The Room
East Side King opened as a food trailer in 2010 — Paul Qui (then the Top Chef Texas winner and Uchi alum) and Moto Utsunomiya building an Asian-American trailer-restaurant operation that founded the East-Austin trailer-to-restaurant movement. The brick-and-mortar restaurant on East Sixth is the brand's flagship and runs the trailer-program at full kitchen scale.
The dining room is intentionally casual — exposed brick, a long bar, communal tables, an open kitchen at the back. The format is intentionally non-fine-dining. The Texas Monthly review has held East Side King in its top-twenty Austin-Asian rankings every year of operation. The Austin Chronicle has named the brand a multi-year top-Asian-restaurant entry.
The Food
The pork-belly bao — slow-braised pork belly, hoisin slaw, served on Chinese steamed bun — is the menu's calling card and the dish that founded the trailer's national reputation. The tea-eggs, the Brussels-sprouts salad, the seasonal noodle bowls run as the menu's spine. The Filipino-leaning sisig and the Japanese-style chicken karaage round out the menu's wider draws.
Cocktail programme runs Asian-spice-led: a working Sichuan Bloody Mary, a yuzu Margarita, a Thai-basil mojito. Beer programme runs Asian-import and Texas-craft. Wine list is short and considered.
Best Occasion Fit
Team Dinner: East Side King handles team dinners better than most East Austin counters. The communal tables hold eight to twelve, the bao-and-bowls family-style format scales naturally, the bill at $30 a head reads as honest.
First Date: The bar at East Side King is one of East Austin's casual first-date seats. The bao shares well, the cocktail programme is the conversation, and the room's casual register reads as fun rather than forced.
Solo Dining: The bar at East Side King is one of the better Austin solo-dining seats for the casual register. The bao, a tea-egg, a beer — the diner of one can settle the meal in twenty-five minutes.