The Top 5 Up-and-Coming Food Influencers in Austin
Austin food influencers who punch above their follower count: 5 up-and-coming creators with up to 4 times the typical engagement of their size, and how to book a visit.
Most Austin-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers get about 8 likes and comments per 1,000 followers on a typical Reel.
- 1.
Julsey, @atxjulsey32.3 - 2.
Cassidy, @allthings.cassidy26.8 - 3.
Rebecca, @thehonestfoodist18.7 - 4.
Catalina, @catalina_eats15.1 - 5.
Rell, @relleatsworld13.7
1. Julsey, @atxjulsey: food challenges at austin restaurants
food challenges at austin restaurants
- Engagement Strength
- 32.34x the typical Austin food account
- Followers
- 97,147
- Avg. views per Reel
- 175,264
- Reels, last 30 days
- 11+
Julsey and husband Michael turn Austin restaurant visits into food challenges, like ordering each other's dinners or letting the algorithm pick where to eat. Recent posts include birria from Birrieria Lopez Cabrera and dips and kebabs from Aba, which reached 170,827 views, the lunch-in-my-city trend at Mian and Bao on Guadalupe Street, which reached 44,375 views, and everything they ate for $250 at the seafood restaurant Este, which reached 52,724 views.
The format suits a restaurant with a big menu to explore or a price point worth showing, since many posts total up what was spent. Home cooking and pregnancy posts share the feed. The bio lists an email address.
2. Cassidy, @allthings.cassidy: brunch, cafes and monthly favorites
brunch, cafes and monthly favorites
- Engagement Strength
- 26.83x the typical Austin food account
- Followers
- 6,687
- Avg. views per Reel
- 8,786
- Reels, last 30 days
- 16+
Cassidy posts where to go and what to eat around Austin, from North Austin to Bee Cave. Recent posts include the ice latte pancakes, smoked salmon rosti and crab cake sandwich at Van Horn's, the burrata salad, chicken shawarma and honey cake at the new cafe Lana's, and the cinnamon roll and vendors at the Bee Cave Farmers Market, which reached 24,207 views.
Posts list exactly what was ordered and tag every spot, which suits a cafe, a brunch restaurant or a new opening. The bio lists an email address.
3. Rebecca, @thehonestfoodist: asian restaurants and temple markets
asian restaurants and temple markets
- Engagement Strength
- 18.72x the typical Austin food account
- Followers
- 18,485
- Avg. views per Reel
- 14,632
- Reels, last 30 days
- 13+
Rebecca covers Asian food across Austin and its suburbs, from Round Rock and Cedar Park to Hutto, including Thai temple markets. Recent posts include the new Cambodian dishes at Great Wall Express in Round Rock, the soft opening of KL Dragon House, formerly Seadragon, and the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival night market at Trúc Lâm Buddhist Temple in Hutto, which reached 35,064 views.
Rebecca also founded ATX Asian Food, so this is a natural contact for an Asian restaurant, a new opening or a community food event. Some posts are recipes or cover Houston.
4. Catalina, @catalina_eats: steakhouses, oysters and cocktail bars
steakhouses, oysters and cocktail bars
- Engagement Strength
- 15.12x the typical Austin food account
- Followers
- 10,659
- Avg. views per Reel
- 35,547
- Reels, last 30 days
- 10+
Catalina covers Austin restaurants and bars, from upscale steakhouses to barbacoa, with a few stops in Buda. Recent posts include $1 Gulf oysters at TLC Austin, which reached 111,466 views, cocktails and chocolate cake pops at Foxtail, which reached 110,837 views, and the Sunday Supper series at Boa Steakhouse, which reached 35,057 views.
The strongest fit is a restaurant with a deal, a new seasonal menu or a special dinner series. The bio lists an email address.
5. Rell, @relleatsworld: black-owned spots, sushi and desserts
black-owned spots, sushi and desserts
- Engagement Strength
- 13.72x the typical Austin food account
- Followers
- 29,279
- Avg. views per Reel
- 38,109
- Reels, last 30 days
- 7+
Rell covers Austin restaurants from East Austin and South Lamar to Pflugerville, and contributes to Eater Austin. Recent posts include three Black-owned Austin restaurants, including Canje on East 6th Street, which reached 22,821 views, the ube cream strawberry sando at Muse Fusion + Sushi, and the homemade peach cobbler at Suga's Cakery in Pflugerville.
The strongest fit is an independent or Black-owned restaurant, a bakery or a restaurant week menu. The bio lists an email address.
How to reach Austin food influencers and get a visit booked
Finding someone you want to work with is the start. You still need a reply, agreed terms, a visit on the calendar and the content afterward.
Find their business email, follow them and reach out
Look for the email button on their Instagram profile, a business-inquiries address in their bio or a contact page on their linked website. If they list a manager for collaborations, use that contact.
Follow the account and watch a few recent restaurant videos. Then email a specific invitation: which restaurant you run, where it is, what you would like them to try and what you are proposing in return. Mention a relevant post of theirs so they can see why you chose them.
Send a short DM pointing them to your email. If their profile asks businesses to DM rather than email, start there. The goal is to get the invitation seen through the channels they use for work.
Follow up and get your terms in writing
If you do not hear back, follow up after a few business days. If there is still no response, move on to another good fit. Stop if they decline.
Once they are interested, agree on the food credit, any cash fee, guest count, content they will produce and posting deadline. Include raw footage and commercial usage rights if you need them. Permission to advertise from the influencer's account is separate from permission to run their video from your restaurant's account.
Get those terms in writing before you book. A friendly yes does not tell you whether you are getting a Reel, a few Stories or any files you can use afterward.
Schedule the visit and tell your team what was agreed
Offer specific dates and service windows. Confirm the influencer's name, party size, arrival time, dining credit and who they should ask for when they arrive. Give your team the same information.
Send a reminder before the visit. If the date changes, update the booking and your team so the new plan is not buried in a DM.
Follow up until you have the content
After the visit, check the posting deadline, review anything that requires approval and collect the files you agreed on. Follow up if the content is late. Save the finished video, raw clips and written permissions together so you can actually use them later.
Keep track of the influencers whose content, attitude and follow-through you liked. Those are the people to invite back. You do not need to start a new search every month when you have relationships worth continuing.
Want local influencers without managing all that back-and-forth?
You can do this yourself. The work is keeping a dozen different conversations moving: who replied, who agreed to your terms, who needs a date, who rescheduled and who still owes you content.
Remy gets interested local influencers to apply to work with your restaurant on your terms. You approve the influencers and their content. Remy handles scheduling, reminders, rescheduling and content follow-up, and you keep the relationships so you can invite good people back.
Instead of chasing every person on a list, you can choose from influencers who have already applied to work with you.
Looking for another city? See our food influencer lists by city, including New York City, Boston and Las Vegas.
About the numbers
Engagement Strength is the likes and comments a typical recent Reel gets per 1,000 followers, using each account's newest Reels from the past 90 days. We screened 96 Austin-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers and checked each finalist for real Austin restaurant coverage. The typical account we screened scored 8. Data collected 2026-09-24.