Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

Super seafood along Austin's broad avenue of coolness
Popular plate: Raw food fans can't go wrong with 'old salts' (briny oysters) and a cold beer.

The lone seafood outpost on trendy South Congress, Perla's made a splash soon after it opened by earning a spot on Esquire's list of best new restaurants of 2009. Though it's four hours from the Gulf of Mexico, the bright, cheery restaurant successfully reproduces the easygoing vibe of eateries along the Texas coast.
While the menu changes daily, crab Louie - lump crabmeat served on a bed of fried green tomatoes with a side of homemade lemony mayonnaise - makes frequent appearances on the line-up. The soft-shell crab BLT is a crunchy mouthful, enhanced by house-cured bacon and zesty tartar sauce.