Quali-tea

Austin's first kombucha in a can pops into local grocery stores

Greenbelt is Austin's first kombucha in a can.

Photo courtesy of Greenbelt Kombucha

As more scientific studies come out warning of the health risks of drinking soda, fizzy alternatives have become big business, taking over market share once dominated by Coke and Pepsi. Those beverage giants now have even more to fret about now that a group of Austin entrepreneurs have launched the first local kombucha in a can.

Greenbelt Kombucha is a collaboration with Adam Blumenshein, Tim Klatt, Nathan Klatt, and Rick Boucard of Barrel Creek Provisions and Texas Saké Company and Gavin Booth, one half of popular bloggers Couple in the Kitchen. Launched in late March in over 130 H-E-B stores, the brand hopes to make a big splash by selling artisanal drinks.

Retailing for $2 a pop, Greenbelt comes in four flavors: peach blossom white tea, blood orange yerba mate, Strawberry Fields rooibos tea, and hibiscus berry black tea. The brews have lower lactic acid compared to many commercially available kombuchas, resulting in a less vinegary taste that showcases the natural flavors of the ingredients.

“We start with super premium tea bases that are unique for each flavor, and we elevate the experience by steeping high-quality freeze dried fruit,” explains Booth. “By following this method, we’re able to craft a kombucha that’s unlike anything on the grocery store shelves.”

Taste isn’t the only benefit. Greenbelt contains probiotics, which fans say aid with everything from mood to gut health to even allergies. The company also avoids adding fruit juices and added sugars in the fermentation process, bringing each flavor’s calorie count to only 40 per can.

The brand is equally as cognizant of the environment as it is of the body. The team powers the operation with 100-percent wind energy, and the packaging was selected as much for recyclability as affordability.

Booth says there is one other major benefit — portability. The company’s products can be taken anywhere that allows beverages, including its beloved Austin namesake.

"You can’t bring glass on greenbelts,” he notes, “but you can bring Greenbelt Kombucha.”

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Katz's Un-closes

Austin's famous Katz's makes a comeback in the same location

"Katz's Never Kloses" famous Katz's restaurant sign

Photo courtesy of Jay Brasher with Champion Management

Katz's famously did Kloze in Austin, but now, over 10 years later, it's coming back.

There is good news this week for all Austinites pining for a simpler — and if you ask them, better — Austin of the past. The beloved West 6th Street eatery Katz's is making a comeback more than 10 years after it famously closed. Someone in the Katz family has re-purchased the original location and is hoping to bring back the good old days.

For the many new Austinites since its closing, let's do a quick refresh: Katz's was an eatery that opened in Austin almost 50 years ago. It became a late-night staple at 618 West 6th Street, serving up New York style flavor, all-day breakfast, sandwiches, fried pickles, and deli-style desserts 24 hours a day. Then-owner Marc Katz's classic yellow Cadillac was always parked out front, and the restaurant was constantly abuzz, often with late-night kids with post-bar munchies.

Even though Katz's motto was "Never Kloses," in 2011, it famously did after filing for bankruptcy. At the time, owner Marc Katz sited issues like parking and a desire to leave the restaurant business, so it seemed unlikely Katz's would ever reopen.

Meanwhile, Marc Katz's son, Barry and his wife, Lisa, had quietly migrated the restaurant to Houston in 2000. Since then, the Katzes have grown the number of restaurants in Houston to four, with a fifth one on the way in late 2025 or early 2026.

"When I was in my late 20s, I wanted to grow the business and I was looking in the Houston area, " Barry Katz says. "I was lucky enough to find a place the Montrose area. So [my wife and I] decided to come to Houston and open another Katz's here. My dad and I separated our businesses, so I took the Houston restaurant and my dad took complete ownership of the Austin restaurant."

Barry Katz, owner of Katz's, sits at a table in a Houston Katz's restaurant Barry Katz and his wife, Lisa, are re-opening the beloved Austin staple after over 20 years of successful Katz's restaurants in Houston.Photo courtesy of Jay Brasher with Champion Management

After over 20 successful years in Houston, Barry Katz has decided to bring Katz's back to its hometown. In fact, he's bringing it right back to where it all began: 618 West 6th Street. And this could not have been more fortuitous if it was written in a movie.

"My best friend from middle school is a real estate broker, and he forwarded me [the listing.] We used to go to Katz's as kids together," he says. "So initially, we had it on our radar to start looking for another location outside of Houston. But with [my friend] forwarding me the listing, we didn't even get a chance to start looking. We were so lucky. This opportunity came to us."

The historic Austin property was previously owned by WC 6th & Rio, LLC, and was won during an auction at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Austin on August 23.The Katzes officially closed on the building on August 30. Of course, this is all very new, so an exact opening date hasn't been decided yet.

Like the Houston Katz's restaurants, this one will be designed by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. In a press release, Michael Hsu says they are "excited that Katz's is returning to Austin." He adds, "The fact that they are going back to the old location is really special. We look forward to helping design a space to help welcome back former regulars and to attract a new crowd of Austinites."

Of course, just like Austin, the new Katz's won't be exactly the same as it used to be.

"I grew up in Austin since I was six or seven," says Katz, "so I want to honor what made Austin what it was; really honor the 'keep Austin weird' phase of the 80s and 90s, but also speak to what it is today. That'll be a tough balancing act that I'm glad to be doing with Michael Hsu."

When asked if this restaurant would be open 24 hours like the original Katz's, Katz didn't hesitate.

"Katz's never closes. It will absolutely be 24/7... Full stop."

"To be back in the old location is just an amazing scenario of events that all came together," Katz says. "We're just so grateful."

More information is available at katzsneverkloses.com.

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