Epoch Coffee Brews Up Two New Cafes

Epoch Coffee, one of Austin’s longtime cafes, is expanding with two new locations. The first will open in Northwest Hills along Far West Boulevard, the second will be found in the Plaza Saltillo redevelopment on West 5th Street.

Co-owner Joe Rodriguez said the Far West location was appealing because of the "charm" of the neighborhood. Director of operations Randi Jones Hensley likes the idea of fitting into the community. Both hope to become a home base for neighbors, students, and others. It’s expected to ideally open in spring 2017, potentially by April.

That address was home to a gas station and oil changing station, and they plan on keeping some of those details during the cafe transformation. The garage doors will remain, they’re figuring out a way to keep the two giant holes in the ground (used for workers changing oil) in such a way to keep natural light into the planned basement lounge, explained director of operations Randi Jones Hensley. There will be two patios as well.

Epoch Coffee/Official

Then the fourth location will be found within the Plaza Saltillo redevelopment, next to the MetroRail station of the same name. There’s no pegged opening date since construction on the project hasn’t started yet. Renderings show lots of food and retail spots opening at the base of residential buildings, with an open square feel. It’s safe to say Epoch Coffee will be joined with other local Austin spots, too.

The original all-hours cafe on North Loop celebrated its tenth anniversary over the summer. There’s also the second spot on West Anderson Lane, near the Alamo Drafthouse Village.

The cafe heavily emphasizes and geeks out over coffee, so much so that each location uses different coffee beans for each location with beans from Wild Gift and Ritual. The new locations will have similar menus, with snacks and easy dishes like slices of pizza, sandwiches, and pastries.

• Epoch Coffee [Official]
• Plaza Saltillo [Endeavor]
• All Coverage of Epoch Coffee [EATX]