ATXReview
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Comedor
Included In
We still remember taking those first steps onto the playground, back in elementary school, after our parents finally let us get a pair of cheap light-up sneakers with velcro straps and some animated TV character on the side. We remember them because we just felt cool, as if we could walk into any room (or playground) with a confident swagger. It’s the same feeling we got the first time we walked into Comedor—a decidedly upscale modern Mexican restaurant in downtown Austin that will instantly transport you into a pair of light-up velcro sneakers.
photo credit: Casey Dunn
It’s hard not to be taken aback by the space at Comedor, at least a little. It’s a giant glass box in the middle of downtown—from the outside, it looks like an Apple store built inside of an old industrial airplane hangar. Inside, there are long wooden tables and cozy booths that decorate a concrete dining room, with giant light fixtures overhead that look as if Alexander Calder had decided to design chandeliers instead of mobiles. Enormous garage doors open to an outdoor patio, wrapped on all sides by the tall brick walls of Austin’s growing downtown.
Much like every moderately nice restaurant these days, everything comes out in a series of small plates that are meant to be shared. And many of the dishes—like a light and refreshing tuna aguachile with watermelon—are outstanding. But occasionally, you also run across some dishes that don’t quite hit the mark, like an overly-bitter crudo or an over-engineered arugula salad. One of the best things to get at Comedor, however, are the rich and decadent bone marrow tacos. It’s not too often that you get to scrape heaping spoonfuls of savory marrow from the bones with a pecan gremolata onto warm corn tortillas. When you’re done, save the bones—if you’re feeling especially youthful, you can even order a shot of mezcal to drink via bone luge.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
The cocktail menu is mostly made up of classics with distinct twists—with drinks like a gin, mezcal, tequila, and yellow chartreuse-based Comedor Martini—but there’s also beer, wine, and a multi-page menu of agave spirits. Start with some sotol or tequila, then make your way into the mezcals. Because, if you have to listen to one more friend tell you about how cheap and amazing the tacos were on their recent trip to Mexico City, why not at least accompany it with the good stuff?
There are a handful of great upscale Mexican restaurants in Austin—Fonda San Miguel, Suerte, and La Condesa, to name a few—but when you want to impress a date, or show off your new pair of light up velcro sneakers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot than Comedor.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Dayboat Scallop Crudo
Arugula Salad
Charred Okra
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Grilled Carrots
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Bone Marrow Tacos
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Comedor Martini