Food news

7 things to know in Austin food right now: Local cidery barrels into famous Barton Springs Road space

Austin Eastciders is pouring into Barton Springs Road.

Photo by Brian Nevins

Editor's note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin's restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings and to-go deals

Details on Austin Eastciders’ forthcoming taproom/restaurant operation recently emerged, bringing some refreshingly positive news to Barton Springs Road after a series of shutters. After announcing last fall it was taking over the former Uncle Billy's Smokehouse & Brewery space, Eastciders' new taproom will open “sometime in July," according to Eater. It will feature both the cidery’s flagship and small batch offerings on-tap as well as in cocktails. The location’s menu of elevated comfort fare, overseen by Foxtail Supper Club’s Page Pressley, will include pizzas, sandwiches and — amusingly — cured meats brined in cider.

Elsewhere in the craft world, long awaited brewpub, Hold Out Brewing finally opened for curbside to-go service only at 1208 West Fourth St. behind sister restaurant Better Half. Beginning May 7, the operation began serving six-packs of both its hoppy and easy-going brews from former Real Ale head brewer Brent Stapsead alongside indulgent pub-grub by Better Half executive chef Rick Reimbolt. After selling out of beer early into its first weekend, the operation appears to have adjusted to its weekly Thursday-Sunday schedule, with online-ordering going live starting Wednesday afternoon.

After weeks of solely offering ready-to-cook taco kits, Mexican-inspired restaurant Suerte announced a full-fledged takeout menu from executive chef Fermín Núñez, dubbed Suerte Taqueria. “The Suerte family is excited to start making our version of street tacos and open a takeout taqueria in these uncertain times,” said owner Sam Hellman-Mass. The chef’s ready-made tacos, which can be ordered for same-day pickup on the restaurant's website, are sold four per order, and come filled with either the eatery’s famed suadero, oak-grilled chicken, campechano, or a rotating vegetarian option. Also available are classic Suerte side dishes, desserts and agave-forward cocktail kits, while DIY-minded foodies can still purchase cook-at-home suadero and migas taco meal kits.

It seems popular Clarksville cocktail bar Bar Peached will begin a to-go operation of its own in early June. The cocktail cafe’s sister restaurant, The Peached Tortilla, took to Instagram May 13 to announce a forthcoming menu of “family meals and draft cocktails to-go” from the currently shuttered outpost. Unlike its West Austin counterpart, The Peached Tortilla’s Burnet location has remained operational throughout the pandemic, offering an impressive variety of family meals, snacks, and Japanese sandwiches to-go, as well as hosting regular curbside pickup collaborations with alcoholic boba tea pop-up partners Daijou.

Other news and notes

On May 6, advertising agency R/GA’s Austin office released its charity cookbook, Austin Table: Recipes from Beloved Austin Restaurants. The 55-page digital book features hand-selected recipes from a variety of restaurants and bars greatly impacted by COVID-19 including Sway, Güero's, and Il Brutto. According to a release, the cookbook, which can be purchased from Visit Austin’s online store, is priced at $29.95 with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting featured establishments.

The minds behind Austin Restaurant Weeks, an annual two-week fall dining event benefiting the Central Texas Food Bank, announced a special, off-season initiative: Feed It Forward, aimed at supporting local restaurants and those in need during the pandemic. A release notes that beginning May 8, at-home diners can help the Central Texas Food Bank provide 20 meals to communities in need by adding the $5 “Feed It Forward” donation when online ordering from any participating restaurant. Also, per the release, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is matching all Feed It Forward donations up to $10,000.

The Mike and Sherry Project, a program envisioned by Suerte owner Sam Hellman-Mass to provide accessible mental healthcare to Austin’s service industry, announced via a May 12 press release the opening of its resources to “all members of the Austin bar and restaurant community impacted by COVID-19.” Via funds from the project, Capital Area Counseling is offering low-cost teletherapy services to the city’s bar and restaurant workers regardless of employment status. Interested parties looking for mental health care can arrange appointments or get more information by emailing jaime@cacaustin.org. The project is currently accepting donations.

news-you-can-eat

News You Can Eat

A frozen custard closure and New Year's menus renew Austin food news

Culver's/Facebook

People in North Austin can still go to Culver's if they're willing to drive to Leander.

As folks in Austin digest their Christmas and Hanukkah meals, the restaurant scene also takes a bit of a siesta. That's good news for anyone who need to catch up on openings and closings over the next few weeks — or plan a nice meal on an upcoming day off.

Openings and closings

A longtime spot for frozen custard has reached its melting point. Culver's, technically a franchise out of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, has become a local staple over its decades at 2240 W. Braker Ln., but it's now closed. A Reddit user snapped a picture of the sign on the location's last day. It read: "Count down 1 day / Thank you Austin for a great 26 years." Other users pointed to a condo development that will be taking the restaurant's place. Community Impactreports that the replacement location will be at 1631 Crystal Village Blvd. in Leander, and will open in February 2025.

Speaking of chains in Leander, the California chicken sandwich chain Daddy’s Chicken Shack has recently moved in. Located at 3501 N. Lakeline Blvd., Ste. 110, this is the first restaurant in the Austin area. It's up-and-coming in Texas, but so far there are just three locations across the state. What sets this chain apart is its pressure cooked crispy chicken, but guests can also opt to have their chicken grilled. On the menu are sandwiches, chicken and waffles, popcorn chicken, wraps, loaded fries, and more. Hours are daily from 7 am to 11 pm.

Farmhouse Delivery, a high-end grocery delivery service, is back in action, having made its first deliveries on December 24. The service shut down in May 2024, promising it would just be temporary. Although it's known for its prepared foods, it seems like its bread and butter (pun intended) right now is à la carte, uncooked ingredients. There's no word yet on the upcoming storefront or move away from packaging. (Those changes are covered in more detail here.) Right now, a newsletter says, the goal is getting delivery capacity back up to speed.

Farmhouse Delivery tenderloin This tenderloin is on Farmhouse Delivery's seasonal menu.farmhousedelivery.com

ICYMI: We've published stories about several closings and openings in the past week — some temporary — so let's recap.

Although the 29th Street Ballroom plans to stay open through most of its upcoming renovation, it will feel refreshed in March when the superstar new management team officially presents the new bar, which will be open even when there are no events scheduled.
Fine dining restaurant Hestia is also undergoing some renovations, so exclusive social club The Pershing is hosting the team for ticketed pop-ups throughout January.
Basil & Bites, a new sister concept to Pflugerville's Broth & Basil has been announced in Hutto. It'll serve Vietnamese cuisine with Texas influences.
Confituras Little Kitchen, specializing in fruit preserves and baked goods, is closing its brick-and-mortar and returning to the farmers market. Some products will remain available as retail at other businesses.
A Dallas project called La La Land Kind Cafe seeks to help youth transition from the foster system into adulthood by providing professional training while they work at the cafe. It recently announced it's found a location on South Congress Avenue in Austin. Expect a full coffee menu, fancy toasts, iced coolers, tea, and more.

Other news and notes

Those who need a little luck going into 2025 can get some at Thai Fresh. On New Year's Day, guests can order from the regular menu or the Lucky Foods menu, which features Texas black-eyed pea salad, cabbage soup, fried whole fish, pad mee, and some special desserts. All these dishes were selected because at least one ingredient is said to have lucky properties — and lucky for diners with a gluten sensitivity, everything on the special menu except the pad mee is gluten-free.

"Fish are a symbol of prosperity due to their scales resembling coins and their forward motion," says the menu announcement from Thai Fresh.Photo by Jody Horton, courtesy of Thai Fresh

Quince ATX is debuting its new executive chef in style on New Year's Eve. Julien Hawkins has been chef de cuisine at Austin Proper Hotel and Hestia, and worked in the kitchen at Asador Etxebarri, a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in Spain. He'll serve a five-course meal featuring lobster tail thermidor, prime beef tenderloin, Cajun specialties, Baked Alaska, and more for $150. Then the party continues until 2 am with DJ Brigham of San Miguel de Allende. Reserve via OpenTable.

OpenTable, the online reservations platform, has compiled a list of the 10 most-booked restaurants in Austin. Whether you're reading out of curiosity or calibrating your reservations strategy, may the bookings be ever in your favor.