Walks like a duck
Iconic Hyde Park cafe blasts off with new custom cake shop in Mueller

Amidst a brutal year for Austin dining institutions, at least one big name is expanding. On November 6, local icon Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery quietly opened the latest member of its “galactic empire,” a custom cookie and cake shop in the burgeoning Mueller neighborhood.
An employee confirmed that Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery, located in the former home of Jodi Elliott’s Bribery Bakery at 1900 Simond Ave., Ste. 300, was now operational, but cautioned that they are in a “very soft opening” with limited menu and truncated hours of 7 am-7 pm. Full hours of 7 am-10 pm will kick off on November 15.
The sweets shop is the second outpost of the company founded by Art Silver in 1983. For years, the original Captain Quackenbush's Intergalactic Dessert Company and Espresso Café on the Drag fueled Austin’s creative community with newfangled espresso drinks, even earning a spot in Richard Linklater’s 1991 film Slacker.
In 1998, Silver set his eyes on Hyde Park, opening a second location at 411 E. 43rd St. Within a year, he shifted all operations to that neighborhood, where Quack’s has been going strong ever since.
The popularity of Quack's cookie and cake business now merits its own production facility. Lady Quackenbush’s will be the center for all things custom, but will also offer sweet treats like pastries, as well as beer and wine, and, of course, coffee.
The new concept also takes Quack’s legacy into the Instagram age. The Hyde Park’s shaggy digs have given way to a new aesthetic, complete with of-the-moment spindle back chairs, hanging shelving, and plenty of pastels.
And the expansion doesn't stop in Mueller. Construction is still underway at a third shop, Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse, which is moving into the former home of Strange Brew at 5326 Manchaca Rd.