Sweeter and Sweeter

Austin CBD store re-introduces cocktail lounge with grand opening

Sweet Sensi Lounge has been evolving.

An Austin-based CBD brand has stepped their game up from farmers markets to a luxe speakeasy, selling both cannabis and alcohol. Sweet Sensi, which makes everything from chocolate to soap, will host a grand opening celebration to reveal completed renovations at Sweet Sensi Lounge on Saturday, January 17.

Sweet Sensi and the Sweet Sensi Lounge, both at 607 Congress Ave., already have a loyal audience and have technically been open for quite some time. Fittingly, the shop's original grand opening was held April 20, 2024. However, the lounge was developed later, and has been in various states of improvement since then. A representative at the store says this time — the third opening celebration — the bar and performance space are officially done.

"I would call [the last celebration] less of a grand opening and more of an unveiling of the store being something new," the rep said. "This is more the grand opening people would have expected."

The occasion marks the completion of the bar itself, a performance stage, a DJ booth, and more cosmetic changes including wallpaper and portraits. As before, guests can stop by to shop CBD products in the retail portion of the space and order cocktails in the lounge.

Guests stopping by for the party can expect tunes by two DJs all night, a free drink with their RSVP, and a Sweet Sensi coupon. The first 50 guests will get a sweeter deal: complimentary Sweet Sensi products. The event listing encourages guests to come early, and with more than 150 attendees signed up so far, folks should probably take that seriously.

Sweet Sensi is gathering RSVPs via Partiful. Guests must be 21 or older and must have a valid ID.

Even if locals miss the party, the grand opening serves as an introduction to the wider community who may not suspect that past the polished display windows, there's a bar and performance space.

The cocktail menu is available to browse online, featuring classics like an old fashioned with Blanton’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Vermont maple syrup; harder-to-find twists like the Red Red Wine Margarita with Sauza Tres Generaciones Anejo and Caliveda Pinot Noir; and coffee-based concoctions like the Blooming Budz Espresso, a double shot of espresso poured over a Bailey's-infused chocolate ball, with an optional RumChata bath.

Desserts wrap the menu up and do away with munchies. Indecisive guests get a hand from the menu, which suggests pairings with certain types of alcohol: for whiskey drinkers, perhaps the whiskey ginger cookies with orange marmalade or the peach crème brûlée; for those drinking tequila, there's the terpene-misted watermelon sorbetto.

Sweet Sensi Lounge opens daily at noon. It can be accessed through the Sweet Sensi shop, which opens at noon and closes at midnight.

openings cocktails cbd cannabis parties

News You Can Eat

Michi Ramen moves and beer gets toasty in Austin food news

Lazarus/Facebook

Lazarus is doing some beer poking this weekend.

This week in Austin food, things are pleasantly low-key. A well-known ramen restaurant will be temporarily closed, and some local breweries are giving folks new reasons to stop by.

Openings and closings

Michi Ramen, a local restaurant with three locations across Austin, announced that it is finally leaving its South Lamar pickup location for a new home farther southwest in Oak Hill. The new spot (6330 W 290 #102) is in a strip mall off the highway, just before crossing William Cannon Drive on the way out of town. The Instagram announcement said the move is "not the best timing," but the team decided not to renew the South Lamar lease "at the updated rate." The last day at the current location is January 30, and the reopening date hasn't been set yet, as the new space needs some renovations. Not much else is changing: the ramen will still be available for pick-up only, and the kitchen will maintain the same hours and current delivery radius.

Locals who have been enjoying the relatively new restaurants Powder Room, Toasty Badger, and Manny's can now task the hospitality team with their own events following the launch of Studio Lobos, its catering and events division. A press release counts weddings, intimate dinners, and large-scale brand activations among Studio Lobos' capabilities. The team offers food, cocktails, and even design, concept development, and other event coordination. Interested parties can start submitting inquiries now.

PopStroke, the Tiger Woods-owned golf and entertainment venue, is opening its second Austin-area location less than a year after its first. The new location will open in Cedar Park in spring 2026. The venue will include two 18-hole golf courses — shrunk down — as well as a full-service restaurant, an ice cream parlor, three bars, and a beer garden. Plus, yard games and a playground keep everyone busy, golfing or not. The announcement, via press release, did not include an address. [This entry added post-publication on January 15.]

ICYMI: Since last week's Food News column, we heard about a second location for Baldinucci Pizza Romana at the Domain Northside and another second Austin-area location for Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Pflugerville. Plus, we caught up with former Thai truck Kiin Di about the new brick-and-mortar restaurant and expanded hours, and we learned that the New York dim sum restaurant RedFarm had quietly closed its Austin outpost.

Other news and notes

Meanwhile Brewing is a local favorite for events, and now that includes a new running club using Strava, a running, hiking, and cycling tracker app. There will be monthly challenges with awards to pick up at the brewery when runners reach certain goals: in January, running 90 minutes gets a visitor 90 percent off their first beverage. More collaborations and events are coming soon. In the meantime (pun intended), the first 50 people to follow and join Meanwhile Mile Collective in person each day at the Spurs International Half Expo at the Palmer Events Center (January 16 and 17) will get a free Meanwhile branded BOCO Gear running hat. Others can purchase the hat ($35) at the taproom and online.

Cousin Louie's, an Italian restaurant out on the edge of Austin near Dripping Springs, had some of our favorite dishes of 2025; now there are new eats to try, inspired by traditional Roman dishes. This regional menu will be available in addition to the regular menu through the end of February, offering stracciatella alla Roma (like Italian egg drop soup), fried artichokes hearts with lemon aioli, braised lamb with white wine and roasted potatoes, and bucatini amatriciana, which is famous for pairing lightly cooked tomatoes with guanciale.

Austinites looking for something refreshing early in the year can stop by any Central Market from now until January 27 for the grocery store's annual Citrus Fest. Of course there will be some deals on citrus fruits, but the fun part is browsing all the special prepared foods and zesty snacks, from citrus-marinated meats and seafood, to newly stocked Hawaiian sodas, citrus flavored bulk nuts, a lemon Southwest turkey salad in prepared foods, and lemon crunch croissants. To see all the specials and featured products, go to centralmarket.com.

To celebrate its 9th anniversary January 17, Lazarus Brewing Co. on E. 6th Street is throwing a party centered around a fun drinking tradition: beer poking. Inserting a very hot iron rod into the beer caramelizes the brew and brings out toasty flavors and an extra frothy head. The team will be offering it for free to anyone who buys one of four Imperial Stouts: the St. Pete's (classic), the St. Pierre (Banana French Toast), the San Pedro (Mexican Hot Chocolate), and the Santa Maria (with Nicaragua La Bastilla Coffee). There will also be live music, new merch, raffles, a beer release, a s'mores pit, and more.

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