FRESH MEAT

Tex-Mex chain sizzles into Austin with plans for 5 locations

The first local spot is opening this summer.

A Houston-based Tex-Mex eatery specializing in fresh fajitas is getting all up in Austin’s grill.

Fajita Pete’s, the fast-growing fajita franchise that was founded in Houston in 2008 and now boasts 21 locations and 54 more in development and opening by 2023, is moving into the Austin market with five planned fajita joints.

The first Fajita Pete’s in Austin will be located at Balcones Drive and RM 2222, and is scheduled to open in late August or early September, with construction beginning on the site imminently.

Austin franchisee Michael Blalock, who attended the University of Texas and has a good handle on the local market, will operate all five Fajita Pete’s restaurants, though he believes “the greater Austin area will support a lot more than five locations.”

The brand’s Austin growth is part of a company-wide expansion for the fajita carryout, delivery, and catering service, which plans to open 10 to 12 more locations in various markets this year, and is rapidly expanding in Dallas, Colorado, and Kansas City.

“The Texas expansion plan is to fill out greater Houston, greater Dallas, greater Austin, and hopefully break into San Antonio in the next 18 months as well,” says Blalock, an entrepreneur with a background in running small- to medium-sized businesses.

The Balcones Drive spot encompasses about 1,200 square feet, and while there will be a select few seats available for dining in, Blalock says more than 99 percent of Fajita Pete’s customers opt for pickup, catering, or delivery service (both in-house and through third-party delivery providers).

“We are working with the commercial real estate team to identify our next locations,” Blalock tells CultureMap. “We are trying to fast-track our Austin expansion and want to make sure that we are choosing the right locations.”

Regardless of the spots, Fajita Pete’s is likely to win Austin eaters over simply by specializing in what many locals consider a bona fide food group.

Fajita Pete’s signature menu item is — you guessed it — fajitas, which are available in chicken, beef, shrimp, veggie, and mixed versions. Tex-Mex lovers can go grande with the colossal family-sized pack, which includes a pound and a half of fajitas, hand-rolled tortillas, flautas, refried beans, rice, pico, sour cream, guacamole, queso, salsa, chips, and churros.

Fajita freaks not needing to feed the whole family can opt for the smaller-sized fajita trio, and even fajitas for one (good luck keeping ’em to yourself!).

Other menu highlights include burritos, chicken flautas, fajita salad, enchiladas verdes, and tacos, as well as kids’ dishes, queso and other sides, desserts, imported and domestic beers, and frozen Pete’s Ritas, available in 16-ounce, 20-ounce, half-gallon, and gallon sizes (because it’s not a fajita party without the frosty margs!).

“Fajita Pete’s is attracting a lot of attention from potential franchisees because our proven business model has seen the brand not only survive but thrive during the pandemic,” says Pedro “Pete” Mora, founder and CEO, in a recent news release about the company’s expansion plans. “With these latest signings, our expansion plan has exceeded our expectations. We also have more locations in the pipeline, both inside and outside Texas, that we plan to announce soon.”

Fajita fans can follow the expansion and Austin rollout on social media.

tex-mex openings

LAST CALL

All of the restaurant and bar closures that rocked Austin in 2024

Photo by Johanesen Photography

1417 French Bistro shuttered in May.

Maybe it's the 2024 zeitgeist, but it's hard to find a theme in 2024's Austin restaurant and bar closures. Yes, local development is a bugbear, and rising costs continue to be a plague. But as everything from celebrity chef-backed showcases to shaggy punk clubs bite the dust, the only constant seems to be chaos. Before the mirror ball drops, we're looking back at all the sad closures, from A to Z.

1417 French Bistro
This Bouldin Creek bistro got a little more French during its three-year run but always had je ne sais quoi. Redevelopment cut its tenure short in May.

Ah Sing Den
A maximalist sore thumb in clean-lined Austin, this Victorian-inspired bar left East Sixth Street in June after 8 years in business. In late September, the much more subdued Oko took its place.

Austin Eastciders Collaboratory
Days before Halloween, the homegrown cider brand ghosted out of its permanent tasting room. Entrepreneurial couple Moya and Colin McIntyre transformed the space into charming community space Stargazer in three weeks.

Aviary Wine & Kitchen
Even Marie Kondo would surely shirk from the mess created by this South Austin wine bar's ignominious ending in August. The drama allegedly included an eviction notice, a mass firing, and a walkout over bounced paychecks.

Baby Acapulco
Pour a Purple Margarita out for the anchor location of one of Austin's most infamous Tex-Mex chains. The Barton Springs Road flagship, which opened in 1981, called it quits in October.

Bacalar
The controversy surrounding Top Chef winner Gabe Erales often overshadowed this modern Mexican stunner. In July, the restaurant's parent company decided to focus on the sibling concept Tómalo Grill. Erales did not go along for the ride.

Confituras Little Kitchen
Local jam-maker Stephanie McClenny retired her South Austin biscuit shop in late December, but will continue selling at farmers markets and local shops.

Diner Bar and Grey Market
Whee! The Thompson Austin hotel's roller coaster of closings continued in July with the shuttering of Mashama Bailey's first Capital City restaurants. Hotel management implied it was a mutual decision.

Elementary
We'll credit the trio running this playful fine-dining restaurant. After being schooled by customer feedback and sales data, they realized their concept wasn't working for Austin. Hinting at a rework to come, the owners shuttered Elementary in August.

Estelle's
This reimagined fern bar brought boisterous patrons, silk flowers, and a heady dose of mauve to the Warehouse District. After a brief two-and-a-half-year run, it wilted in early September.

Foxtrot
Barely a year after opening its first Texas stores, this tony convenience store imploded in April — closing all 33 of its locations. The roll-out was so botched that staff and customers were asked to leave still-operational stores after the company unceremoniously dropped the news. Unchastened, the chain is now opening more stores in Dallas and Chicago. Bravo wishes it had so much drama.

Hao-Hao
The closing of this 35-year-old classic was one of CultureMap's top restaurant stories of 2024. Locals obviously remain ravenous for quality Chinese-Vietnamese fare served at an affordable price.

Hi Hat Public House
This jazzy Holly beer joint was an anomaly among East Austin's hipper bars, serving pub grub in an unfussy environment. It tapped out at the end of July.

Huckleberry
The acclaimed food truck, specializing in Gulf Coast cuisine, said its goodbyes in November. Owners Davis Turner and Melinda Reese will still run the business' catering arm.

Icenhauers
Perhaps the real Rainey Street Ripper is rampant construction. In November, this cocktail lounge became the latest victim of the street's shift from a party district to a high-rise hub. Namesake owner Michael Icenhauer said the bar had lost money since April 2023.

Irene's
Before closing in November, this funky downtown spot hosted one of the city's most popular drag brunches. An incoming development said sashay away.

The Lost Well
One of Austin's punishingly few punk and metal venues smashed its guitars in October after the property owner decided to sell.

Luminaire and La Bis
Lauded San Antonio chef Steve McHugh's first foray into the Capital City culinary scene didn't last an entire year. Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue and McHugh's Landrace Group severed business relations in January without an explanation.

Patika
One of Austin's best-kept secrets, this South Lamar coffee shop lasted 10 years thanks to quality roasts, a curated wine program, and effortless hospitality. Faced with increasing costs and disruptive construction, owners Andy Wigginton and Nick Krupa decided not to renew the lease in October. The Congress Avenue location remains open.

Salt & Time
One of the leaders of Austin's locavore revolution, this butcher shop and restaurant had a solid 11-year run before throwing in the towel in July. Owner Ben Runkle passed the baton to a similarly minded food business, Radius Butcher & Grocery.

Smash ATX
When it opened in 2021, this ping-pong bar already seemed like a relic of Austin's freewheeling WeWork past. In February, it closed to make room for a two-hotel development.

Stagger Lee
The name of this Rainey Street bar referenced one of American folklore's more colorful criminals, but the atmosphere was relatively tame. FBR Management gunned it down in March.

Stars Café
For 58 years, generations of insomniacs counted on the former Star Seeds to deliver welcoming booths and meh coffee. Unfortunately, the Texas Department of Transportation's much-maligned I-35 expansion project put the spot in a sleeper hold. Stars shuttered in November with a promise to reopen at an undisclosed location.

The Statesman
As bromakases proliferate in weird Austin, this supper club offered an old-school take on largesse. By June, it was gone in a puff of cigar smoke.

Trudy's South Star
Qué sorpresa! In recent years, Trudy's has suffered a string of calamities, from fires to bankruptcies. In May, it closed its South Austin location, citing changing economics. The North Shoal Creek outpost is now the sole survivor of the once-mighty chain.

Vamonos
This Tex-Mex eatery was an oddball among chef Shawn Cirkiel's Parkside Projects portfolio. Although it had more staying power than its predecessor, Bullfight, it shuttered in February — two months before its fifth anniversary.

Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ
In April, what was once one of Central Texas' most respected barbecue joints went out with a big ole oof. Among the alleged issues were unpaid bills to contractors, back taxes, tip theft, and unpaid wages.

Wu Chow
Chameleon Hospitality has never found a winning formula for 3800 North Lamar Blvd. Since 2017, the address has hosted three concepts, including Guild and Rosedale Kitchen & Bar. After the parent company was acquired, the latest occupant went on the chopping block. Yet another restaurant is promised in its place.

Photo by Johanesen Photography

1417 French Bistro shuttered in May.

Zoé Tong
The Sichuan-inspired restaurant caps off a year of closures with a final New Year's Eve service.

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