Barbecue Deliverance

The real Black's Barbecue is finally coming to Austin: Guadalupe location to open next month

After a long wait of 82 years, Austin is finally getting its own Black’s Barbecue. The owners of the legendary culinary stop in Lockhart, Texas announced that a new Austin location will open at 3110 Guadalupe St., just north of the University of Texas campus.

This isn’t the first time that a barbecue joint named Black’s has had plans to come to Austin. One of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2014 is Terry Black’s Barbecue on Barton Springs Road. Owned by Mike and Mark Black, the great grandsons of original Black’s Barbecue founder Edgar Black, Terry Black’s recently announced that it will open next week.

However, in the press release announcing the new Black’s Barbecue on Guadalupe, owners (and second generation pitmasters) Norma Jean and Edgar Black Jr. wanted to set the record straight. Terry Black's and Black's are not the same.

“Some of you may have heard or been thinking that the ‘Original Lockhart Black’s BBQ’ was opening on Barton Springs Road in Austin,” says the release. “Not true. That BBQ joint is not affiliated with the ‘Original Lockhart Black’s BBQ.’ They will be different owners, and using different recipes.”

The Black's on Guadalupe will be serving up a selection of brisket and sausage cooked at the original Black's in Lockhart. CultureMap confirmed with the restaurant that it will be delivering fresh meat to Austin each morning. According to the release, the new outpost will open in July.

The original Black's Barbecue is opening an Austin outpost in July.

Courtesy of Black's BBQ Facebook

The original Black's Barbecue is opening an Austin outpost in July.

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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.