Downtown Dining

5 new restaurants and bars revealed for Austin's largest hotel

Downtown Austin's newest — and largest — hotel is nearing completion, and this week Fairmont Austin has given us a taste of its culinary offerings.

The hotel will feature five distinct restaurants and bars, one of which will be a seventh floor lounge complementing a pool and entertainment deck. The Fairmont, and its new eateries, are slated to open early fall.

At the helm of all five concepts is David Garcelon, executive director of food and beverage. The acclaimed chef has 25 years of experience leading kitchens in other high-end Fairmont properties and New York's Waldorf Astoria. The Fairmont has named Andre Natera as executive chef. Natera rose to fame in Dallas; his most recent gig was at the Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa.

"We are humbled and honored to have such an experienced and creative collection of culinarians leading the charge as we prepare to deliver the largest hotel opening in Fairmont history to Austin," says hotel managing director Tom Voss in a release. "This is an exciting undertaking and to know we have some of the industry's best taking the reins of our restaurants and social events makes us that much more elated to open."

Located at the corner of East Cesar Chavez and Red River streets, the 590-foot-tall Fairmont Austin will be the second tallest building in the city. With 1.4 million square feet of space and 1,048 rooms, the Fairmont will also be the largest.

The hotel, which broke ground in late 2014, was designed to enhance the Austin Convention Center and boasts nearly 140,000 square feet of event space. A pedestrian bridge, dubbed Canopy Walk, will connect the Fairmont with ACC and offer spectacular views of Waller Creek.

Fairmont Austin is now hiring for multiple restaurant and bar positions. Stay tuned for more info on the dining concepts.

Fairmont Austin will feature five restaurant and bar concepts

Rendering courtesy of Fairmont Austin

Fairmont Austin will feature five restaurant and bar concepts

downtown chefs hotels

Near and Deer

Vespaio-trained chef serves venison from trailer at Austin's Sign Bar

Photo courtesy of Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, is now open at Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, a food trailer specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, has just opened for business at Sign Bar. Chef and owner William Woodland, a.k.a. Woody, says so far things are going great.

"They're doing a great job promoting us at Sign Bar. I feel really special," says Woodland.

This is a big change from several years ago when sign bar first opened and Woodland says he "pestered" the folks behind the cool new space.

"I think at that time they wanted to see a couple of years of good experience," says Woodland. "And now my reviews are insanely good — so I think that helped!"

Born and Braised started out at Lustre Pearl back in 2022, and then quickly moved over to Sage Brush where it stayed for more than a year. More recently, Woodland has been operating out of Bastrop and is happy to be closer to town again at Sign Bar, which is located in East Austin. It's still a bit of a drive for many, but not as far south.

Some of the menu items include birria tacos, homemade birria ramen, and multiple venison-based dishes: chili, a smash burger, and bratwurst. There's also grilled cheese, street corn, and other sides.

"I think it's one of only a couple of places in town where you can get venison any time," says Woodland. He adds that the main focus of any foods he prepares is minimal waste and using good, quality, native ingredients. "I'm kind of an ingredient hippie," he laughs.

These cooking roots can be traced back to Woodland's days at his grandparents' out in the country, where his uncles butchering deer in the garage was the norm, and venison was always on the table. As an adult, Woodland got his "formal" education in the kitchen at Vespaio under the tutelage of Ryan Samson.

"He gave me his culinary book from when he went to school and quizzed me everyday; basically took me to culinary school through that job," says Woodland. "I cry thinking about him all the time. Great guy; a really good mentor."

Born and Braised is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 pm to 2 am, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 am, at Sign Bar Austin (9909 FM 969, Bldg. 3). The bar, decorated with more than 75 retired signs from legendary local businesses, offers a variety of beers, wines, and cocktails.

Sign Bar Holiday Tree This miniature Zilker Tree is the newest permanent installation at Sign Bar. Photo courtesy of Sign Bar

As of early December, guests can enjoy all Sign Bar has to offer next to the Sign Bar Holiday Tree. This 64-foot tall tree is an homage to the Zilker Tree, and unlike most holiday displays, this tree will be up year-round. Guests can even spin under this mini-Zilker Tree — but may want to give it a minute after a bowl of venison chili.

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