Aris
The bread course is free, it lands before you have ordered anything, and Nicolai McCrary rates it the best of its kind in Austin.1
Why go
The kitchen is a Mediterranean steakhouse, and the beef is the side act. CultureMap reported in July 2024 that Sof Hospitality was opening an unnamed Mediterranean steakhouse at 1111 W 6th St, in the former AISD building. That is this address. The group's Houston room, Doris Metropolitan, pairs dry-aged beef with Mediterranean plates. Itai Ben Eli said the Austin room would keep that elevated beef program
and change everything around it.2 Nicolai McCrary rated it 8.0 for The Infatuation.1
Order this / avoid
- Start with the hiramasa crudo, which McCrary says is different enough to make the dish exciting again.1
- The roasted beetroot arrives looking like a pink mess and eats rich and savory, with the sweetness coming off the beets.1
- The Aris Cigar, filled with sweetbreads. Order one to share.1
- Moroccan tiger shrimp, in a creamy bouillabaisse that puts a rich, tangy punch under each one.1
- Avoid: anchoring the table on a large-format steak. It will not disappoint, and it will not be the best thing you eat.1
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary rated it 8.0 for The Infatuation on 24 March 2025, and told readers how to order:
Prioritize the smaller plates...They're exciting enough to help transform Aris from something ordinary into something big, sexy, and worthy of the price tag.
1 - Eric Sandler reported the opening for CultureMap Houston on 30 July 2024, and recorded that Sof Hospitality's co-founders Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy had been James Beard semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurateur. That nomination is person-scoped, so this room does not inherit it.2
Good to know
- Hygiene: no finding, on a short history. Austin Public Health scored the kitchen at 1111 W 6th St Bldg A Ste 150 an 87 on 12 February 2026. That is the only inspection on file, which fits a room that opened in late 2024.3
Verdict
should-visit — Book it, and go with three or four people so the small plates can carry the table. Order five of them before anybody looks at the beef, then add one steak for the middle if you still want it. This is a steakhouse where the steak is the least interesting decision, and it is worth the money on that basis alone. Come hungry for bread; it arrives whether you want it or not.