One of Austin's most chic yet under-the-radar restaurants has unveiled an all-over remodel. Since the Apt 115 (pronounced Apartment 115) remodel extends into the kitchen, that means a new seasonal tasting menu alongside the redesigned bar and other smaller touches.

The renovation coincides with the restaurant's eighth anniversary, and owner Joe Pannenbacker refers to Nirvana in naming this its "Nevermind era" in a press release. He emphasizes that it's not a new restaurant, but a deeper commitment to the things that already make the space special.

"Going out for dinner is supposed to be fun, drinking wine is supposed to be fun and sometimes that gets lost in pomp and circumstance," he said in the release. "While we maintain the highest level of service and knowledge, we never want it to be pretentious or stuffy. Our number one job is making sure our guests have a great time, whether that means finding the perfect glass for your mood, having the chef explain every ingredient in a sauce or telling you why the record we're playing matters."

Pannenbacker, a local musician and self-taught sommelier, isn't compromising on his own quirks that define the restaurant, including a devotion to vinyl records. He selects music from his own collection, and when things loosen up later at night, he'll move from gentle 70s folk rock to Slayer. (It's surprisingly unobtrusive over coffee panna cotta with smoked meringue shards.)

The layout at Apt 115 has changed a bit.Photo by Jasmin Porter

Apt 115 opened in 2018 and has experienced some change in recent years — always the same homey concept, but with slightly different details. In 2024, the concept moved away from dinner to operate as a wine bar and bottle shop with some small plates. But it didn't take long for full meals to return, thanks to a series of pop-ups. Apt 115 also earned a recommendation (just under a star) in the Michelin Guide in 2025.

Now, it's doing dual dinner duty with an à la carte menu and a seasonal tasting menu in the 12-seat dining room. The seasonal menu will shift "every few weeks," according to the release, and fully turn over each quarter. The six-seat bar will also maintain its own menu that is still focused mostly on snacks, including a daily cheese selection, martini olives and blue cheese, a chef's chili dog, and more.

Maybe the fanciest chili dog you'll ever see.Photo by Jasmin Porter

The new menus are the work of Chef Joshua van den Berg, who works the line alone and shops every day. His style combines French classical and Southeast Asian cooking, and his resume includes time at influential New York restaurants like Aldea and a Season 27 win on the cooking show Chopped.

This mix of influences is neatly summarized in one dish that's currently on the tasting menu: a two- or three-bite "pad thai" that perches a large French blue prawn on top of a condensed block of crispy rice noodles, a cheeky re-imagining of a hearty dish that now borders on fine art.

Allegedly, this is pad thai.Photo by Jasmin Porter

CultureMap was in attendance for a dinner service last week to check out the seasonal offerings. Other tasting menu stand-outs are a tiny savory tart starring hen of the woods mushrooms with onion jam and a self-contained poached egg yolk suspended magically on top; a bright, assertive garden salad with rosé vinaigrette, radish, and hazelnut; a comforting duck confit with tender Beluga lentils, fennel, and Texas blackberries, all summer ingredients re-contextualizing what would otherwise feel like a winter dish.

"The new kitchen gives us range we didn't have before," said Chef van den Berg in the release. "Same sourcing philosophy, same instincts – but now I can push further. The menu will keep moving seasonally, and guests should expect flavors that are more expressive and a little less predictable."

On the wine side, guests can add an optional wine pairing ($70) or a fancy pairing ($140) that allows for a wider selection and more expensive choices. A caviar course ($30) can also be added. For guests who prefer to describe what they're feeling and get a recommendation, there are more than enough wine options at retail pricing in the cellar, with 450 different labels. Almost all are from small producers and available to take home.

You can go to Apt 115 and not get a wine pairing...but it's a sad idea.Photo by Jasmin Porter

With all that to pay attention to, most won't be checking out the floors. But if they do, some physical updates to the space include exposed aggregate floors, quartzite one the bar and Carrara marble on the tables, and new leather seating. (There are also fewer seats overall.) Functional decor comes in the form of glassware, plateware, and table lamps, and returning guests will recognize the larger custom lighting and a wallpaper designed by iconic musician Brian Eno.

The most important visual change is that Apt 115 now has exterior signage, which means people can stumble upon it rather than needing to seek it out. Thankfully for those people, walk-ins are welcome at the bar.

The seasonal tasting menu is now available for $120 per person, with seatings at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 pm. Reservations are available at OpenTable. Apt 115 is located at 2025 E. 7th St.