New Restaurant Alert

Austin's Mueller development explodes with new restaurants

Bao'd Up, from the team behind Xian Sushi and Noodle, heads to Mueller.

Xian Sushi and Noodle/Facebook

Austin's Mueller area is becoming quite the dining destination. The East Austin development has announced two new restaurants — bringing the total to around 40 eateries.

In early 2017, Colleen's Kitchen and Bao'd Up join the in-progress Alamo Drafthouse on Aldrich Street.

Colleen's Kitchen is a new Southern spot serving lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, as well as beer, wine, and cocktails. Notable amenities include an outdoor patio and a takeout window for picnic fare, lunches, and coffee. The restaurant is helmed by Mueller resident Ashley Fric and her husband, Sean, of the Golden Goose and J. Black's Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge.

"We've given thoughtful consideration to what our guests want — and what our neighborhood needs — because we live here, we work here, and we're raising our family here. We love it here and we want others to feel the same," said Ashley in a release. "From the moment you approach our place you will feel welcomed, as if you are coming to a favorite relative's home."

The second concept, Bao'd Up, comes from the team behind Mueller's Xian Sushi. It will specialize in Chinese steamed buns.

"Xian has been such a success; we love this area and we know this area," said proprietor Ting Lin in the statement. "We think Bao'd Up [will be] a perfect addition at Mueller, whether residents, employees, and visitors are already familiar with bao or they discover bao as a new Chinese delicacy."

Other upcoming restaurants in the growing Aldrich Street corridor include Lick Honest Ice Creams, Halcyon Coffee + Bar + Lounge, B.D. Riley's Irish Pub, J.T. Youngblood's, and a local outpost of San Antonio's popular Stella Public House. All of these concepts are slated to debut in early 2017.

Hungry now? L'Oca D'Oro, Kyōten Sushiko, and Bribery Bakery are open.

east-austin openings

Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood

New Restaurant Alert

Austin's Mueller development explodes with new restaurants

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Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

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