There are plenty of wood-fired places to try in Austin, such as Summer Moon Coffee (Credit: Justin Terry)
High-tech may reign supreme in Austin, but nothing will ever beat the classic taste of wood-burning fire mixed with the delicious ingredients included on this list of “hot spots” around Austin.
So in case you forgot that cedar and mesquite are good for more than congestion, we’ve compiled a guide to four of the smokiest local places to clear your sinuses and entice your appetite.
#1 Summer Moon Coffee
Sometimes all you need is a little latte art to make you forget it’s Monday. #woodfiredcoffee pic.twitter.com/aszUTGkYFL
— Summermoon (@SipSummermoon) June 15, 2015
Summer Moon is no stranger to the Austinot. Sometimes we come up with reasons to write about them so we can order a half-moon or two…or three. Summer Moon’s commitment to wood-fired products is no joke. Created by Bruce Karnes, the wood-fire roasted coffee flavor imparts a smooth texture that eliminates the bitter aftertaste you might expect with regular coffee.
Why wood-fired coffee? It all started with Salt Lick BBQ, where Bruce worked the wood-burning fire. This delicious experience later served as the inspiration to experiment with wood-fired coffee beans.
Eleven years ago, Bruce Karnes, Justin Terry and the Summer Moon team began roasting beans in a small fire-roaster, before they built their own brick-by-brick commercial roaster they use to this day. Who would have thought a little Central Texas oak could make a timeless classic taste so delicious?
3115 South 1st Street — Website
#2 Dos Batos Tacos
Simplicity “fired up” at Dos Batos Tacos
Take two things Austinites love: tacos and unique favors, and you’ve got Dos Batos Tacos. This place creates wood-fired tacos for hungry mouths and happy hearts. They’re simple, yet profound. They wood-fire the steak, chicken and veggies, which makes non-wood-fired items on their menu irrelevant.
Dos Batos takes a minimalist approach to their food, choosing to rely on wood-smoked flavors and just a few spices to bring out the savor of each taco.
2525 West Anderson Lane — Website
#3 40° North
40° North’s wood-fired oven reaches 850 degrees! (Credit: Pearl Schenkel)
Editor’s Note: 40 North closed for a while, but has reopened at 900 West 10th Street. The following snippet talks about the original trailer.
Wood-fired food is almost synonymous with pizza. And 40° North has this wood-fire process down to a magical science. Located off South 1st Street, 40° North specializes in Neapolitan pizza made from scratch.
You might wonder how 40° North has a wood-fired oven in a trailer. To find out, follow the scent of toasty crust and smoky gouda. But be cautious when you approach the trailer. The oven alone reaches at least 850 degrees. Fortunately, meeting demand is easy, since they can cook two pizzas at a time and it only takes 90 seconds.
But can you imagine standing inside the trailer with an oven that hot…in the summer…in Austin?
Don’t wait too long to try these delicious pizzas. 40° North is known to sell out of homemade dough. Get it while you can!
900 West 10th Street — Website
#4 Lucky’s Puccias & Pizzeria
Prepping pizza dough for the day (Credit: Lucky Sibilla)
Lucky’s Puccias tops the list of “food you’ve never heard of before.” Don’t google “puccia” before you’ve had the opportunity to taste one for yourself. Spoiler alert #1: They’re delicious.
Picture a southern Italian style wood-fired oven you might expect to produce delicious pizzas. Spoiler alert #2: They also make pizzas. However, in addition to pizzas, you get a delicious Italian sandwich complete with prosciutto, mozzarella, fontina, arugula, and other words you pretend to know how to say.
Things are always hot at Lucky’s on 5th Street (Credit: Lucky Sibilla)
The smoke imbues these lovely sandwiches with a flavor that melts into the delicious Italian spices and seasonings. Lucky’s began as a food trailer, but earlier this year they expanded into a full-blown, brick and mortar restaurant that spits out delicious Italian treats straight from a roaring fire.
1611 West 5th Street — Website
In my opinion, this list is far too small. We need some more smoky goodness in our city. Did I miss something? Let me know!
@ATXtherapist wants to know:
What’s your favorite wood-fired food in Austin?
Brick oven 12th and Red River – since 1982~