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# Memories of Austin through restaurants
- URL: https://cutelittlepaperblog.com/memories-of-austin-through-restaurants/
- Published: 2020-09-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:36:40.000Z
- Author: Katherine Leung
- Tags: Austin

I found an old wallet filled with punchcards from Austin. There were about thirty in there. Didn’t I say I was a paper hoarder? If it’s printed, I want to keep it. I decided to record some of my favorite places in a tiny journal. Some of the punchcards were from places I love, whereas some had awful memories – like bad service. Here are some of the more memorable ones:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/7d/8e7d83ab-d11b-49b6-a585-40ad598fb79f/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-1bc9a983-e6af-4418-aca8-0c005f45a804.png)

Maoz is a chain I was excited to see in Austin. It exists in New York but getting one in Austin was a gem. First off – their salad bar was absolute fire. It’s endless beets… let me know if you know a salad bar that good. Until then, I’ll lament the loss of Maoz. When Maoz had to shut down, I was definitely sad. Sure, it’s corporate, and some may argue it’s a sanitized version of Middle Eastern food, but what girl could forget her first falafel experience? One of my closest friends, who was a student from New York, had found a little refuge in Maoz.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/7d/8e7d83ab-d11b-49b6-a585-40ad598fb79f/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-a06ef2f6-f2fc-4274-924f-5e9f4f7e01ff.png)

Remember when fast-casual was nothing but an idea? Now we have Chipotle, build-your-own pizza places, and Verts (another fav of mine) – endless fast casual options. When How Do You Roll? Opened in Austin, we thought it was a revelation. Overtime, I think people quickly realized that sushi prepared in a sushi kitchen, with raw fish, was better than anything Maki had to serve. That’s ok though. Those were better times.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/7d/8e7d83ab-d11b-49b6-a585-40ad598fb79f/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-4574b4da-62ea-49da-bf33-c946786eb495.png)

My partner rarely gets excited for restaurants because he is a diehard cook-at-home type of guy. However, a place he loved was Elevation Burger. Not only did they have lettuce wraps, they were the beginning of grass-fed beef in Austin. Unfortunately they had to go to make way for more expensive dining options for Austin, but it was an OG.