Heat Rising

Austin Chronicle moves famous Hot Sauce Festival to hot new venue

The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, held last year at the Far Out Lounge, is moving to Radio/East this year.

Photos via the Austin Chronicle by Zeke Barbaro, Savannah Opre and Jose Valladares

The Austin Chronicle has moved its famous Hot Sauce Festival to a new venue that's really been heating up over the past few years. The festival will be held Sunday, August 30, at Radio/East.

Hot sauce lovers will be able to sample and purchase sauces by around 20 makers from Central Texas and beyond. They'll bring hundreds of sauces to taste alongside cold drinks and other local food trucks and vendors. When folks are ready to tap out, there will be live music to distract from the burn.

Besides helping attendees choose their favorite, the festival crowns an overall champion in the signature juried Hot Sauce Competition. Fans can also choose a People’s Choice winner together.

Participating makers so far are as follows:

Barbaro Mojo
Bindu Bites
Boerne Brand
Cowboy Spice Company
Fantastic Fuego
Freaky Ferments
Fxcking Hot Sauces
High Seas Provisions
Hill Country Hot Peppers DBA Still Fire Provisions
Jaime's Spanish Village
Mad Man Sauces
Old Bones Chilli Co.
Savir Foods
Stanky Sauce
T0tsauce
Wicked Provisions Hot Sauce
Goodburn Sauce Co.
Waste Mgmt
More TBA

Fans have certainly seen the festival change over the years, and it's happened at multiple venues around town including the old Waterloo Park, Fiesta Gardens, and most recently the Far Out Lounge.

The publication hasn't announced why it's moving the festival, but Radio/East is an increasingly popular venue that's shown it's able to hold down recurring annual events like the Holiday Hootenanny, which just announced its third year's lineup this week, on July 13. The venue itself is coming up on its third anniversary this October.

Multiple outdoor zones around the building and a small indoor space make Radio/East a good venue to mitigate the potential overwhelm of festivals. It is also a fairly easy place to park, since most of the surrounding area is occupied by offices that are closed when most festivals happen.

Tickets to the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival Presented by Ardalan Injury Law ($20 pre-sale or $25 at the door) are available via austinchronicle.com. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Central Texas Food Bank.

hot sauce spicy food festivals austin chronicle

Same Ramen, New Barrio

Hot Austin noodle shop Ramen Del Barrio sets anticipated reopening date

Ramen Del Barrio/Instagram

Ramen Del Barrio is set to reopen July 25.

Austin's popular fusion noodle shop Ramen Del Barrio (RDB) is almost ready to reopen, the restaurant announced July 15 on Instagram. The official reopening date is July 25. RDB is now located at 2007 Kramer Ln. in North Austin, right off Braker Lane and Metric Boulevard.

"Did you miss me? Id miss me," the post says. "We have been given approval to begin preparing food and are in the process of getting everything ready to go. See you soon Austin. Caele carnalgas!!"

Chef Chris Krinsky started Ramen Del Barrio as a pop-up and graduated to its first brick-and-mortar location in the beginning of 2023. Even so, it had an air of hip secrecy since it was located inside Hana World, an Asian supermarket. Hana World closed at the end of 2025, forcing RDB to pack up and move elsewhere.

Despite the unassuming setting, the Mexican-Japanese ramen shop became wildly popular in only a few years. It was a 2024 semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in the prestigious James Beard Awards, and it earned Bib Gourmand status (great food on a budget) in the Michelin Guide both years that the guide has operated in Texas so far. Krinsky also hosted Guy Fieri for an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.

Since the ramen shop closed, the team has kept busy, returning to its pop-up days. They maintained a residency at Yellow Ranger, a self-identified "Chinese-American dive," which Krinsky later said covered half his labor costs while closed. The team also executed collaborations with buzzy restaurants around town including Nixta Taqueria, La Santa Barbacha, Lao'd Bar, and Lolo Wine.

Fans knew that RDB would reopen since before it even closed, but it's been a long stretch of waiting for an opening date. The most recent news, from June 8, was that RDB would open sometime in July, so at least in that way the restaurant is right on time.

Ramen Del Barrio will be open Wednesdays through Mondays from 11 am to 3 pm and 4-10 pm.