News You Can Eat

Persian, Spanish, and Japanese openings, plus more Austin food news

Persian decorators can always be counted on to make a statement. (Pictured: Roya interior)

Photo courtesy of Bita Ghassemi

Yes, Austin is deep in a cycle of hospitality groups, rather than wholly independent restaurants, calling the shots. There is, however, a sweet spot for small restaurant teams whose glowing reputations are well-earned. This week's food news roundup contains a healthy sampling of the latter, as highly anticipated concepts either take form or approach their official opening dates.

Openings and closings

A highly regarded pop-up is almost ready to welcome Austinites to its new permanent space. Roya, by Chef Amir Hajimaleki, will bring fine Persian dining to 7858 Shoal Creek Blvd. starting February 11. Locals may be familiar with Hajimaleki's other restaurants, including District Kitchen + Cocktails and Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar, but Roya will be the most upscale — more like its sister bar, Daisy Lounge. The menu will apply local ingredients to recipes sourced from Hajimaleki's family heritage, and a special Sofreh Experience will treat diners like guests in a real Persian home. Roya will start with opening hours of 4-10 pm Mondays through Thursdays, 4-11 pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 3-9 pm Sundays. Lunch and brunch will be added "in later months."

The owners of Lenoir — one of Austin's most consistently creative local restaurants — and Dovetail Pizza are introducing a third concept to their growing culinary family. Boni's Bar Next Door, by husband-and-wife team Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher, is inspired by Maher's great grandfather from Spain, Bonifacio, and is in fact next door to Lenoir on the same property (1805 South First St.). The bar serves up tapas like stewed pork meatballs and preserved redfish, plus Spanish cocktails, in a 1934 bungalow-style building that Duplechan has remodeled himself, according to a press release, filling it with vintage furniture and family heirlooms. Guests can also expect natural Spanish wines, draft beers, cider, and espresso. Boni’s is set to open in the spring, from 3 pm to midnight every day except Tuesdays.

Boni's Bar Next Door cocktails Original windows give the Boni's space extra character.Photo courtesy of Boni's Bar Next Door

Here's a third upcoming opening by a respected local team. Although restaurateurs Nick Ford (former executive chef at Sammie’s Italian) and Wade McElroy (owner of Love Supreme, Teddy’s Cocktail Bar) are well-established in Austin's food scene, the duo's first restaurant together, Rocco's Neighborhood Joint, only opened last fall and is quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite. They also just announced Kinsho, a sushi bar that will open this March at 51 Rainey St., Ste. 140A. The new concept emphasizes accessibility, but still offers "elevated" sushi for "sushi fanatics and casual diners alike." Chef Victor Gonzales brings additional experience from Uchiko and Lucky Robot. There will be both sushi and hot dishes, an 18-seat sushi bar, and sake, beer, wine, and cocktails.

ICYMI: Central Texas is having a huge few weeks for highly anticipated destination restaurants; here are three new ones in Buda and New Braunfels, including a new restaurant in the Salt Lick family. We also heard this week about the closure of the famous and exclusive Pasta|Bar to make room for a new concept by the same team, and a longterm move for Taquería De Diez, which will eventually close its current downtown location and set up shop on Sixth Street. The Mediterranean restaurant Oria is opening soon at an always-changing space on Barton Springs Road, and Little Mexico, which hardly changed over the last 40 years, announced it will close at the end of the month when its owner retires.

Other news and notes

Retail investment firm Asana Partners has acquired The Arboretum, a shopping center that currently houses both chains like Five Guys and the Cheesecake Factory and local culinary businesses like Julie Myrtille Bakery and Hanara Sushi & Grill. A press release about the acquisition does not indicate that any changes will be made to current tenants, but there will be construction starting this summer and ending in early 2027. Among the changes to common spaces will be new or updated patios for outdoor dining.

Skipjack Oyster, which opened in October 2025, is introducing two fun new reasons to stop by. First, a weekend caviar cart will make stops around the restaurant for $10 caviar bumps and $5 bubbles; it'll make its rounds from 7 am to 3 pm Fridays through Sundays. Plus, oyster-lovers can dive deeper with a new oyster omakase ($50-60) the last Friday of every month from 5-10 pm. Guests who try this service will sit down for a 7-10 course oyster tasting menu that considers seasonality and pairings. Wine or bubble flights can be added for an additional cost. A press release emphasizes that space is limited, and reservations can be made via OpenTable.

Skipjack Oyster caviar cart This caviar cart will make the rounds at brunch.Photo courtesy of Skipjack Oyster

Caribbean restaurant Canje is honoring Black History Month for all of February with a special giveback menu. Specials include the Wah Gwaan, hushpuppies with saltfish salad; Suppa, red snapper with “coconut rundown” plantain dumplings; Big Ups, Wagyu oxtails in brown stew with rice and peas; and Likkle Muore, peanut punch ice cream with Foreign Extra stout. A portion of proceeds from the specials will support Huston-Tillotson University and the Bristol-Joseph Scholarship Foundation. Last year's giveback raised $35,737 and sold out nearly every night, a release recounts.

openings closings mediterranean cuisine spanish cuisine japanese cuisine tapas cocktails oysters caviar brunch caribbean cuisine black history month education

PIZZA PROBLEMS

Texas-based Pizza Hut closing 250 restaurants as U.S. sales plummet

Pizza Hut/Facebook

Pizza Hut will close 250 restaurants by mid-2026.

By the middle of the year, Austin could have a few fewer Pizza Huts. Yum! Brands, the parent company of the almost 70-year-old chain, announced it plans to close an estimated 250 restaurants — about four percent of the chain’s massive global footprint.

The closures were revealed during Yum's fourth quarter earnings call on February 4. The company said that U.S. store sales slid three percent as value initiatives, like the $5 Crafted Flatzz personal pizza, have failed to take hold with customers, who are increasingly spending their pizza budget at rival Domino’s.

In November 2025, Yum Brands announced that it would launch a “formal review of strategic options,” a program called “Hut Forward,” which officials said could result in a global reduction in the number of Pizza Hut outlets or an eventual sale of the concept.

“The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum! Brands,” said Chris Turner, CEO of Yum! Brands, in a previous press release.

It’s unclear how any such sale would affect the franchise’s Texas headquarters. The corporation is currently in the process of moving KFC, which has been experiencing its own financial struggles, from Kentucky to its Plano home base.

In recent years, the overall pizza landscape has been rocky for national chains. Concepts like Papa John’s, Blaze Pizza, and Mod Pizza have closed units as dining shifts increasingly favor more “interesting” concepts like Nashville-style hot chicken. In early January, the Wall Street Journal reported that pizzerias are no longer the second most popular chain format in the U.S., plummeting below Mexican restaurants and coffee shops to sixth place.

Although Pizza Hut has not disclosed exactly which locations would be shuttering, it did say it expects to wrap up the closure round by the middle of 2026. The chain currently operates 19 restaurants within Austin city limits.

chains pizza closings