Hai Ky's East Side strip mall location may deceive you. Not your typical strip mall fare, the Vietnamese restaurant offers a wide selection of noodle bowls, pho, a Vietnamese beef broth-based soup, and stir fries served in gigantic portions. The ingredients are always very fresh, obvious from the crunch of the broccoli and the crispness of the bean sprouts. Vegetarians have many choices at Hai Ky as well, as an entire page of the menu is dedicated to meatless meals. Dishes are delivered piping hot and with surprising speed, and diners can enjoy art by local artists on the walls. - Christine Whalen

In a small and cozy dining room in a reworked house, Casa Colombia serves Colombian dishes, as well as other South and Central American specialties. The menu offers a multitude of beef dishes - try the ropa vieja, a Cuban dish made with shredded beef with red wine sauce and olives - as well as chicken and vegetarian choices. The arepas - a specialty of Colombia and Venezuela made from freshly cooked rounds of masa stuffed with meat or cheese - are popular and delicious: crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. A variety of blended tropical fruit drinks compliment the spicy menu, as does the freshly brewed Colombian coffee. - Christine Whalen

Garrison Park Harbor is one of the finest establishment in South Austin that serves delicious seafood and steaks with some thirst-quenching refreshing drinks. One should try the crab cakes and fried shrimp, which may not be too different from other restaurants but is certainly fresh. The drinks are available at reasonable prices, while the staff is quite professional with their service. And for some entertainment, local bands come and do their bit. To sum it up, this place serves local seafood and music at its best.

If you're anywhere near East Austin's Manor Road, El Chilito is the perfect morning pit stop. This refreshingly simple cafe serves patrons through a walk-up window and offers outdoor seating only. Piping hot breakfast tacos are their claim to fame, but the migas plate and the cochinita pibil burrito (braised pork) are also delicious. The ever-crowded eatery also stocks paletas-Mexican ice popsicles made with fruit or flavored cream. While you wait, watch the speed at which the cooks prepare made-to-order plates or relax on the shady covered patio. East Austinites spend mornings at El Chilito, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, usually with a dog under their feet. Go early on Saturdays to beat the crowd: an El Chilito breakfast taco is a favorite hangover food. -Sarah Murray

Located on Sixth Street amongst the action, this space offers a great beer selection and complete bar with a full service restaurant. You can satisfy your hunger pangs here as late as midnight. The casual atmosphere has remained since it was opened in 1981 as the city's first "fern bar"; enjoy all of the fabulous ferns. Appetizers include Fried Calamari served with a marinara sauce, Potato Skins covered in cheese, and Peel & Eat Shrimp; steamed, seasoned and served chilled. Main entrees include a variety of tacos and Southwestern dishes, salads, sandwiches, burgers, Chicken Parmesan served over garlic-basil fettuccine, Cajun Catfish served broiled or fried and even a Gardenburger.

Classic Tex-Mex food can be difficult to find in this era of concept chain restaurants hawking bland versions of the real thing. Once you discover this place, however, you will search no longer. Basic, time-honored Mexican combination plates join ranks here with Interior Mexican specialties and an extensive selection of vegetarian choices. Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa Verde are so good, they're comforting, and classic Chile Con Queso cannot be beaten. Chile Rellenos, Fajitas and other standards are reliably tasty as well. Aztec heroes and heroines, emblazoned on black velvet, keep you company while you dine. Take home an Aztec calendar to remind yourself to return.

The central feature of this cozy cafe is not indoors, but out back, it is a kitchen garden overflowing with the herbs and vegetables that populate the menu every day. Cleverly integrated into soups, side dishes, appetizers and entrees. The soups are standouts,and the ever-changing selection of side dishes keeps the menu fresh. Half orders are available for those with a smaller appetite. While you wait for a table, browse Pitchforks & Tablespoons, the garden and kitchen shop on the grounds.

Founded in the 1950s, Cisco is an Austin institution. This Tex-Mex eatery has served its famous breakfast migas to the who's who. The clientele may have changed but the recipe hasn't. Migas, meaning 'crumbs' in Spanish, is made from eggs, cheese, vegetables and tortillas with black beans, chorizo and avocado chile varieties. Many a egg-hater has been converted by Cisco's migas. Cisco is also a bar, and the Bloody Mary is best had to nurse a hangover, not something you'd want to begin your day with. Migas, Fajitas and Toasted Biscuits, that's all you really need to know about Cisco.

'Dynamic' is one adjective that can be used to describe Wink. The decor talks largely of cool tones, subtle lighting and Japanese rice paper hanging from the windows. The menu at Wink changes on a day to day basis as the restaurant ships in a lot of their ingredients daily, to maintain the taste and quality of their dishes. The sauces too are made with fresh puree. This isn't all. The wine list of around 70 selections undergoes changes every two weeks so that only the best vintages are stocked. You would definitely want to come back here for you are not treated like royalty everyday!

Times have changed in Austin, and now there is an explosion of activity and businesses moving east of the I35 Downtown Corridor. The Yellow Jacket Social Club is no exception to this, and provides evidence of a revamped East Austin. For example, this dive bar/restaurant amongst old warehouses and train tracks trumps all of those negative stereotypes. It's a joint for funky hipsters, where " "Rockabillies mingle over alcohol, food, and underground punk music. Enjoy company, either indoors, at the bar, or outside under the trees.