clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Austin
Austin
Roschetzky Productions/Shutterstock

Filed under:

The Most Anticipated Austin Restaurant Openings, Spring 2016

What’s in store for this season, and beyond

Nadia Chaudhury is the editor of Eater Austin covering food and pop culture, as well as a photographer, writer, and frequent panel moderator and podcast guest.

Spring is almost here, which means it’s time to look ahead to see what restaurants and bars are opening this season in the midst of SXSW madness and beyond. Here are Austin’s most anticipated restaurant openings of the spring, with a few leftovers from the winter. Plus, take a look ahead to the rest of the year and further ahead. See any openings missing below? Send it along through the tipline.


Boiler Nine Bar + Grill

[Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/EATX]

Location: 214 West Ave., Downtown
Major Players: Jason Stude, Jason Stevens, La Corsha Hospitality Group
Projected Opening: Early Spring 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Austin awaits the transformation of the Seaholm Power Plant building into downtown’s next three-level restaurant and bar haven with a patio deck overlooking the water and a subterranean basement lounge. Expect Stude’s wood-fired entrees and spot-on drinks from Stevens.
All Boiler Nine Bar + Grill Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

Pizzeria Sorellina

Pizzeria Sorellina Apis/Official

Location: 23526 Highway 71 West, Spicewood
Major Players: Taylor Hall, Adam Brick
Projected Opening: Late spring 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Apis gets into the pizza-making game with the on-property pizzeria, dishing out classic Neapolitan pies made south a sourdough-fermented dough. Toppings will include cured meats and mozzarella, all made in the back, to be enjoyed on the long communal tables.
All Pizzeria Sorellina Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Apis/Official

Irene’s

[Rendering: Irene's/Official]

Location: 506 West Ave., Downtown
Major Players: Andrew Curren, Craig Collins, ELM Group
Projected Opening: April May 2016
Details: Irene’s is set to feel like a dive bar dishing out comfort food like cinnamon rolls, meatball sandwiches, boozy punches, and banana pudding. The counter window will offer breakfast service with to-go pastries, coffee, and cigarettes. Expect good patio real estate.
Status: Now open
All Irene’s Coverage [EATX]

Rendering credit: Irene’s/Official

Backbeat

Backbeat Renderings

Location: 1300 South Lamar
Major Players: Michael Sanders, Jessica Sanders
Projected Opening: March 2016
Details: South Austin will get the cocktail bar it deserves from cocktail couple Michael and Jessica Sanders, the duo behind Drink.Well. The two-story bar will include a rooftop patio, staircase lounge, thoughtful drinks, and snacks.
Status: Now open
All Backbeat Coverage [EATX]

Rendering credit: Backbeat/Official

L'Oca D'Oro

[Rendering: L'Oca D'Oro/Official]

Location: 1900 Simond Avenue, Mueller
Major Players: Fiore Tedesco, Adam Orman
Projected Opening: Spring May 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Mueller will get an Italian destination with L’Oca d’Oro, which translates into "The Golden Goose." The menu will center on family-style service with handmade pasta, bread, cheese, cured meats, and plenty of wine and drinks. Tedesco knows his stuff: he worked at Franklin Barbecue and Bufalina.

Rendering credit: L'Oca D'Oro/Official

Kyōten Sushiko

Kyoten Sushiko’s location Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

Location: 4600 Mueller Boulevard, Mueller
Major Players: Otto Phan
Projected Opening: April, May 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Now that Kyoten the trailer is closed, Austin will have to wait for Phan’s sushi with the forthcoming brick and mortar. Along with lunch, dinner, and takeout, the restaurant will focus on an omakase menu with 20 mostly seafood dishes.
All Otto Phan Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

Cane Rosso

[Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/canerossoaustin/photos/a.1656704217938165.1073741828.1656182401323680/1660971050844815/?type=3&theater">Cane Rosso Austin/Facebook</a>]

Location: 4715 South Lamar, Sunset Valley
Major Players: Jay Jerrier
Projected Opening: Late spring pushed to summer
Details: The Dallas pizza sensation took over the former St. Philip space in south Austin, along with the ice cream team of Cow Tipping Creamery, which will make the old bakeshop area its home. Coming soon will be Cane’s signature red pizza oven, being built on-site.
All Cane Rosso Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Cane Rosso Austin/Facebook

Snooze

[Photo: Snooze/Official]

Location: 3800 North Lamar, Rosedale, 1700 South Lamar
Major Players: David Birzon, Peter Gaudreau, Louis Cantu, Bryan Beneke
Projected Opening: April May 4, 2016 TBD
Details: The Denver-based chain only has eyes for brunch, with a seasonal menu including various types of eggs benedict, breakfast pot pie, and pancakes. For brunch cocktails, find fish sauce Bloody Marys and mimosas made with hometown-import Infinite Monkey Theorem's sparkling wine. There is a second Snooze in the works for South Lamar, opening sometime this summer. Update, April 25: Turns out the South Lamar location will open before the North Lamar spot, but there is no set opening date yet.
Status: Now open
All Snooze Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Snooze/Official

Prohibition Creamery

[Photo: Prohibition Creamery/Official]

Location: 1407 East 7th Street,
Major Players: Laura Aidan
Projected Opening: Late spring 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Boozy ice cream will have its moment in the spotlight with the newest sweets shop from Aidan, along with floats, shakes, and cocktails. Drink and eat up bourbon, whiskey chocolate, pineapple tequila sorbet, or triple bourbon shakes anywhere on the outdoor decks, bar, or lounge. Don’t worry: there are non-alcoholic, dairy-free, and vegan friendly options, too.
All Prohibition Creamery Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Prohibition Creamery/Official

Veracruz All Natural

[Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VeracruzAllNaturalAustin/photos/a.650838598317416.1073741829.622800261121250/967633206637952/?type=3&theater">Veracruz All Natural/Facebook</a>]

Location: 2711 La Frontera Boulevard #320, Round Rock
Major Players: Reyna Vazquez, Maritza Vazquez
Projected Opening: April 2, 2016
Details: Finally Veracruz All Natural gets the brick and mortar it deserves all the way up in Round Rock. The new spot will serve the food truck menu (those migas tacos) alongside daily lunch specials (like pollo frito and enchiladas de mole) and weekend brunch, which will change depending on what ingredients are available.
Status: Now open
All Veracruz All Natural Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Veracruz All Natural/Facebook

Oskar Blues Brewery

[Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OskarBluesAustin/photos/ms.c.eJxFzNsNwEAMAsGOIvw4iPtvLNJZsX9HLEYR76FXJJB87AcClMVAOBWhGmDDJqc~;NuH9wCRCJz6Luknswho0kP1hH21HImE~-.bps.a.1676085619340047.1073741831.1624044097877533/1676085719340037/?type=3&theater">Oskar Blues Brewery Austin/Facebook</a>]

Location: 10420 Metric Boulevard, Far North Austin
Major Players: Dale Katechis
Projected Opening: April 20, Early May 2016 pushed to summer
Details: Another Colorado expansion, the brewery will open with beer, music, and a taproom this spring. Oskar is bringing its well-known Burning Can Beer Festival, too, with sports competitions like beer relay, and music, on Saturday, April 23. This is the third location in the country, including a second one out in North Carolina.
All Oskar Blues Brewery Coverage [EATX]

Image credit: Oskar Blues Brewery Austin/Facebook

Coast

[Rendering: Coast/Official]

Location: 360 Nueces St., Downtown
Major Players: Ruston Richardson, Karina Lopez
Projected Opening: April pushed to summer
Details: The former Mulberry site will become home to the new seafood restaurant inspired by the California and Gulf coasts. Dishes will ranch from elote fish tacos, scallop and croquettes with pork shoulder, and borracho apple pie with horchata ice cream. Look out for late night drinking, too.
All Coast Coverage [EATX]

Rendering credit: Coast/Official

Fleet Coffee

[Photo: Fleet/Official]

Location: 2427 Webberville Road, East Side
Major Players: Patrick Pierce, Lorenzo Perkins.
Projected Opening: March 2016
Details: The shop from the coffee vets is finally on its way this month, featuring roasts from Madcap, as well as throughout the continent. The special menu includes coffee drinks made with botanicals and other ingredients.
Status: Now open

Image credit: Fleet Coffee/Official

Chicon

[Illustration: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/atxgardner/photos/a.558389237604131.1073741828.520235914752797/816829651760087/?type=3&theater">Chicon/Facebook</a>]

Location: 1914 East 6th Street
Major Players: Ben Edgerton, Andrew Wiseheart
Projected Opening: March 2016
Details: Edgerton and Wiseheart decided to shutter Gardner and revamp the space into Chicon, a new restaurant without a known concept yet. What is known: expanded bar menu, and there will be an Contigo aesthetic with more open space. For now, Gardner’s furniture and accessories are for sale during the restaurant’s last week.
Status: Now open
All Chicon Coverage [EATX]

Illustration credit: Gardner/Facebook

Also tracking:

Buzz Mill the sequel is set to open near South Congress in anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on city permitting. Three food trucks will park on site, including the Frontier trailer, serving meats from Broken Arrow and North Star ranches, Kogi Q, and the shop's own brand new Yardbirds, focusing on chicken.

— Get a sneak peek of West 5th sports bar BaseCamp, which will host some SXSW events before fully opening. Former Uchi and Peached Tortilla alum Eric Kuypers takes over the kitchen for an American/Texan menu, alongside beer and cocktails. Status: Now open.

— Corner Bar owner Jonathan Lochrie’s East 6th bar Revelry Kitchen and Bar is set to make its debut this March this spring.

— Longtime sushi favorite Musashino relocates to West Campus, taking over Fino’s former address, sometime in May.

— Taking over East Side King’s spot at Hole in the Wall is Michi Ramen with a yet-to-be announced concept. Status: The new spot, Yatai, is now soft open.

— Rock Rose’s next slew of restaurants, bars, and expansions include St. Genevieve, Lavaca Street Bar, Turf N Surf, and Salvation Pizza in March, followed by Jinya Ramen, Mad Greens, 77 Degrees in April, and then The Rose Room in May.

— Construction finally begins on Horseshoe Lounge’s anticipated relocation to East Riverside.

Picnik’s brick and mortar takes over Fork & Taco’s vacated spot on Burnet. Expect bone broth tonics, superfood refreshers, butter coffee, and gluten-free sweets.

— The return of Baby Greens is on track to bring back salads, with drive thru and walk-up options on West Anderson Lane.

The Beer Plant’s vegan-focused gastropub is set to open in May with chef Laura "Lou" Mustachio up in Tarrytown.

Second Bar + Kitchen’s Congress expansion will finish annexing Congress this March.

— Burnet gets an El Chilito starting on April 1. Status: Now open.

Superfood restaurant True Food Kitchen delays the opening of its Austin location to mid-March. Status: Now open.

— The third Chi’Lantro further up on Burnet comes with a new change for the Korean-Mexican fusion restaurants: cash won't be accepted starting in April. Status: Now open.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s hops to a fourth location in the Triangle.

— Cured meats and fish come to Austin in mid-March with the opening of Lox, Box, and Barrel, helmed by Celtic Fare's Sebastien Caillabet. Status: Now open.

Stay tuned for summer: Unknown Philip Speer restaurant, Vigilante, The Brewer’s Table, Easy Tiger (second location), Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon (second location), Second Bar + Kitchen (within the Archer Hotel in the Domain), Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, Veggie Heaven (reopening), General Tso’Boy.

Later in 2016: June’s, J.T. Youngblood's Fried Chicken, Home Slice (second location), Tiny Boxwoods, Odelay and The Upper East Side, Chez Nada, Second Bar + Kitchen (Austin-Bergstrom Airport), Sway (second and third locations), Unknown Chameleon Group restaurant, Coconut's Fish Cafe, Green Pastures (renovations), El Chilito (Manchaca location), Lick Ice Cream (third location), Halcyon (second Austin location), Yoshi Kitchen, Unknown Vox Table restaurant, Gatto Nero, Enoteca Gattino, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, STK Rebel, Greater Goods, In-N-Out (two expansions), Street by Chinatown.

Next in 2017: Unknown Hai Hospitality restaurant, Unknown Jester King Brewery restaurant, Fareground (with Easy Tiger's third location), De Riguer (Roosevelt Room's revamp), Unknown Larry McGuire restaurants in Austin Proper.

2018: St. Elmo Public Market.

Lead Photo: Roschetzky Productions/Shutterstock

L'Oca d'Oro

1900 Simond Avenue, , TX 78723 (737) 212-1876 Visit Website

Pizzeria Sorellina

23526 State Highway 71, , TX 78669 (737) 222-6061 Visit Website

Veracruz All Natural

111 East Cesar Chavez Street, , TX 78701 (512) 665-2713 Visit Website

Boiler Nine Bar + Grill

800 West Cesar Chavez Street, , TX 78701 (512) 220-9990 Visit Website

Snooze A.M. Eatery

1700 S Lamar Blvd #301, Austin, TX 78704 (512) 428-8444 Visit Website

The Eater Austin Heatmap Archive

Austin Restaurant Openings

Bufalina Opens New York-Style Pizzeria in East Austin

Founder of Austin’s Iconic Drive-Thrus Dan’s and Fran’s Hamburgers, Fran Junk, Dies at 89