Restaurant Shutter

Popular downtown Austin restaurant closes in surprising twist of fate: New plans revealed

Arro Austin restaurant West Sixth patio yard outdoor

Downtown French restaurant Arro is closing its doors Friday, February 5 with Dunlap ATX taking over the space.

Arro/Facebook

It seems 2016 is shaping up to be the year of closures. While 2015 saw a slew of openings, in just one month’s time Austin has said goodbye to three restaurants. East Seventh Street’s laV said au revoir shortly after the first of January, followed by another east side eatery Mettle just a couple days later. And after service on Friday, February 5, Arro will join the ranks, closing its doors for good.

The news of the French restaurant’s shuttering comes as a surprise, especially after the recent updates to the space, including the expansion of the bar area and creation of a stylish outdoor patio. The decision to close was not made lightly, according to Arro’s parent company Elm Restaurant Group, and there are no plans to relocate.

So what is to become of the venue on West Sixth Street? In a strange twist of fate, former Mettle owner Bridget Dunlap (known for her Rainey Street empire), has acquired the Arro space.

“[Arro] has been held in high regard locally and on the national level since we opened in summer 2013,” said Scott Hentschel, one of the restaurant group's founding partners, in a press release. However, after meeting with Dunlap, the restaurant group “ultimately decided that selling made the most sense for the area and would provide the least risk and highest return for our investors.”

In a CultureMap exclusive, Dunlap revealed plans for the new concept. Parlor & Yard, a “Sinatra-esque sports and game lounge,” will open in late February. The “throwback sports concept” is a collaboration between Dunlap ATX and Lion’s Share Hospitality and will boast a cozy indoor lounge, as well as a game room on the glass patio with foosball, bumper pool, shuffleboard, and TVs.

In the meantime, Arro is inviting its customers from now until Friday to “drink them dry” with half-priced wine selected by sommelier Craig Collins. Chef Andrew Curren will also create a special menu with items ranging from $5 to $15.

Upcoming projects from the group include Irene’s, a dive bar opening around the corner from Arro this spring, and a second location of Easy Tiger to open this summer.

closings chefs happy-hours sports trends downtown wine

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.