Bill's Oyster
The raw bar runs about half a dozen East Coast oyster varieties a day, and the Clams Michelada pours the michelada mix into freshly shucked littlenecks.21
Why go
Karen O. Spezia describes a room built around the New Orleans idea: After passing through its archetypal transom door, you enter a long, narrow dining room, reminiscent of a New Orleans shotgun house. A backlit marble bar lines one wall while a handful of banquette tables hug the other.
1 It opened directly across the street from Truluck's, which she reads as the point: Bill's is everything Truluck's isn't: understated and cozy.
1 Nicolai McCrary puts the same room in its economic place: Bill's sits somewhere between a fancy downtown restaurant and an after-work hangout.
2
Order this / avoid
- The oysters, which is what you came for. About half a dozen varieties on any given day, and the staff will pick if you tell them what you like.2
- The steak tartare over the tuna one, if you take Spezia's advice: Prime Chateaubriand with black truffle and crunchy hazelnuts under a quail egg.
It's some of the best I've ever had and still haunts me months later.
1 - The tuna tartare if it is on, because the preparation rotates with the season. The version McCrary ate put big chunks of tuna with watermelon and serrano in a cherry-blossom vinaigrette, and he rates it among his favorite tartares in town.2
- Clams Michelada, raw littlenecks with a dash of vinaigrette and Tajin.1
- The scallop ceviche, minced fine with arbol chile and pineapple, tossed with yuzu and leche de tigre and dusted with Thai basil.1
- The lobster roll, Maine lobster lightly dressed in tarragon aioli on toasted brioche.1
- The burger is contested. McCrary says the patty is well made and there are still better things to order; Spezia says
don't dismiss the terrific burger
, a brisket-short-rib double-patty smashburger with pickled okra and special sauce. Order it knowing they disagree.21
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary scored it 7.9 for The Infatuation in June 2024, and is clear about what it is for:
This is more a place to head for a quick Happy Hour or snack than for a special occasion, but it's satisfying as long as you're OK spending a few extra dollars on the experience.
On the cost of lingering, a Pacifico at the bar runs $7.2 - Karen O. Spezia for Tribeza on what the room is imitating and how closely: the decor is
an ode to old New Orleans
, down to crisp white butcher paper on every table and bentwood chairs in supple green leather.1
Good to know
- Walk in, and know the dining room is narrow and the tables are snug. There is a compact open kitchen at the back and a few sidewalk tables outside.21
- There is a television over the bar, and it shows sport. That is either the appeal or the warning.2
- Where: 205 West 3rd Street, in the 2nd Street District downtown, between a dry cleaner and a Chinese restaurant.21
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health scored the kitchen 87 on 9 April 2026, on a scale where 70 is the failing line. The four earlier inspections read 91, 97, 93 and 84.4
Verdict
should-visit — Treat this as a stop and not a destination. Walk in after work, take two seats at the bar, eat a dozen and a tartare, and go somewhere else for dinner. Tell them what you like and let them pick the six.