After three years of construction, H-E-B cut the ribbon February 20 on its expanded Hancock Center store, unveiling a bigger location designed to offer more. That means more sushi, more chef-prepared meals, more specialty departments, and a full True Texas BBQ restaurant serving Cherrywood and surrounding Central Austin neighborhoods.

Major upgrades to the grocery store include the new True Texas BBQ restaurant with indoor seating, plus expanded sushi and prepared foods stations and significantly larger produce, meat, seafood, and grocery departments. The renovation also expands curbside pickup, beer and wine selections, and the Healthy Living department, while introducing new prepared meal options and a wellness clinic.

A large prepared foods section sorts out dinner.Photo courtesy of H-E-B

The three-year construction project added more than 30,000 square feet, bringing the store to more than 124,000 square feet and modernizing one of H-E-B’s oldest locations in Austin.

Hancock Center is one of the few longstanding retail centers still intact as the I-35 expansion construction reshapes Central Austin’s commercial corridor. The center was originally anchored by Sears, Dillard’s, and one of the city’s first H-E-B stores. Today, H-E-B remains the primary retail anchor, as Austin Community College completes its expansion into the former Sears building, converting the longtime department store into classrooms and workforce training space.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Renovations are officially complete at the Hancock Center H-E-B.

The Hancock Center H-E-B opened in 1964, was remodeled as an H-E-B Superstore in 1998; in 2026, it's expanded even more. In terms of size, the Hancock Center store is be larger than H-E-B’s Lake Austin location but still smaller than the company’s flagship South Congress store. Unlike the Lake Austin and South Congress locations, which were built from the ground up, Hancock Center was expanded gradually over three years, with construction unfolding in phases around the existing store.

Charcuterie boards won't know what him 'em.Photo courtesy of H-E-B

H-E-B operates 26 locations in Austin, making this the second-largest market for the grocery store chain behind San Antonio. H-E-B’s next Austin location is planned for Easton Park, where a new 115,000-square-foot store is scheduled to open in 2027.