Sundown at the Saloon

Developers plan to demolish Shiner's Saloon in downtown Austin

The Austin Historic Landmark Commission approved the permit, but the saloon staff asks it to reconsider.

Photo courtesy of KVUE

A piece of Downtown Austin's past could soon be removed. Developers are asking to demolish the longtime home of Shiner's Saloon.

Shiner's Saloon has operated out of the 1940s-era building at the corner of Congress Avenue and West Fifth Street for the last 18 years. But on Wednesday, the Austin Historic Landmark Commission approved a permit to demolish the building.

David Jalufka, one of the owners of the bar, urged the commission to delay the permit, as it has been an integral part of Downtown Austin for years.

"We've made it through COVID, which was not easy, and we just want to keep going," Jalufka said. "I hope they just realize it's more than brick-and-mortar. It's a part of Austin, Texas, and it should stay that way."

Historic 1940s building
In addition to the building being more than 80 years old, Jalufka said the spot has added some unique historic pieces over the years.

"When we built Shiner's, we brought in 300-year-old longleaf pine and tin from a dairy that was in Shiner [Texas] a couple hundred years ago," Jalufka said. "When the building goes, it's gone."

Throughout the years, Jalufka said the building has served many purposes, working as a school, an old phone company and more.

For many longtime Shiner's patrons like Chris White, who has been coming to the bar for the last 10 years, it has become a second home.

"It's very much like a modern-day 'Cheers,'" White said. "I come in and sit down, they know what I want to drink and just slide it across the bar. They know when I'm having a good day, they know when I'm having a bad day."

Read the full story at our news partner KVUE.com.

development closings bars

Street Heat

Popular Thai trailer Kiin Di reopens in South Lamar brick-and-mortar

Photo courtesy of Kiin Di Instagram

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After four years as a cult-favorite food truck parked outside Corner Bar, the women-owned Thai concept Kiin Di has opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant on South Lamar Boulevard, bringing its unapologetically spicy Thai street food indoors.

The restaurant, 2414 S. Lamar Blvd., quietly debuted with a soft opening on December 8, taking over the former home of Mr. Natural, the longtime vegan restaurant that occupied the space for two decades. On January 4, it adopted expanded hours.

The move marks a major milestone for chefs and co-owners Panyada “Arme” Chaikantha and Bee Ruengphanit, whose partnership began years earlier when they met while attending college in Memphis and bonded over shared roots in Thailand and a love of street food.

Kiin Di Austin team The Kiin Di team during the build-out of the restaurant’s new South Lamar space. Kiin Di/Instagram

The new restaurant carries over the entire food-truck menu, including favorites like Creamy Curry Crab, Killer Noodles, and the roti-wrapped Thai Me Down. It also introduces dishes that weren’t possible in the trailer kitchen. The tight kitchen, limited service hours, and punishing Texas heat made it difficult to expand the menu or offer the kind of dining experience the team envisioned.

“We were ready to grow,” Chaikantha says. “While we loved our beginnings, fighting the Texas heat and navigating such a limited kitchen space presented daily challenges.”

Chief among the new menu offerings is the Kua Curry Beef Rib, a rich, slow-cooked dish that leans fully into Kiin Di’s Thai street food roots and is already emerging as a signature of the brick-and-mortar location. Other new additions include Banana Blossom and Pla Scallop Thai. Moving into a permanent space allows Kiin Di to finally offer a full dine-in experience, expanded hours including lunch service, and — for the first time — signature cocktails to pair with the menu’s bold, spicy flavors.

The cocktail list comes with a playful disclaimer: “WARNING: Our signature cocktails may contain happiness.” Standouts include the White Lotus (sake, coconut whipped cream, roasted coconut flakes), Master of the House (red wine, passion fruit purée, pineapple juice, Tajín), and Austin Sour (sake, tamarind purée, house-made simple syrup, lime, finished with a tamarind chili bite).

Kiin Di Austin drink menu Signature cocktails at Kiin Di include the White Lotus, Master of the House, and Austin Sour. Kiin Di/Instagram

Over four years on the trailer, Kiin Di built a devoted following and a notable list of accolades. In 2023, the truck was named one of Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., earning national recognition during Yelp’s 10th anniversary rankings. The year before, Kiin Di was featured by Austin Monthly as one of its 25+ Best New Restaurants, and readers later voted it Best Thai in the magazine’s Best of ATX 2022 poll.

Kiin Di also drew national media attention as part of the Texas Food Truck Tour for the Best Ever Food Review Show, hosted by Sonny Side. The Austin stop featured Kiin Di among standout food trucks across the state and was later released as a full episode on the show’s YouTube channel.

Takeout service has officially resumed, with online ordering now available. Hours are:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 11 am to 2:30 pm; 4:30-9:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday: Noon to 3 pm; 4:30-9:30 pm

According to Chaikantha, the soft opening reaffirmed the loyalty Kiin Di built during its food-truck years.

“It’s been such a joy to welcome back our long-time regulars and meet so many new faces in our new space,” she says.

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