Say adios to El Sapo. The burger joint from El Chile Group unexpectedly closed its doors on Saturday, September 2.
"We are sad to report that due to circumstances beyond our control, El Sapo will be closing permanently effective today [September 2]," reads a statement issued by the restaurant group. "We want to thank our loyal customers for your amazing support."
The closure comes just three months after the restaurant moved from its original East Austin outpost on Manor Road and relocated to the former home of Bacon off North Lamar Boulevard in Old West Austin. The shutter also happened ahead of a Burger Brunch that was scheduled to take place September 3 and 4 in support of Austin Pride.
El Chile Group's other restaurants — El Alma, El Chile, El Chilito, Alcomar — are not affected by the closure. The group also has a new concept in the works: Peruvian restaurant Yuyo is slated to open in East Austin this fall.
David Douglass, known for his social media restaurant reviews, is visiting immigrant restaurant owners around Austin in the new PBS series David Eats Everywhere.
In this era of Instagrammable plates and viral videos, Austin food blogger David Douglass knows how to draw attention to local restaurants. In his new online-only PBS show, David Eats Everywhere, he's lending these digital skills to a less social media-based audience, hoping to give immigrant restaurant owners around town a boost to business. David Eats Everywhere will premiere on YouTube on June 10.
The series contains six parts, each eight to 12 minutes, that will premiere weekly. All will trace members of Austin's diverse food scene from external cultures to here, adding a special focus on the people who make the food.
Douglass' social media restaurant reviews have a formula: show a close-up of the food, take a bite, and toss around some internet humor to puncture through bold claims about the best such-and-such dish in Austin or dense ingredient and flavor breakdowns. The digital PBS series looks different, with wider shots, immersive narratives, and the culinary travel feel viewers would expect from a TV show.
This series is a product of the inaugural Austin PBS Digital Originals Grant in 2025, a press release explains. Douglass and Austin PBS collaborated to bring the show to life.
“For the last two and a half years I have been telling stories in 45 seconds through my phone,” said Douglass in the release. “Austin PBS is giving me an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a talented crew and director to dive deeper into the stories that make Austin a place I love to live.”
Collaborating with PBS meant working with director and editor Ariel Quintans, who calls the series "a love letter to Austin's diverse culinary scene."
"In a city filled with Michelin stars and Bib Gourmands, I wanted to shine a light on the first and second-generation immigrant restaurateurs whose stories are woven into Austin's cultural fabric," Quintans said. "The challenge wasn't simply making a food show—it was finding the intersection of food, film, and community that honors the people that have quietly shaped what Austin tastes like.”
The inaugural six-episode series visits:
Sichuanese restaurant House of Three Gorges
Mexican bakery Comadre Panadería
Colombian coffee trailer Desnudo Coffee
Japanese restaurant Tatsumi Sushi
Chinese Uyghur-inspired barbecue restaurant Camino Alamo
Traditional Mexican barbacoa pit El Grandpa Mexican BBQ
