AUSTIN, Texas — A local restaurant located in an unusual venue has been named one of the best in the country.
The New York Times recently published its "America's Best Restaurants 2023" list. Among the honorees was Austin's own Wee's Cozy Kitchen, a Malaysian counter-service restaurant tucked away inside a Shell gas station near the University of Texas campus.
The restaurant, located inside the UT Wampus Shell station at 2400 Rio Grande St., was founded by Wee Fong Ehlers, an industry vet of 11 years who began her cooking career at The Castilian and UT's J2 dining hall. She opened Wee's Cozy Kitchen in February 2022, according to the Times.
"In Texas, it’s not unusual to find exceptional food in a gas station. At Wee’s Cozy Kitchen in Austin, past the cases of Coors Light and off-brand iPhone headphones, you’ll see satisfied locals and University of Texas students alike digging into bowls of curry laksa that are heady with lemongrass and chiles," Priya Krishna of the Times wrote.
Krishna noted that Ehlers started her business with Chinese food and burgers before adding the Malaysian dishes that would become her biggest hits.
"From her tiny kitchen, Ms. Ehlers cooks every dish to order, even freshly chopping the lemongrass," Krishna wrote. "Wee’s provides all the warmth of home cooking, just in a gas station."
In addition to the feature in the Times' list, Wee's Cozy Kitchen was also recently featured by Bon Appetit Magazine.
"There’s a lot of magic happening at @weescozykitchen, a Malaysian restaurant tucked away in the back of a gas station in Austin," wrote Elazar Sontag with Bon Appetit. "The seafood laksa was delicious, and beef char kway teow (a stir-fried rice noodle dish) was gloriously charred and showered in white pepper. The standout though was a plate of beef rendang, cooked overnight and served with a humongous mound of coconut rice.
Wee's Cozy Kitchen is open Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Foodies can follow the restaurant on Instagram.