“I once thought that there were no second acts in American lives, but there was certainly to be a second act to New York’s boom days,”\u00a0F. Scott Firtzgerald wrote in a 1932 essay called “My Lost City.”<\/p>\n
Le Calamar owners Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave can relate. When they decided to close their short-lived Korean-inspired restaurant and bar, Underdog in South Austin, they could have chosen to lick their wounds and walk away. Instead, they reimagined the restaurant, tapping Hargreave’s longtime friend, chef Casey Wall, to make the journey from Australia to Central Texas to open a seasonal bistro that blends Texas ingredients with cues from French cuisine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It turned out to be just what the city needed. Le Calamar, I wrote in the fall of 2025, was the best restaurant to open in Austin that year. It’s also one of the city’s best date-night restaurants.<\/p>\n
Apparently the editors at Bon Appetit agreed. The publication named the South Austin restaurant one of the best restaurants to open in America between March 2025 and March 2026. It joins a roster of 18 other restaurants, including Houston’s Agnes & Sherman.<\/p>\n
“With the help of chef Casey Wall, the trio reimagined the space as Le Calamar, a smart pivot that is already paying off,” Bon Appetit writes. “The space is consistently buzzy, owing much to its contemporary design (concrete floors, olive green walls) and genial vibes. The menu is a showcase of local farms and seasonality, French if you squint but relaxed in execution.”<\/p>\n
It’s not the first time the reboot has received national recognition. The restaurant also landed on The New York Times’ most recent update of its best restaurants in Austin list.<\/p>\n
For more on Le Calamar, read the entry in our 2025 Best Restaurants list, where Le Calamar placed #7 in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin’s most trusted news source.<\/p>\n
This article originally published at Bon Appetit names Austin French-Texan bistro one of best new restaurants in America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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