Pet project

Popular dog-friendly outdoor bar and grill unleashes first Austin location

Mutts Canine Cantina couples an off-leash dog park with an outdoor bar and grill.

Photo courtesy of Mutts Cantina

A bar and grill under construction in Northwest Austin is truly going to the dogs.

Work recently got underway on Mutts Canine Cantina at 9825 N. Lake Creek Pkwy., near RM 620 and U.S. Highway 183. The business is on track to open this summer or fall.

Mutts Canine Cantina couples an off-leash dog park with an outdoor bar and grill. The concept has three locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. Aside from the Austin location, a Mutts Canine Cantina is coming to New Braunfels.

K9 Entertainment is developing the franchised location in Austin. Leading the franchisee are twin sisters Lisa Ladewig and Laura Ladewig Landers, and Laura’s husband, Darrell Landers.

Every Mutts Canine Cantina features a walk-up bar serving local craft beer and Barkaritas (Mutts’ signature margarita), along with fare such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fried pickles, milkshakes, and PUPsicles for four-legged customers.

Amenities at the Austin location will include:

Front and back covered patios with misting fans and heaters
Outdoor LED TVs
Doggie splash pad park
Live music
Cabana rentals
Event-space rentals
Self-service dog wash
Wi-Fi
Phone charging stations

“Austin is one of the most pet-friendly cities in the U.S., so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring Mutts to our city,” Laura Landers says in a news release. “I’m absolutely certain that the new location will bring together like-minded residents who prioritize an active lifestyle and want the best for their pets.”

burgers craft-beer

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.