Piece of the Pie

Famed New York pizza joint fires up 2 downtown Austin locations

Neapolitan Express is rolling out two mobile locations downtown.

New York pizza joint Neapolitan Express is heading to Austin with two new food trucks downtown. The roll out is scheduled for Friday, March 3.

These new mobile outposts are the first locations outside of NYC for the relatively new brand, which has garnered quite a following since opening in 2013. As the name suggests, Neapolitan Express specializes in made-to-order Neapolitan pies using fresh, organic ingredients, all of which are non-GMO.

"Neapolitan Express is well-positioned as it sits at the intersection of quality food, wellness, innovation, and sustainability. We believe strongly that Austin is a natural fit for our brand and are proud to call Austin our first home outside of New York. We hope that the city and its residents love us as much as we love them," says founder Max Crespo in a release.

Keeping with the sustainable theme, the trucks are fueled by renewable energy. In Austin, a special brand of renewable natural gas called Redeem will be supplied by Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

"Leave it to Neapolitan Express to break so much ground," says Peter Grace, Clean Energy's senior vice president for sales and finance. "They're the first food trucks in the country to use Redeem renewable natural gas, which produces substantially less greenhouse gas than other trucks."

Neapolitan Express' opening menu includes classic pies like Margherita, pepperoni, and white pizza, as well as A Diavlo (spicy salami, honey, cheese, and jalapenos). Gluten-free and vegan options will be added later.

The trucks will be located at the intersections of Third Street and Congress Avenue, and Fifth and Colorado streets. Hours are Sunday through Wednesday, 11 am to midnight, and Thursday through Saturday, 11 am to 3 am.

openings pizza downtown food-trucks

Roaming Tiger

12th Street Austin coffee shop expands for first time into San Antonio

Photo courtesy of El Tigre Coffee Roasters

El Tigre is opening its first outpost, which will be in St. Paul Square.

A cozy coffee shop in Austin is growing its roots all the way to San Antonio. El Tigre Coffee Roasters, which has been open in the capital city since 2019, will open sometime in February at 123 Heiman St. in St. Paul Square.

The San Antonio location is the first outpost for El Tigre, which is part of a family of other Austin hotspots including wine shop Cork & Screw, tattoo shop Slowpoke Marfa, and outdoor food courts Camp East and Arbor Food Park. The most recent addition before El Tigre was the cool Austin speakeasy Trona.

Although Dreamers & Doers Hospitality clearly has a stronghold in Austin — where El Tigre originated — founder Tatanka Guerrero is now based in San Antonio.

The Chilean-Texan restaurateur has plenty of experience working in far-flung markets, so this is actually one of his smaller moves. Guerrero first became known in Texas for his Marfa restaurant, Al Campo, and he's also worked on projects in Miami and Los Angeles.

In Austin, much of El Tigre's popularity is thanks to its cozy environment; since January 2024, it's been located in a homey trailer that a handful of guests at a time can hang out in. In San Antonio, it'll be located in a convenient corner building.

El Tigre Coffee Roasters sign The new sign.Photo courtesy of El Tigre Coffee Roasters

El Tigre prides itself on "sourcing high-quality beans from around the world," according to a press release. It has two single-origin roasts from Honduras and Brazil, and one half-and-half blend of the two.

The existing shop offers a fairly standard coffee menu with some additions like alternative milks, unique flavors (rose and raspberry, among others), and Mexican specialties like hot chocolate. Products at both locations will be sourced with "sustainability, quality, and community" in mind.

Something new at the San Antonio location will be light breakfast and lunch options. There are some snacks available at the Austin location, but it sounds like this will be a new type of service. The menu is still under wraps.

The projects united under Dreamers and Doers share an artistic sensibility that blends extremely chic and moody interior design with more relatable elements like graffiti, tattoo art, and homey desert stylings. There are no photos of the interior of the shop yet, but if it looks anything like its family concepts, it'll be shaped by similar themes.

123 Heiman Street This building has seen a few concepts in recent years.Photo courtesy of El Tigre Coffee Roasters

“San Antonio is a special place, and I’m honored to have been welcomed with open arms into this community," said Guerrero in a press release. "My El Tigre team and I look forward to serving San Antonio residents for years to come and we can’t wait to get to know all of our new downtown Eastside neighbors, including all the bakers, pastry chefs, and farmers, and producers as we look to source as much as we can locally. Plus, I have some new culinary concepts in the works for San Antonio that will open soon, so there is much to be excited about."

When El Tigre at St. Paul Square opens, it'll operate 7 am to 4 pm daily. After a soft opening phase, the shop will update both the official opening date and operating hours. Potential visitors can check Instagram for any updates before arriving.

openings coffee