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Fearless Critic restaurant review of the day
Austin
Food
Feel
Price
6.7
7.5
$25
Mandola’s Italian Market
A lively Italian grocery that’s as comfortable as the red-sauce food

We like Mandola’s for its homemade mozzarella, truffle oil, marinated olives and mushrooms, salami, fresh pasta…you name it. Sure we can get this at Central Market, but there’s something to the bustling, metro feel of the people eating at the tables, and standing in line to order gelati and gorgeous pastries (which are on the overly sweet side, in the Italian tradition).

The Italian wine selection is small but ample, and pretty careful. You’ll still find some mass-marketed Chiantis and… [More]

 

From the Super ’Stache The underpriced underdogs
Austin
Food
Feel
Price
8.8
8.0
$15
House Pizzeria
The best wood-fired pizza in town’s always worth a bit of a wait

One of the brightest lights at the end of Austin’s pizza tunnel comes from the hearthfires at House Pizzeria. It embodies a lot of that Eastside-bound geeky DIY spirit: there’s only one wood-burning oven, turned up to an ideal, hellish 750 or so degrees. When the place is busy, your pie will take a while, but waiting isn’t totally unpleasant, given the draft choices: Live Oak, (512), Real Ale, and Maine root beer. There are also some decent organic wines.… [More]