Opening alert

Superstar hospitality group reveals plans for 3 new Austin restaurants in 2020

Hut's Hamburgers West Sixth original location

Sammie's, a new Italian restaurant from MMH, will take over the former Hut's Hamburgers.

Hut's Hamburgers/Facebook

Austin hospitality group McGuire Moorman is on quite a roll. On the heels of opening the re-envisioned Swedish Hill Bakery, the ever-growing team has revealed plans for three new neighborhood restaurants, slated for 2020.

As first reported by Austin360, McGuire Moorman Hospitality has taken over the former site of Hut’s Hamburgers at 807 W. Sixth Street. The iconic burger joint closed October 20 after 80 years in business and will reemerge as an Italian restaurant next year.

Sammie’s, named after property owner Samuel Joseph Jr., will be a red-sauce Italian American eatery with house pastas and dishes like veal Parmesan, a representative for MMH tells CultureMap. No exact opening date has been established, but the team is aiming for late 2020.

Next door, MMH has plans for long-running liquor store Favorite Liquor & Wine, located at 801 W. Sixth St. It will wrap up operations before the end of the year, and the team will transform the space into Favorite’s Pizza, a casual eatery serving pies for takeout and delivery. Like Sammie’s, it is expected to debut at the end of 2020 or early 2021.

Finally, the MMH team also revealed plans for a new concept at 1716 S. Congress Ave., just steps away from its June’s All Day cafe. The former home of Little Brown & Barrel will dive into Japanese fare when it becomes Neighborhood Sushi in spring 2020.

As if that wasn’t enough, McGuire Moorman is also busy with the upcoming opening of Austin Proper Hotels and Residences. The luxury property, taking reservations for January 2020, will house four food and beverage projects from the group: a Mediterranean grill and bar, a casual coffee shop, a poolside Mexican concept, and a cocktail lounge.

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Taco News

Popular Austin taco truck Con Todo wraps up business after 3 years

contodotacos.com

Con Todo is closed, but Chef Joseph Gomez is looking forward to the future.

A very popular Austin taco trailer at Celis Brewery has suddenly shut its ordering window. Con Todo chef Joseph Gomez made the announcement on his Instagram account, which was previously the business' account.

As Gomez points out in the message, the account predated Con Todo and will survive it, too, under his own name. It's a clear handle for what the chef plans to do: continue his career and the things Con Todo stood for, but not under the Con Todo name or project.

"Sorry for delay on posting but, after much thought, I’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors to Con Todo 😢. This is one of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make," Gomez wrote. "Con Todo wasn’t just a business — it was my livelihood, my passion, so deeply personal to me. For those of you who know me, you understand how much heart, soul, time, effort I put into it."

Gomez lists several identities and callings he plans to continue expanding: among them, advocacy, cooking, writing, and being "a proud ADHD weirdo."

"My commitment to supporting migrant workers’ rights remains is as strong as ever, and I’ll continue that work through new projects, as I always have," he writes. "You’ve heard me talk about this mission before, and this year is going to be especially important to take a deep dive into it and explore what’s happening on the border towns where I am from. I won’t be quiet about it."

Gomez and Con Todo have garnered acclaim from food industry and media sources including the James Beard Foundation, Texas Monthly, and CultureMap's own Tastemaker Awards; however the chef doesn't seem too concerned with formal praise from the Michelin Guide as he signs off with the snarky Spanish "#michelinmisnalgas." (He had already been using the hashtag for years prior to winning a recommendation from Michelin in November 2024, and the team did attend the ceremony.)

According to Con Todo's website manifesto, cuisine at Con Todo was both deeply personal to Gomez and representative of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), so it seems likely that Austinites will get to enjoy eats in the same style from Gomez going forward.

"In the mean time, keep an eye out for me doing pop ups, events, talks, panels and a little pot stirring," Gomez writes. "Nos vemos pronto!"

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