The Austin food scene is about to hit its customary pre-Christmas slump, but this week we have a surprising amount of news to share. Does that count as a Christmas miracle?

Openings and closings

Comedor chef Philip Speer knows a thing or two about running a prestigious food enterprise out of a hard-to-spot building, so opening a pizza joint in a covert bar is a natural move. Garage Pizza is serving "Sicilianish" pizza — baked in a circle, then sliced into triangles with a very thick crust — at Garage, a well-known yet well-concealed cocktail bar inside a parking garage. The website illuminates nothing, but social media has been a little more descriptive, showing off pepperoni, ricotta, greens, peppers, and more. Garage Pizza is open from 5 pm until it sells out at 503 Colorado St. Eater Austin provides more insight on the menu and inner workings of the new concept.

More pizza is on the way. Big Al's, a new concept by the owners of Hank's Austin, is expected to open next door to its sister eatery in the Windsor Park neighborhood of East Austin sometime in 2026. According to a short note from a Big Al's rep, it'll be a restaurant, bar, and cafe, and the pizza will be in the New York-style available both whole and by the slice. There will also be salads and appetizers. The rep promises more details in the new year.

A well-marketed U.K. coffee chain is making its Austin debut. Black Sheep Coffee will start with a soft opening December 27, followed by a grand opening in January. There are more than 130 locations worldwide, and its U.S. locations are mostly concentrated in Texas: four in or near Dallas and one in Miami. For an Austin address, the chain only offers West 6th Street and Guadalupe. It's known for serving 100 percent robusta coffee — a bold variety — alongside matcha pastries and Norwegian waffles. Guests who visit during the soft launch can get a 10 percent discount on the app using the code "LOCAL10."

Popular Houston-based brunch chain the Toasted Yolk is working on a location in Round Rock, according to local paper Community Impact. Looking at Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, they determined it'll be located at 1700 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Ste. 300. The chain is known for a wide-reaching menu of diner classics including omelettes, scrambles, breakfast sandwiches, salads, and more.

Other news and notes

A few bars and eateries have shared details about new menus, which are exciting news as events that aren't specifically connected to holiday markets and other events slow.

• Pins Mechanical: Starting in January, this entertainment complex will launch its first duckpin bowling league. Registration is open now through January 6 for gameplay from January 13 to March 3. There will also be new zero and low-proof cocktails on the menu, like the Gym Class Zero with Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, Desert Pear Monin, lime, and tonic; and the 2.25 percent ABV Field Trip with Aperol, Pomegranate Monin, simple syrup, lemon, rose water, and soda water.
• Hotel San Jose: This famous South Congress hotel has a new courtyard lounge menu that includes "elevated" shared plates like baked Greek Feta with hot honey and pistachios, plus creative cocktails like La Monarca with cazadores reposado tequila, carrot, epazote, lime, and nixta licor. A new happy hour will run Mondays through Thursdays from 2-6 pm with discounts on both food and drinks.
• Cousin Louie's: This Italian-American bistro is showing off eight new winter menu items that are especially cozy, including eggplant parmesan, chicken or veal saltimbocca, and wedding soup. Separately, folks who want to try the special Milan menu (white bean soup, calamari, veal Milanese, mushroom risotto) before the restaurant teleports elsewhere in Italy have through the end of the year to do so.
• The Salty Donut: Although The Salty is a chain, it's a very small one, and it's one of the best places to get an extra-fancy doughnut in Austin. To celebrate Hanukkah, it's serving up sufganiyot from December 14-22. Then it's flipping to its Christmas menu from December 22-24, offering up doughnuts inspired by gingerbread cheesecake doughnut and Little Debbie Christmas Trees.

We're not usually in the business of covering commercials, but Top Notch Hamburgers has launched four new video ads that nod to Old Austin in a warm, fun way. If hamburger fans have less than three minutes to engage in nostalgia (or hyper-serious viewers who are newer to Austin want to use these as a study guide), the videos are available to watch at prizefight.co. Director Chris Barnard says, "It doubles as our love letter to old Austin—spotlighting iconic menu items alongside a wide range of nods to the bands, venues, characters, and places that built this city’s culture."

KVUE reports local Starbucks baristas have joined the largest-ever strike in the United States. They walked out at 4400 N. Lamar Blvd. today, December 11, from 8-10 am and they'll do the same on December 15 and 17. The baristas' demand is that the company work with Starbucks Workers United to negotiate a fair contract.