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).

Make a reservation.