Vespaio is housed in a an up old storefront with lots of exposed brick and glass in the trendy SoCo (South Congress) district of Austin. One of the things I love about the place are it’s appetizers–huge plates of calamari, a tomato salad with soft mozarella cheese made on site. Last visit I had linguini with clams–delicious. In the past, I’ve tried their wood fired pizza, and even a nice thick steak. I generally prefer indulging in the appetizers over their desserts–their appetizers are unusual, the desserts while good can be had elsewhere.

Good service and great food combine to make this one of the places I always take out of towners. Just be warned the waits can be long and the bill is easy to run up (especially with a couple of bottles of wine).

Vespaio, 1610 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704-3522, Phone: (512) 441-6100