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

Along with the many new restaurants, shops, and businesses opening in the quickly growing town of Kyle (P. Terry’s Burger Stand, Costco, Hawaiian Bros., and others), a West Coast chain with some seriously caffeinated plans for Texas is brewing up a location in the Austin suburb. According to a state filing, Oregon-based Dutch Bros Coffee is planning to open a location at 20347 I-35 in Kyle. Construction on the drive-thru coffee shop is expected to begin March 1, 2022 and be completed by May 2, 2022. Dutch Bros confirmed to CultureMap earlier this year that the chain has designs on having 100 Texas locations open by the end of 2023. The company said it planned to open seven locations in the Austin area and three in Central Texas this year, though, according to its website, it currently has only two spots open — one in Round Rock and one in Hutto — and two more earmarked to open soon on the north side of Round Rock and off East Parmer Lane.

SoCo is now TsoCo, as far as one local Chinese food delivery is concerned. Tso Chinese Delivery, known for its free delivery service and innovative no-tipping policy, has opened its third Austin location at 2407 S. Congress Ave. The new location, which was brought on by a demand for Tso in South Austin (along with a funding boost), will offer delivery within a 4-mile radius. It will feature the same craveable menu items available at the Cherrywood and Arboretum locations, including popular dishes like General Tso’s chicken (obviously), as well as fried rice, lo mein, soups, and more, including vegan and gluten-free options. The new TsoCo location is open for delivery service and takeout Monday through Saturday from 11 am-9:30 pm. Visit the restaurant’s website for more details and to place an order.

Fans of beloved Austin comfort food eatery Kerbey Lane Café have reason to toast. The team behind the local fave has opened a new concept: Toomey Tap Room. Located at 300 S. Lamar Blvd. (on the corner of Toomey Road) in the building that formerly housed High Note Kitchen, Toomey Tap Room is a neighborhood sports bar that aims to bring Austinites the “best local brews, burgers, wieners, and wings south of the river.” Wine and booze are also available. Plus, as the tap room website notes, it’s the only other place in town to score some ooey, gooey, lust-worthy Kerbey Queso, so it’s a win-win! Toomey is open Monday through Thursday from 4 pm-midnight and Friday through Sunday from 11 am-midnight. Check the tap room’s website or Instagram for more details.

If you’re sipping (or swigging) wine at one of Austin’s most intoxicating wine bars, you should probably nosh on some tasty snacks, too. Now open at Wanderlust Wine Co.’s East Austin bar at 702 Shady Ln.: SXSE Food Co. Pronounced “sexy” food co., the biz, which also has a spot up north at 4th Tap Brewing, features contemporary Lao cuisine, aka “a blend of Southern American and Southeast Asian flavors.” Menu specialties include brisket rice porridge, crispy fried rice, meaty skewers, fresh crudo, scallops, wings, and vegan dishes. SXSE Food Co. at Wanderlust is open Thursday from 4-8 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 4-10 pm. Visit SXSE’s Instagram for more details and schedule updates.

Other news and notes

One location of an always-packed taco fave may be getting an overhaul. According to documents filed with the Austin Planning Commission, Roberto Amaya, the owner of Amaya’s Taco Village, hopes to receive a rezoning amendment that would enable him to redevelop the the north location of Amaya’s, located at 5804 N. I-35, into a mixed-use project that would feature the restaurant on the ground floor and 70 condo units rising above it. Though the Planning Commission staff supports the rezoning request, Austin City Council will have to take up a vote on the project, which is expected at its meeting on December 9. No word on whether future condo dwellers would get a deal on the massive margs.

While today, November 30, is Giving Tuesday, and we at CultureMap always encourage Austinites to give back to their favorite causes, one cherished biz is turning the tables, treating locals to a sweet gift this weekend. In honor of National Cookie Day on Saturday, December 4, Tiff’s Treats is giving out a free, warm chocolate chip cookie to anyone who pops by a Tiff’s Treats shop. (The brand has 11 Austin locations and five in San Antonio.) Additionally, Tiff’s is giving five cookie fanatics the chance to win free cookies for everyone on their holiday gift list (that’s a dozen warm cookies delivered to 10 of their favorite people in Tiff’s Treats’ delivery zones), as well as a $250 Tiff’s Treats gift card and a one-year Tiff’s Treats Elites membership featuring unlimited free deliveries and special discounts. Sign up here for your chance at this sweet deal.