With Barton Springs Road continuing to evolve as a dining corridor, Rikki Wang, the owner behind Space Cowboy, is opening Oria — a fire-driven Mediterranean restaurant taking shape ahead of a February 27 opening.
The new concept at 1530 Barton Springs Rd., on the edge of Zilker Park, centers on charcoal- and wood-fired cooking, with a menu inspired by Southern European and Eastern Mediterranean dishes.
“Oria is about slowing down and letting food, fire, and conversation take center stage,” Wang says. Beyond the heat source, the cooking style will emphasize bold spices and bright acidity.
Dishes at Oria are meant to move easily across the table. The menu includes fire-roasted harissa branzino, a spicy walnut and yogurt dip, and freshly baked wood-fired pita, alongside other grilled meats, vegetables, and seafood. A cocktail program built around similar regional influences incorporates ingredients such as fig, dates, warm spices, and charred fruit.
Space Cowboy, which opened on East 7th Street in 2022, has experimented with a fusion menu and a playful, kitschy atmosphere, including robot food runners traveling along counter-mounted tracks. Oria moves in a different direction, focusing instead on elemental cooking and a slower, more grounded dining experience.
Space Cowboy has fun interior design that draws visitors.Space Cowboy/Facebook
Photo courtesy of Oria
Oria owner Rikki Wang also owns Space Cowboy on East 7th Street.
The stretch of Barton Springs Road closest to Zilker Park has seen massive turnover since the pandemic. Longtime establishments had closed or relocated at different points, including Shady Grove, which closed in 2020 after nearly three decades, Austin Java, which left the corridor in 2018, and Baby Acapulco (Baby A’s), which shuttered its Barton Springs location in 2024, while Chuy’s has remained a long-running fixture on the street.
Zoé Tong was the last restaurant to occupy the building at 1530 Barton Springs Rd., closing suddenly after about a year in operation. Before that, the space had housed Austin Eastciders, which operated a Barton Springs taproom and restaurant from 2020 to 2023, and earlier Uncle Billy’s Brewery & Smokehouse, which occupied the address for roughly eight years before relocating in 2019. Oria now takes over the site with a new culinary direction.
Oria is on its way to opening. Photo by Kimberly Reeves
Oria plans to open for dinner and late-night service from 4 pm to midnight on weekdays and until 2 am on weekends. Complimentary garage parking is available behind the restaurant, and reservations will be offered through Resy.
Looks like the chefs had a good time.
