Cat's meow
Long-awaited Easy Tiger beer garden roars into Central Austin with brunch and drive-thru
Only George R.R. Martin’s last installment to A Song of Ice and Fire has been more feverishly anticipated. Since Easy Tiger’s new location at The Linc shopping center was announced in November 2014, a presidential election, two Olympic games, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade album came and went without any news on the restaurant’s opening date.
Now, the wait is over — for real this time. A rep confirms that the bake shop and beer garden will celebrate its grand opening on December 8. Brunch will debut in approximately two weeks and drive-thru service will come eventually — although in true Easy Tiger fashion, the exact details will be announced at an unspecified later date.
According to a previous release, Easy Tiger's new digs, located at 6406 N. Interstate 35 #1100, almost triples the size of the original outpost on Sixth Street. Designer Veronica Koltuniak of VeroKolt kept a similar feel for the interior, which includes space for a full commercial bakery that will service the restaurant’s burgeoning wholesale business and two mini locations at the downtown Fareground food hall and the Whole Foods 365 in Cedar Park.
The menu keeps the eatery’s successful formula of sausages, pretzels, artisan breads, sandwiches, and snack boards. As with the downtown locations, there will also be a full bar with a focus on whiskey and beer.
The roomier digs will, however, allow space for some new features. An outdoor stage will occasionally host live music, indoor windows have been added to give guests a peek at baking, fermentation, and charcuterie production, and space has been created to accommodate baking classes led by “head dough puncher” David Norman. (The new class space may come in handy for the release of his upcoming 2019 cookbook, Bread on the Table: A Top Texas Baker Shares His Favorite Recipes.)
Just as notably, the new Easy Tiger benefits from being in a part of time where parking is not at a premium — a boon for those who can’t go a week without getting their baguette fix. Austinites will get plenty of opportunity opening weekend. The bake shop will be open from 7 am-2 am on Saturday and 7 am-midnight on Sunday. The beer garden opens at 11 am with the same closing times.