After an extremely busy few weeks, Austin's restaurant and bar scene has yet to slow down. Three big pieces of news hit at the end of the week involving famous restaurant Aba's new sister eatery, Zoé Tong's surprising closure, and a new coffee and wine shop by the folks at Small Victory. And as usual, we've got a few events to look forward to.

Openings and closings

Few Austin restaurants send their clarion call to celebrities the way Aba does, so it's no surprise that its newly announced sister restaurant is already causing a stir. Ēma, Hebrew for "mother" will open at the Domain Northside (3120 Palm Way, Suite 170) in fall of 2025. Like Aba's pan-Mediterranean cooking, this restaurant will take inspiration from the region, but feature a lighter style of cooking, according to a release. Ēma currently has two restaurants in Chicago, and this will be the first in Texas. This project has been in the works since at least 2019.

The business partners behind the popular cocktail bar Small Victory are making a big move. Laura Maddox and Josh Loving are almost ready to debut their new coffee shop and wine bar, Strangelove. They've gotten help from Figure 8 Coffee Purveyors owners Ryan Hall and Kathleen Carmichael, and are holding one pop-up each at the existing two locations — Small Victory on December 19 and Figure 8 on December 21 — to get things rolling. For now, it's all Strangelove merch, house roasted coffee beans, and wines by the glass (to introduce Strangelove wine buyer Candice Dublin). Strangelove will have a soft opening on East Cesar Chavez "after the new year" according to an email from Maddox. More upcoming Small Victory events are listed on Instagram.

Still Austin Whiskey Co. keeps making news, in November because of a boastful (but funny) game day stunt, and just this week for making Whisky Advocate's list of the 20 most exciting whiskeys in the world. It also has another recent win to brag about: welcoming the new Sterrato Italian Specialties food truck as a resident at the distillery (440 E. St. Elmo Rd., Ste. F). As the name suggests, it'll serve up Italian specialties like wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta, but with "a modern Asian twist," according to a press release. Menu items include ttok ala vodka (Korean rice cakes with sauce) and a sando al Italia (artisan salumi, "castlevatrano" kosho, kewpie, and tomato), and pizzas are $13 every Tuesday. Normal hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 9 pm, and Sundays from noon to 7 pm.

And that's what an Asian-inspired pizza looks like.Photo courtesy of Sterrato Italian Specialties

Whatever brought the end of Zoé Tong's Barton Springs location, it couldn't have been a lack of effort. This creative and unique Sichuan-inspired restaurant even opened a barbecue food truck, Sí Baby-Q, in the year it's been open. But it announced in an email newsletter shared on the ATX Asian Food group on Facebook that it will be closing down and taking the food truck with it. The team says they're looking for a new space, and fans should keep an eye out for pop-ups. But for now, the last day of service is December 31.

Other news and notes

It's Italian Cucina has launched a brunch menu to be served from 11:30 am to 3 pm daily except Mondays, when the restaurant is closed. The South Lamar eatery specializing in Italian classics presents brunch dishes like a basilica frittata (omelette with basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella), a breakfast pizza (prosciutto, arugula, spicy San Marzano, and sunny side up egg), and pasta carbonara (fresh rigatoni with pancetta, Pecorino Romano, garlic, and eggs). It's also pouring some classic cocktails like mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Austin-based snowboarders are looking forward to the season to run away to colder places, and the Arizona-based chain Cheba Hut is enabling them with a chance to win a free snowboard by Never Summer and a mountain retreat. Austinites can go online or visit the sandwich shop on Guadalupe Street from now until December 31, and order an 8-inch sub to enter. They'll have to sign into the Cheba Hut app and use a rewards account to be eligible, but the $10 floor will be easy to hit since that's about the price of a basic sandwich.