Editor's note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin's restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings and closings

We finally have an opening date for the newest Jo’s Coffee, which debuts its fifth location on Wednesday, January 27. Located at 41st Street and Red River (in the former home of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), the new Jo's will offer drive-thru service only when it opens. The operation’s menu includes the typical assortment of coffee and espresso drinks as well as the company’s signature Iced Turbo. Additionally, Jo’s 41st will offer breakfast tacos and salads as well as a variety of sandwich options, including the deli tuna, turkey club, and fried chicken sandwich.

A spicy New York-based chicken chain is roosting on the Drag. Chick’nCone officially opened on January 23 at 2348 Guadalupe St. The restaurant's namesake chicken (which comes in a cone) is slathered in a variety of sauce options ranging in spice level from mild cinna-maple to fiery Peri Peri South African chili sauce. In addition to a la carte menu items, the outpost offers a “fork-free” Chick’nCone meal that includes Cajun fries and a drink in addition to its staple chicken-and-waffles cone. Chick’nCone Austin’s current hours are 11:30 am - 9 pm, Monday through Thursday; 11:30 am - 11 pm, Friday and Saturday; and 12 pm - 8 pm, Sunday.

A longtime cook for Austin staple Tuk Tuk has moved on to greener pastures: his own Thai-Chinese kitchen. Chef Lock Noieam recently opened Wok Ur World at 6611 S. MoPac Blvd., offering both Chinese favorites and Thai specialties, including meaty stir-fry dishes, noodles, and curries as well as soups and salads. Additionally, his special house menu includes such items as basil mussels and Pla Lad Prik (battered fried tilapia in a red curry sauce). Wok Ur World is currently open for dine-in and carry-out service Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm and 4:30-9 pm.

Le Cowboy, the Spaghetti Western-inspired Italian eatery from renowned chef Grae Nonas will be riding into the sunset next month. The pop-up from Nonas, former executive chef of Carpenters Hall and co-founding chef of Olamaie, has operated in its temporary space at 2113 Manor Rd. since August 2020. Le Cowboy is set to serve its final dine-in meal Friday, February 19 (reservations are full but a waitlist option remains) while take-out service will be offered exclusively on Mondays leading up to the closure.

Other news and notes

Ice cream fiends rejoice! Prohibition Creamery’s ... erm, prohibition ... has been lifted — at least it will for one last week. Chef Laura Aiden recently shuttered her booze-focused ice cream shop, but is reviving it for a special week-long pop-up at the historic Cedar Tavern, located within South Lamar eatery Eberly. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, starting February 9, guests can enjoy $16 alcoholic ice cream flights for two. The menu, a collaboration between Aiden and Eberly pastry chef Sarah Seghi, includes such indulgent offerings as bourbon pecan praline ice cream, prickly pear mezcal sorbet, and Earl Grey Mandarin Napoleon ice cream. Eberly currently takes both reservations and walk-ins, but will be closed on Valentine’s Day proper, Sunday, February 14.

Four area restaurants doing their part to address food waste. A weekend-long, anti-waste pop-up dubbed Waste Is Gold will see participating restaurants, including Foreign & Domestic, Otoko, Il Brutto, Hillside Farmacy, and Casa de Luz,serve dishes made out of food waste ingredients. (For example, Casa de Luz's entire breakfast menu will be made using leftover vegetables from the previous night’s lunch/dinner service that would’ve otherwise been wasted). The event is supported by restaurant tech startup Choco, and runs January 28-30. Meals will be available for both dine-in and carryout service on a restaurant-by-restaurant basis.

It's safe to assume that when Suerte puts together a Super Bowl snack package, they bring out the big guns. On Sunday, February 7, Suerte will offer a limited number of Suadero taco kits for carryout, which will notably include the restaurant’s take on queso (you heard that right, queso). Game day kits will also include brisket, 16 tortillas, lentils, two bags of homemade masa chips, four margaritas, and more. Online ordering for the kit’s limited run is set to go live Monday, February 1, on Suerte’s website.