If you haven’t yet tried Luminaire, Congress Avenue’s newest Spanish restaurant, pencil it in for your next date night.
The restaurant — which is located right next to the Paramount Theatre inside the new Hyatt Centric — features food from Steve McHugh, a six-time James Beard Award finalist known for San Antonio’s lauded Cured and Landrace.
The name Luminaire, appropriately comes from theater. Also fitting, the restaurant itself is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, letting light and city sights stream in. Large, roll-up windows also let in fresh air and connect indoor dining to patio seating.
What we tried
Our experience at Luminaire was, in a word, delicious.
The space is Chef McHugh’s first Austin restaurant. His menu includes creative, Spanish-inspired dishes with surprising flavor pairings, and charcuterie transported in from Cured in San Antonio.
Our favorite menu items included:
- Curtain Call cocktail with Mexican whiskey, Nixta corn liqueur, amaro di angostura, epazote honey and lemon
- Lamb Delgada chops drizzled in savory sauce and served with toasted bread
- Gnocchi with sobrasada bolognesa and shaved manchego
- Steelhead Trout Paella with chorizo, shrimp, and baby octopus
- Churro spiral drizzled in chocolate
How to visit
The restaurant — located at 721 Congress Ave. — is open daily for breakfast and dinner, and also serves weekend brunch and lunch during the week. The restaurant is also available for private events.
Pro tip: don’t miss Las Bis, the rooftop bar upstairs. The space offers a multitude of skyline views, plus a solid bites and bevs menu (we can’t rave enough about the chocolate mousse with sherry-aged olive oil, sea salt, and potato chips).
