Pop Pop Pop

Put the 'pop' in National Popcorn Day with these delicious local treats

National Popcorn Day is Monday, January 19. To get your fix, we've rounded up some of the tastiest popcorn dishes around town, from the sweet to the savory — as well as traditional popcorn treats.

Sweet
Swift's Attic
This popular dessert option has become a staple of the Swift's Attic menu. The Popcorn & a Movie dish starts with butter popcorn gelato and adds house-made candy, caramel corn and a root beer gel.

Olivia
Olivia's take on popcorn offers a less literal approach. You'll find a white popcorn sabayon complemented with soft chocolate, smoked sesame, dulce de leche and bay laurel meringue.

St. Philip Pizza Parlor + Bakeshop
Skip the pizza and head straight to the bakery for St. Philip's salted popcorn cookie, a sweet and salty confection that certainly delivers.

Savory
Max's Wine Dive
In honor of National Popcorn Day, Max's Wine Dive is offering a special popcorn appetizer with two different flavor options: buffalo blue cheese mixture with cayenne, or bone marrow, sea salt and gremolata.

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill
Moonshine offers complimentary popcorn to snack on while you wait for decadent Southern fare. Indulge in a classic Moonshine patio cocktail or plate of chicken and waffles — after you've had your popcorn, of course.

Alamo Drafthouse
What goes better with popcorn than a movie? Alamo Drafthouse offers bottomless buttered popcorn for only $6. An extra dollar gets you delicious herb parmesan.

Snacks
Reel Popcorn
This Austin-based popcorn company offer interesting savory flavors like wasabi ranch, coconut curry, bacon cheddar and pizza. Reel Popcorn also serves candied popcorn and mixes, like the "Texas Trio" with cheddar, ranch and barbecue. You order popcorn online and have it delivered or stop by the shop in South Austin.

Cornucopia Popcorn
Cornucopia creates a variety of candied and chocolate flavors that stand out, such as honey lavender caramel and Nutella delight. Notable savory flavors include biscuits and gravy, loaded baked potato and Texas chili. You can visit the shop on Red River Street or have your popcorn order delivered to your doorstep.

Swift's Attic has a dessert dish called "Popcorn & a Movie" with butter popcorn gelato and root beer gel.

Courtesy of Swift's Attic

Swift's Attic has a dessert dish called "Popcorn & a Movie" with butter popcorn gelato and root beer gel.

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Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood