed in 2022 to make way for a high-rise, according to a Culturemap Austin report.

Bungalow

2530 Guadalupe Street, Downtown

Austin’s first women’s sports pub opened in the heart of Downtown just ahead of March Madness. Named after the year Title IX was codified, guaranteeing access to all educational programs regardless of sex, 1972 prides itself on being a space where women’s sports are celebrated and appreciated. Expect large TVs throughout the space with prime views of games, fun sports memorabilia, and a full bar that includes local craft beer from woman-owned companies and brewers. Food includes burgers and wings with homemade sauces.

5610 North Interstate 35, North Loop

Named using the Mandarin word for “uncle,” this dumpling-focused restaurant hosted its grand opening in late January, offering a mashup of Taiwanese and Bolivian street foods inspired by the chefs’ upbringings. The menu features Taiwanese potstickers, pork dumplings marinated in Japanese curry, Lo Ba Bung (braised pork belly on rice), and cheese and chicken Bolivian empanadas. The prices are pretty affordable, with $2 potstickers, $7 rice bowls, and a $11 meal that comes with a rice bowl, two potstickers, and a water.

XuXu’s Dumplings

713 East Huntland Drive, North Austin

This all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hot pot spot opened in mid-January. DAM-A offers Korean staples, Korean-style fried chicken, and tteokbokki, or simmered rice cakes, plus a variety of broths for hot pot to choose from (tomato, seafood, tonkotsu, miso, mushroom, and spicy mala). Appetizers include a wide array of dishes, like japchae, spaghetti, fried rice, and sweet and sour pork. Diners can also dabble in the spring roll bar, which is also unlimited. The restaurant is open daily, with dinner starting after 3 p.m. on weekdays and served all day on weekends for $36 per person ($16 for kids between ages 6 and 12). During the week, DAM-A offers lunch before 3 p.m. for $26 per person ($12 for kids between the ages of 6 and 12). Kids under the age of 5 always eat free.