Easy Does It

Easy Tiger roars into East Austin with new bakery and beer garden

Easy Tiger van seventh street east austin location

Honk if you love carbs.

Courtesy photo

Last fall, Easy Tiger left its original downtown location, saying goodbye its beloved East Sixth Street home after nearly a decade. In February, the Austin-based (or should we say Austin-baked?) concept is opening its newest shop just a few blocks away at 1501 E. Seventh St.

“We are heading into this exciting new chapter with a transformative year behind us,” said head doughpuncher David Norman, who opened Easy Tiger’s first bakery in 2011. “We’re so proud to be a part of the city’s reopening and support our neighbors — part of what makes Austin so special.”

The newest Easy Tiger will offer its signature collection of Old World-style breads, European-style pastries, soft pretzels, signature sandwiches, craft beer, and cocktails.

Easy Tiger will take over a gem of a building, one that most recently served as an event space for Parkside Projects, but was originally built to house high-end French restaurant LaV, which closed in 2016. It also boasts nearly 15,000 square feet of outdoor space, as well as exquisite interiors. Both will also be available for private events.

Despite the pandemic, Easy Tiger has continued to grow over the past 12 months, even opening a new location on South Lamar Boulevard in October. Its wholesale business supplying retail partners like H-E-B and Whole Foods Market has also blossomed, the company said.

“We are making good on our promise to return to downtown,” said CEO Mike Stitt in a release. “We are grateful for everyone who has supported Easy Tiger this year and feel an enormous weight on our shoulders to pay it back, starting with our newest location on the east side where we’ll be creating another 60 jobs for Austin.”

Current job openings include bartender, dishwasher, barista, bar back/busser, host, and prep and line cook positions.

openings east-austin

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