Texas Restaurants

Behold the breathtaking views of the city at night as you dine on a wooden patio oasis and fill your belly with cheese, bread, tomato sauce, and more cheese. Today's Groupon gets you $30 worth of eats and drinks at Bryan Street Tavern for only $15. Toast the town with one of many drinks (nine draft beers, bottled beers, wine, and mixed drinks) and take advantage of this neighborhood tavern's tasty stone-fired pizzas.

Though Casie Caldwell loved posh restaurant salads, she couldn’t afford to eat them on a regular basis. And casual salad bars, though inexpensive, were too often stocked with limp iceberg lettuce and tasteless tomatoes. Frustrated by this state of affairs, Casie quit her corporate job and opened Greenz, where she filled reasonably priced salads with gourmet ingredients such as brie, portobello mushrooms, and daikon. Her hard work quickly paid off; Greenz’s tasty, healthy food drew a wealth of media attention from the likes of WFAA’s Good Morning Texas, the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Business Journal, and Examiner.com. Soon, Casie was launching additional Greenz locations across the state.

Although their menus vary slightly, each of these spots draws diners in with fresh ingredients in creative combinations. Goat cheese and crumbled bacon rest on foundations of mesclun greens, baby spinach, and chopped romaine. Hawaiian influences come out in a salad topped with pineapple and seared ahi tuna, and Asian flavors yield a medley of panko-breaded shrimp, daikon, and wasabi peas. Diners can also design their own salads or transform them into wraps that, like babies born during a blanket shortage, are snugly swaddled in tortillas. The menu also extends to meatier options, such as a barbecued-pork sandwich or the turkey-chili soup featured on CBS DFW’s list of the Best Bread Bowls in DFW.

All empanadas go for $2.50 each. For now, Empa Mundo tosses out seven delicious combinations, including vegetarian options for those opposed to eating meat, such as the spinach with ricotta and parmesan or the humita, with corn, onions, cheese, and creamy white sauce. Those morally opposed to eating vegetables will have to think more carefully, pondering whether the criolla with beef, olives, eggs, and raisins is worth eating due to the attendant onions. A simple ham-and-cheese chilipanzinga, however, solves the hunger both material and moral. Dessert empanadas such as guava and cheese or sweet potato make a delightful chaser. Give empanadas a friend to accompany them on the journey to your stomach with a plainspoken soda or juice (up to $1.35). Make a meal for $6.50 that combines two empanadas, dessert, and a drink.

Le Peep's focus on breakfast and lunch stems from a decision made more than 40 years ago, when Buddy and Rhoda Waldman opened The Village Pantry in Aspen, Colorado, and—not wanting to miss a half day of skiing—would close the kitchen each day before noon. The duo would continue to tinker with their concept, stare at it through a novelty-sized microscope, and change its name before it eventually migrated to Texas.

Nowadays, the kitchen staff perpetuates the breakfast-crafting tradition by offering omelets, eggs benedict, skillets, and build-your-own pancake options that use ingredients such as walnuts, bacon, pineapple, and chocolate chips. Traditional dishes are augmented with unique twists, such as the Gooey Buns, english muffins broiled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and almonds and served with a signature side of Mom's Sassy Apples. During midday hours, a variety of salads, burgers, and sandwiches parades out of the kitchen accompanied by smoothies, juices, or Mother Parkers coffee. Le Peep's catering service delivers breakfast and lunch fare to homes, events, or filibustered neighborhood-watch meetings.

Spanning more than 8,000 square feet, The Cellar Restaurant & Bar has ample space to fit several dining experiences under one roof. Submerged in the glow of purple backlights and flat-screen TVs, the 40-foot fully stocked bar stretches across one wall and invites patrons to kick back with a beer or specialty drink while socializing with the lively crowd. In the dining room, a more low-key evening rides in on the heels of lunch and dinner menus full of half-pound burgers, flat iron steaks, and cuban sandwiches. Just outside, the canal-facing patio offers shots of fresh air, music, and ample seating amid trees and strings of light bulbs after dark. Many evenings also offer a number of special events, such as Beat the Teach pub trivia. The Cellar also delivers its classic American food to local homes and businesses.

Welcome to Groupon Austin! For our inaugural deal, $25 gets you $50 worth of grub and guzzle at the Woodland, located at 1716 S. Congress Ave.