Moving On
Favorite campus-area restaurant moves on after 20-plus years
![Kismet Cafe Austin](https://austin.culturemap.com/media-library/kismet-cafe-austin.jpg?id=31635132&width=2000&height=1500&quality=65&coordinates=0%2C0%2C1%2C0)
UPDATE: Kismet Cafe opened its new location at 1000 E. 41st St. in April 2017. Hours are Sunday through Wednesday, 11 am to 1 am, and Thursday through Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm.
---
A campus-area favorite is on the move: Kismet Cafe will close its West Campus location after 22 years, manager Rami Bataineh told CultureMap.
But there's no need to fret — the Mediterranean restaurant will reopen at the Hancock Center.
The reason for the move? The opportunity to upgrade. Bataineh says the new restaurant offers more space and parking, which means more customers. Thankfully, the delicious menu of shawarma, kebab, falafel, and breakfast tacos will remain the same.
Kismet Cafe's affordable fare and convenient location near The Drag have attracted countless University of Texas co-eds over the past two decades. Plans are to close the current location on West 24th Street before Thanksgiving and open the new location, a mile north of campus, in December.