Rock Rose Roundup

Ultimate guide to Domain's newest hot spots — and what's up next

North Austin has saved the best for last with the launch of Rock Rose, a parade of restaurants, businesses, and bars breathing new life into the Domain-area shopping destination. Featuring unexpected finds all on one street, Rock Rose is a vibrant blend of attractions with the upscale feel of 2nd Street District.

Most businesses are open, but Rock Rose will continue to grow. Here's a look at what's open now, and what's on the horizon.

What's open:

Apanas Coffee & Beer
Not only does Apanas Coffee & Beer (originally called Two Hands Coffee) serve quality organic coffee, freshly squeezed organic juice, and local craft beers, the shop is also highly committed to sourcing product ethically. Being transparent about where coffee is obtained and the relationship with farmers creates a positive movement in the coffee industry, and Austin appreciates it.

Birds Barbershop
The eighth location in 10 years for the Austin favorite, Birds Barbershop maintains its simple, effective premise: Affordable, high-quality haircuts. Add arcades, Shiner beer, great music, and good company, and you have yourself a party — and a new 'do.

CorePower Yoga
CorePower Yoga has more than 100 studios around the country, two in Central Austin. With its third Austin location in Rock Rose, CorePower makes its methods and approach to health accessible to the North Austin community.

The Dogwood
The Dogwood has been a cherished fixture on West Sixth Street since 2010, and it is now bringing its flair to Rock Rose. Expect high-end fare and cocktails in the casual setting we know and love.

Jack & Ginger’s
This European-style, full-service pub features more than 82 beers on tap (local and European), as well as a selection of whiskey and scotch. The kitchen serves Texan-friendly traditional Celtic food.

Kung Fu Saloon
Kung Fu Saloon emerges on Rock Rose, entertaining guests with arcades, foosball, board games, and adult beverages aplenty.

Lavaca Street Bar
Lavaca Street Bar first established itself as a downtown staple in the warehouse district. It brings the same entertainment to Rock Rose, infusing the new area with the relaxed atmosphere people know and love, including sports and delicious po’boys.

MAD Greens
MAD greens opened its first Austin location (more coming) at Rock Rose this year, looking to grow its presence outside of Colorado. MAD Greens addresses the lack of fresh, fast, and healthy food available to the average American consumer, all while staying sustainable. Sourcing from local farmers is a key driving force behind the brand, and we have a feeling local-loving Austinites will quickly embrace this newcomer.

Mia Italian Tapas & Bar
Mia debuts its first menu at Rock Rose, featuring small plates, pasta dishes, and craft cocktails. The only Italian eatery on Rock Rose right now, it stands out with vibrant food and personality.

Raven + Lily
Created to alleviate poverty among women, Raven + Lily is an ethical lifestyle brand dedicated to giving struggling women access to jobs, sustainable income, and healthcare. The brand is committed to selling unique, modern, and minimalist products that are made by hand and follow fair trade standards. The new Rock Rose location is its second storefront.

Rock Rose Hall
Rock Rose Hall is North Austin’s latest event space, offering space for up to 300 guests. Located on top of Lavaca Street Bar, it has its own entrance and will house some of the hottest events this year.

St. Genevieve
This charming spot serves food that is unique yet relatable, ideal for the Austin foodie. St. Genevieve is a locally owned restaurant that focuses on the leisurely art of eating, providing an outdoor patio elegantly decked out in bright blues and dark wood accents.

Tarka
Fresh and credible Indian food has been a staple of Tarka since 2009. Now more convenient than ever, Tarka opens its fifth location on Rock Rose, hosting loyal guests in a modern and relaxing environment.

Thai-Kun
Rock Rose welcomes the latest expression of East Side King, one of Austin’s hottest concepts. The menu features authentic spicy dishes, including vegan and gluten-free options that will impress both the Thai food expert and the experimenting layman.

Weathered Coalition
The concept for this men’s store is simple: high-quality, American-made goods with a story. Mountain lodge vibes and a whiskey/coffee bar invite guests to simply be themselves in the space and explore their personal style.

Yard House
The casual hangout joins Rock Rose with an extensive menu featuring 100 items made fresh each day, as well as over 100 taps of the best American craft beers and imports. Happy hour is daily from 3-6 pm, bringing in residents of The Domain and and those searching for a gathering spot after work.

18|8 Fine Men’s Salons
Located around the corner from Rock Rose, the mission of 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons is to help men feel and look their best. Providing luxury services in a pleasant atmosphere is the key to the franchise’s success. This is 18|8's first location in Austin.

Coming soon:

Evereve
The Minnesota-based lifestyle brand was created to help moms look and feel their best. The online styling service is available 24/7, and now Austinites can have the experience first-hand. Offering family- and kid-friendly hangout spots, Evereve is joining Rock Rose with its first-ever location in Texas. Coming late fall 2016.

General Tso'Boy
What started as at pop-up in New York opens its first brick-and-mortar in Austin. This spot will serve your favorite American Chinese dishes like never before — think General Tso chicken on fresh Easy Tiger bread. Coming June 2016.

Jinya Ramen
The California chain from Chef Tomonori Takahashi takes the relationship between broth and noodle seriously. Top your handmade noodles with a seasoned poached egg, pair it with a craft beer, and you have an exquisite everyday meal. Coming June 2016.

Salvation Pizza
Salvation’s third location will be housed in a 2,600-square-foot space with indoor seating, as well as a patio. Enjoy signature Neapolitan-style pizza, appetizers, salads, classic sandwiches, and desserts. Opening June 2016.

Sway
Sway expands to Rock Rose with a new modern concept featuring dark woods and industrial elements. The Thai restaurant offers seafood, curries, and desserts in the elegant dining and gathering space, as well as takeout for those nights when you are craving great food but don’t want to leave the couch. Opening mid- to late 2016.

Rose Room
Located on top of St. Genevieve, Rose Room is a three-story nightclub open on weekends only. Next door is 77 Degrees, and together, they create the ultimate party venue on weekend nights. Opening June 2016.

Velvet Taco
The Dallas-based chain is finally coming to Austin. There's a great emphasis on in-house prep, and many of the fillings and toppings for these dressed-up tacos are unconventional. Known for staying open late in Dallas, we can only hope this becomes another late-night spot for Austinites. Coming soon.

Viva Day Spa
Viva Day Spa, the locally owned favorite, opens its third Austin location at Rock Rose. Viva will be offering special summer packages and the latest techniques in skincare, massage, and beauty. Opens July 2016.

77 Degrees
This rooftop bar is Rock Rose's newest addition, serving small appetizers and weekly drinking and hookah specials. Enjoy the open-air, three-story patio, beautiful cocktails, and great people watching. Coming June 2016.

Rock Rose welcomes a brick-and-mortar version of popular food truck Thai-Kun.

Thai-Kun/Facebook

Rock Rose welcomes a brick-and-mortar version of popular food truck Thai-Kun.

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Belles of the Ballroom

9 Austin bar and venue experts take over popular Old Austin space near UT

29th Street Ballroom/Facebook

Changes are coming at the 29th Street Ballroom, but the goal is to preserve what already makes it special.

The evolution continues at the 29th Street Ballroom, the music venue formerly attached to Spider House Café. It's no secret, Resound Presents CEO and co-founder Graham Williams says, that he and a large team of other industry pros are taking over the space; but now they're ready to talk about what comes next for the venue and adjoining bar.

Although Spider House Café closed in 2020, the Ballroom stayed open, and has continued serving University of Texas students and anyone else who wants to see a show outside of the ordinary: punk shows, burlesque revues, fundraisers, and more. It'll stay open through most of the renovations, scheduled through January of 2025, and is expected to hold a grand opening in March.

Now Resound — one of Austin's top live music organizers, which was itself born from the ashes of another Austin institution — is lending two of its co-founders to managing the space going forward: Williams and Ian Orth. They're joining seven other team members from venues around town, many of them overlapping: Amy Mullins, Brian Tweedy, Jason McNeely, John Yaklin, and Shannon LeBoeuf of Hotel Vegas, Chess Club, Kinda Tropical, Tweedy’s, and Yellow Jacket Social Club, in varying capacities; and Brian Buscemi and Mike Sanchez of the Little Darlin’.

Williams emphasizes that although things will be changing at the Ballroom, the goal isn't to change anything people already love.

"Over the next few months as we kind of ease into the spring, we're using this downtime to revitalize things, decorate, revamp some of the stuff in the venue and the bar, and just kind of get things moving in the right direction," Williams says, "taking what's already popular about the venue and just adding to it, really."

Bar updates
The biggest shift will be turning the bar from an accessory to live shows into its own entity that's open even when there's nothing else going on. Amy Mullins, best known as a co-owner of Yellow Jacket Social Club, is overseeing that transition. She's never operated a venue that is primarily focused on music, and has been enjoying learning more about how to do it; she even worked the door recently when a staff member called out sick.

Mullins echoes Williams in assuring that the change is more about logistics than tone. It'll still feel like Old Austin, but she does express a hope to run more than the "typical venue bar," handing out simple drinks as quickly as possible. She's working on a new menu that includes wine, beer, craft cocktails, and non-alcoholic options like tea, kombucha, or mocktails. Regardless of what's on the schedule on any given night, Mullins says the menu will stay the same.

"There's no drink too complicated for us to make, however busy we are," she says.

Food options
Another goal for the team will be making sure the space works when there's not someone onstage to crowd around. They'll expand the front and side patios and create a food truck food court that features the same trucks that are there now, plus one newcomer. All in all, that includes Yalla Burger & Wings, Gyro Center, Li’l Nonna’s Vegan Pizzeria, Guppy’s Indian Fried Chicken, Waylon J’s BBQ, and Ay Chihuahua Tacos.

The expanded patio will connect to Tweedy's Bar next door, which also has its own food trucks. The idea is to create a space to hang out after shows that feels fit for the purpose. It's possible to stick around after events now, but the layout does create a vague feeling of loitering.

Artist and fan-friendly tweaks
On the entertainment side, Williams says some of the renovations include putting in a new sound system, redoing the green room, updating the facade, and repainting signs. Since the winter is a slower time for live music, they'll be taking advantage of the extra time to work on things before packing the calendar with more events than before. Resound will handle most of the bookings in live music, comedy, and DJ sets, welcoming both national and local talent.

Whatever the details end up being, this team has proved to Austinites that they know how to run venues worth visiting. And since they're all friends and business partners on multiple levels, it sounds like having this many cooks in the kitchen just isn't an issue.

"Some of us have been roommates and known each other since we were young," says Williams. "It's a good mix of people who are all very like minded, so a lot is being brought to the table per decision. So yeah, it's it's really exciting. Sometimes that's not the case. .... But with this project, it's a lot of really great, creative people that are good at what they do [and] they trust each other."

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