Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings

Southside burger fanatics will be happy to hear that one of Austin’s favorite local eateries has another bun in the oven. P. Terry’s Burger Stand is beefing up its empire with a new location in the Austin suburb of Kyle. According to a state filing, P. Terry’s will open a 2,785-square-foot burger joint at 18940 I-35 in Kyle that will include indoor seating and a drive-thru, the chosen mode of burger fetching for most P. Terry’s fans. Construction began earlier this month and is expected to be completed by the end of May 2022.

Here’s some food for thought: What pairs better with fried chicken than empanadas and sweet plantains? If the folks at Pollo Campero, a ghost kitchen new to Austin, have anything to say about it, the answer is nada. The fast-casual concept, which originated as a family-owned restaurant in Guatemala, has just opened a pickup and delivery outpost at 8023 N. Burnet Rd., within Kitchen United Mix. In addition to a variety of fried and citrus grilled chicken meals, the Pollo Campero menu also features a chicken sandwich, chicken-topped salad, boneless wings, and a chicken bowl with beans and veggies. But what sets this newly hatched joint apart from other pollo places are its hand-rolled chicken empanadas and tempting sides, including yucca fries and sweet plantains. Austinites can order online at us.campero.com; through the Pollo Campero app; via Campero’s Flavor Hotline (1-833-CAMPERO); or through DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Postmates.

Feeling cheesy, Central Austin? Scoring some crafted cheese and charcuterie boards just got a little easier, thanks to the opening of Casero’s new window market. The Austin-based biz in the Mueller neighborhood had previously opened with only curbside and delivery service, but now cheese fiends can simply pop by and purchase an array of crackers, breads, pates, nuts, jams, and cheese and charcuterie boards from the window. Also available window-side is a selection of wine, beer, and cider. It’s everything you need for the perfect picnic! Casero’s window market is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am-6 pm. Visit the shop’s website for more info.

Champions of Houston-based Local Foods, which uses super-fresh and locally sourced ingredients and was originally set to open a restaurant in the Austin market in the summer of 2020, can start planning their daily trips to the eatery, located in downtown’s Second Street District. Local Foods Austin finally has an opening date: February 2022. The restaurant will feature a variety of scratch-made entrees, salads, sides, and sandwiches (including the best dang truffled egg salad sammie you’re likely to ever eat), as well as a curated selection of wine and beer, coffee, matcha, and chilled beverages. If you can’t wait a couple more months, you can hit up the Local Foods pop-up at 5350 Burnet Rd., which is offering takeout and delivery until the downtown shop opens next year.

Other news and notes

A local coffee shop revered for its out-of-this-world beans and creamy, dreamy lattes is brewing up business up north. Summer Moon, home of the incomparable Moon Milk lattes, will open a café on December 4 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. According to the Kenosha News, this will be the first location in the Midwest for the Austin-based coffee chain, though the brand does currently have 32 shops across Texas and in Oklahoma City and Kansas. The paper also notes that Summer Moon plans to expand to other regions soon.

Speaking of expanding north, Loro, the South Lamar Asian smokehouse from lauded local chefs Tyson Cole of Uchi and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, is opening its second location in the Dallas area, in the suburb of Addison, next fall. The first Loro location in North Texas opened earlier this summer in East Dallas, and another restaurant is planned for the Houston market in early 2022. The eatery’s growth is driven by the two chefs’ renown, no doubt, but also by the reception the brand has received outside of Austin, according to company reps.