Five Very Full Years

Austin 'fine-casual' restaurant marks 5 years with all-star chef dinner

Birdie's is celebrating its 5th birthday on July 18.

Photo courtesy of Birdie's

The lauded Austin restaurant and wine bar Birdie's is celebrating five years soon and some of the city's best chefs are joining the party. The collaborative dinner on July 18 is open to all on a first come, first served basis.

Three Austin friends will pitch in: pitmaster Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, chef Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria, and pastry chef Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panadería. Plus, chefs Brooks Headley of Superiority Burger in New York City is making the trip over. Birdie's, Franklin, Nixta, and Comadre are all located in East Austin on 11th and 12th Streets. In an Instagram post, Birdie's co-owner Arjav Ezekiel gave the guest chef's credit for shaping the "incredible corridor" and promised to "do the sappy stuff later."

According to a press release about the event, "Each of these chefs has played an integral part in [married Birdie's owners] Tracy and Arjav’s story and helped shape Birdie’s success story."

Anniversary diners will get a tray of dishes made by each of the participants. They can choose between a Yube Verde Sandwich from Superiority — a vegan dish made with broccoli rabe and yuba, which is tofu skin — and a chopped beef sandwich from Franklin, then add sides by Nixta and a slice of Comadre's famous pink cake. The tray is $44 before tax and gratuity, and guests can add $3 Budweiser specials, wine, and other beverages.

Birdie's has had five big years, garnering praise as soon as it got started. Among its many awards and inclusions on best-of lists, it was named among the best new restaurants by Esquire, best new restaurants in the South by Southern Living, and best restaurants in Austin by the New York Times.

Wine pro Ezekiel was the first-ever winner in a new James Beard Awards category in 2025 for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service; Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel was nominated for the Best Chef: Texas category the year before. Executive sous chef Heejae Galluccio won Rising Star Chef of the Year at the 2025 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards.

Birdie's is known for its unique fusion of fine dining and counter service, along with a rotating calendar of pop-ups like the homey Italian "Aiello's" and Galluccio's Korean "Jibbob." It has also stuck firmly to its belief that it could support its workers with health insurance, paid time off and family leave, and subsidized therapy. In 2025, the restaurant moved from à la carte to a seasonal prix fixe menu.

There will be no tickets or reservations for the collaborative dinner, which starts at 5:30 pm on July 18. The team will serve 200 trays and close when they're sold out.

dinner chefs anniversary

All Night Long

6 P. Terry's shops expand to 24-hour service after Austin flagship closes

P. Terry's Burger Stand/Facebook

P. Terry's is filling a gap for late-night drivers.

A 3 am burger won't bring back the iconic P. Terry's Burger Stand location on I-35 that just closed June 28. However, P. Terry's hopes that as one 24-hour location goes under, six new ones can provide a morale boost to drivers in Central Texas.

The flagship on I-35, also called the Capital Plaza location, closed to make way for the ongoing I-35 expansion. P. Terry's founder and co-owner Patrick Terry appeared at the Capital Plaza restaurant in a video to "say goodbye" and announce to social media that the six locations are switching to 24-hour service. These locations already exist; it is only their hours that are new. The video's caption also announces that breakfast now starts earlier, at 4 am.

Three are in Austin: Parmer (12301 N. Mopac Expy.), Research (12018 Research Blvd.), and Oltorf (1800 E. Oltorf St.). In our story when the Capital Plaza closure was announced, we also recommended the Slaughter (8600 S. Interstate 35 Frontage Rd SB) and Tech Ridge (12901 N. IH 35) locations as 24-hour alternatives near I-35.

The other three newly nocturnal locations are out of town. One is in Bastrop (484 W. SH 71) and the other two are in Greater San Antonio: Med Center (8443 Wurzbach Rd.) and Potranco (327 TX-1604 Loop).

"I hope you'll join us at these six new 24-hour locations, and thanks again for everything you do for P. Terry's," Terry said in the video. "We could not be more appreciative."

The I-35 expansion is a controversial process which has now replaced other businesses seen as emblematic of Austin's interesting culture, including Stars Café and West China Tea.

Business owners receive relocation grants from the state, softening the blow. Some silver linings, such as more permanent, nicer spaces for some of the business that have moved, have emerged. But moving — and time closed in the interim — is a big change nonetheless that might also change the customer base of each business.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) broke ground on the expansion project in 2023. It's scheduled to continue until 2033, and it will affect access to other public destinations, such as parks. Much of the project's budget and design work has centered around "cap and stitch" proposals that bring other roads together across the highway and house businesses and public spaces. However, it is difficult to reach consensus on these costly projects that are prone to delays.