Fareground, the convenient and delicious sunken food hall at Congress and Cesar Chavez, is always changing things up. This time, that means two new restaurants — and they couldn’t be more different. If deciding between burgers and salads is an issue for the lunch company you keep, Fareground offers peace in JewBoy Sliders and Freshii, two new additions.
Whether you like your burgers medium or well-done, JewBoy Burgers is on fire. A 2023 nominee for CultureMap’s Tastemaker Awards, this burger baron impressed guests at our Tailgate event, represented Austin Jews to Israelis in a food-focused TV series, and maintains one of the best Google Maps ratings in the city.
Photo courtesy of JewBoy Sliders
The local JewBoy empire expands a little further with the addition of JewBoy Sliders at Fareground.
Starting April 24, it will be slinging sliders, paring down as a common twist for Fareground tenants who need to adapt to a quicker service atmosphere. This venture joins JewBoy Burgers and JewBoy Sub Shop in offering unctuous American sandwiches with Jewish twists, like latkes as toppings.
A preview promises slider-scale renditions of the burger joint’s classics, plus “reuben, french dip and falafel sliders.” Cold sliders will also make an appearance, with more deli-style meats like chicken salad and tuna, plus fried sides, and even a salad.
“We are thrilled to bring JewBoy Sliders to Fareground,” said owner and executive chef Mo Pittle. “Fareground gives tastemakers like myself a brick & mortar to grow and share our creations with customers in the heart of downtown Austin, who may not otherwise have had the chance to meet us or taste what we have to offer.”
Freshii also brings an international perspective that blends in after centuries of assimilation, but on a much less local basis. The Canadian fast-casual franchise operates hundreds of restaurants in Canada alone, plus a few more each in several U.S. states.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area houses the densest pocket of stores outside of a border state, and the Austin area has been enjoying one location in Cedar Park since 2018. The new Fareground location is open now.
The health food store offers all of the usual suspects — salads, wraps, bowls, soups, cold drinks, and more — in an affordable, made-to-order format. Considering the health of the community as well as its food, Freshii will donate $1 from every Fareground location order to the Central Texas Food Bank.
The two new restaurants join Austin Rôtisserie, Little Wu, and Taco Pegaso to provide a wide range of small and customizable foods at the self-identified restaurant “incubator.” Ellis by Fareground and Drink (stylized DRINK) both focus more on cocktails, and Austin Snack Co. provides a self-service option.
Visit Fareground and its vendors for indoor and outdoor dining at 111 Congress Avenue. More information is available at faregroundaustin.com.
