south atx to east atx pipeline

Patio hangout Armadillo Den to debut dainty riverfront spinoff in East Austin

Dainty Dillo, a new spinoff concept from Armadillo Den, will open in East Austin in late February.

Photo courtesy of Armadillo Den

A South Austin hot spot is about to make waves north of the river: Dainty Dillo, a spinoff from the owners of the beloved patio hangout Armadillo Den, is expected to open in February.

According to a release, Dainty Dillo will take over the space at 3201 East Cesar Chavez St., formerly Tillery Kitchen and Bar. To replicate the welcoming atmosphere of the original Armadillo Den, the new venue will lean into its location on the Colorado River and offer outdoor features that will make patrons want to sit and stay a while.

Guests can expect a wide-open backyard with a live performance stage, and seven fire pits with ample seating scattered throughout the space overlooking the river, the release says. The outdoor space will be decorated by murals, the most notable being a small and "dainty" armadillo sitting inside a martini glass. Additionally, 13 TVs will be installed inside and outside the building to provide the best gameday viewing experiences.

Armadillo Den's popular food truck, Biggie's Yard Bird, will also extend its reach into East Austin via Dainty Dillo's on-site kitchen, and will be managed by Asia Williams.

Dishes on the brunch menu will include loaded chilaquiles, crab cake Benedict, a sweet potato hash, and more. The regular daytime menu will consist of a variety of salads and sandwiches, including the Texas Cheesesteak and Biggie’s Double. Desserts will include seasonal cobbler and banana pudding, the owners say.

The venue also will debut an array of new "elevated" cocktails. Beer, seltzer, and nonalcoholic options will also be available, they say.

Armadillo Den and Dainty Dillo are owned by Brett Barry, Josh ‘Biggie’ Hazzard, and Cade Archer. Although they haven't given an exact opening date for Dainty Dillo, Barry says in the release that they're excited to expand to other parts of Austin.

"We have been lucky to find locations that reflect the environment and values that we have with our current concept, like highlighting the natural beauty of the Hill Country," he says. "This is one of the few locations downtown that we would be willing to expand the Armadillo Den brand to."

Dainty Dillo isn't the only new concept the Armadillo Den team is planning, they say. A second East Cesar Chavez restaurant and music venue, Chalmers, is scheduled to open in March.

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Iced Out

Rainey Street bar Icenhauer's closes after ongoing sales losses

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Icenhauer's has closed.

Austinites spent Sunday celebrating one last time at a Rainey Street staple: Icenhauer's.

The bar's owner, Michael Icenhauer, said all of the construction in the area is taking a toll on the bar's sales.

"We've been losing money since April 2023, and it's just not something we want to deal with anymore," Icenhauer said. "Our best year, our best month was ... we were down 20 percent. Our worst month, we were down 70 percent. So the last year and a half has been brutal for us."

Other Rainey Street bars like Reina, Container Bar, Bungalow, and Stagger Lee have all closed since 2022.

With this latest closure, longtime Central Texan Shelby Campbell said this is just another example of how the story of Rainey Street keeps changing.

"I remember being down here when it was all just little houses and tiny bars and everybody was just like that kind of a quaint feeling when you wanted to escape the crazy Sixth Street," Campbell said. "And now, to see so many high-rises, it's honestly wild."

Campbell has been living in Central Texas over the past 10 years and still hopes a part of the "old" Austin she knows can be preserved.

"I think it's a booming city and I don't think it has any signs of slowing down, which again, there's a lot of positives in that," Campbell said. [...]

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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