The 6 Most Anticipated Restaurants in Austin, Fall 2017

Fall is one of Austin’s busier restaurant seasons, when temperatures are tolerable and people want to go outside to eat and drink. This is especially so after a slow August. For the city, this means its very first food hall with a stellar lineup, popular pizzeria’s North Loop expansion, a Filipino food truck’s first brick and mortar, new hotel dining, and much more.

And, as per usual, there have been some delayed openings already. Uchi and Uchiko’s forthcoming South Lamar sibling, Asian smokehouse Loro, was originally projected for this fall, but its opening is being pushed back to early 2018.

With that, here’s what to look forward to this restaurant season. See a big fall opening missing below? Let Eater know through the tipline.

Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

Fareground

Location: 111 Congress Avenue, Downtown
Key Players: ELM Restaurant Group, Emmer & Rye, Dai Due, Kome, Contigo, Antonelli’s Cheese Shop
Projected Opening: Late fall Winter 2017/2018

Austin’s first food hall is nearly here with the unveiling of Fareground this season. Located right in the middle of Congress Avenue, the all-star Austin restaurant lineup includes Emmer & Rye's two new projects, Henbit and sweets cart Honeybit; Dai Due's taco offshoot; Kome's sushi and ramen spot Ni-Kome; Contigo; and Antonelli's Cheese Shop. Anchoring the whole thing is another expansion of Easy Tiger, which makes sense, since ELM Restaurant Group is the curator.

Suerte/Official

Suerte

Location: 1800 East 6th Street, East Side
Key Players: Sam Hellman-Mass
Projected Opening: Late fall Winter 2017/2018

Odd Duck partner and former chef Hellman-Mass is venturing on his own with a Mexican-inspired restaurant focusing on the country's cooking techniques and freshly made masa. He's been going on research trips where he's been partaking in pastries, tacos, and more.

Rendering: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

Home Slice

Location: 501 East 53rd Street, North Loop
Key Players: Jen and Joseph Strickland, Terri Hannifin
Projected Opening: Late fall Early 2018

Home Slice part two is well on its way to bringing pizza, subs, and cheesecake to North Loop. The second location allows the pizzeria to expand its offerings to include buffalo chicken wings, actual cocktails from the full bar, and daily Sicilian slices. Plus, it’ll have a much larger parking lot along with the usual dine in and takeout areas.

Be More Pacific/Official

Be More Pacific

Location: 7858 Shoal Creek Boulevard, North Shoal Creek
Key Players: Mark Pascual, Giovan Cuchapin
Projected Opening: October
Status: Now open

Filipino food truck Be More Pacific is growing up with a brick and mortar restaurant, which will take over Rebel Pizza Bar's old location on Shoal Creek Boulevard. The larger kitchen means it can expand on its menu, adding in the reservations-required Kamayan Experience, a family-style tasting dinner with off-menu dishes like barbecue pork skewers and whole fried fish, served on banana leaves and meant to be eaten by hand. Other newer dishes include eggplant talong and roasted pork belly. That’s to go along with the standards like adobo chicken and pork, pancit noodles, and tosilog. It’ll also serve Filipino-inspired cocktails. Once open, it will feature counter service for lunch, table service for dinner, and all-you-can-eat Sunday brunches with roasted pig.

Confituras/Official

Confituras

Location: 2129 Goodrich Avenue, Zilker
Key Players: Stephanie McClenny, Houston McClenny, Lauren Shugart, Victoria Swaynos, Amy Bouck
Projected Opening: September Late fall

Austin preserves company Confituras is making progress on its kitchen, shop, and bakery on South Lamar. With the departure of Kendall Melton (who now works at Contigo and Chicon) McClenny welcomed a new head baker with Shugart, who helmed from Dai Due. Confituras will work as an open community kitchen space for other chefs and caterers, as well as the new central location for making jams and preserves. Also on deck will be biscuits and pastries, coffee, fruit-based sodas, and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items.

Fairmont/Official

Fairmont Hotel

Location: 101 Red River Street
Key Players: David Garcelon, Andre Natera, Atticus Garant, Benjamin Metais, Jason Purcell, Evan Miller, Alex Gonzalez
Projected Opening: Late fall Early 2018

One of downtown Austin’s biggest hotel projects comes with five restaurants and bars: finer dining grill house Garrison (think fermented carrot "embers," grilled ham chop); globally-influenced Revue, which will be set up in a food hall-manner but with table service (expect gnocchi lunghi and Tokyo fries); coffee shop Good Things; lobby bar Fulton with shareable plates; and 7th floor bar Rules & Regs. Familiar Austin faces also join the massive team, including Counter 3.Five.VII's Miller and Qui/Parkside Project's Gonzalez.

Also tracking:

— ELM is keeping busy this fall. It’s also opening a restaurant inside the Austin Central Library flagship on East Cesar Chavez. Cookbook Cafe’s menu will draw inspiration from, well, cookbooks. The downtown library is projected to open on Saturday, October 28, but the exact cafe date isn’t known yet still.

— Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is opening a brewery out in Dripping Springs with his family, set to debut sometime in the fall on Hamilton Pool Road. The focus of Family Business Beer Company will be ales and lagers. The space will include a taproom, family-friendly playground, outdoor spaces for live music, food trucks, and the such. Status: Pushed back into the winter 2017/2018

— El Chile Group’s Peruvian restaurant Yuyo is meant to open soon, but there is still no word on a location or date. Status: Now open

— Houndstooth fans can look forward to a third location of the coffee shop coming this fall. The new expansion, on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will feature wine, beer, and a cocktail menu alongside its caffeinated beverages. Status: Pushed back into the winter 2017/2018

— Intero Ristorante is bringing classic Italian dishes, along with speciality chocolates, to East Cesar Chavez this October. Status: Pushed back to December

— New Seaholm coffeeshop Local is looking at an early November opening. This will be the first Austin location for the San Antonio favorite and customers can expect pies and doughnuts from Bakery Lorraine. Status: Opening date is unknown

— Downtown tasting room Texas Reds and Whites is set to open on September 16. Look forward to a very Texan experience, with local wines, snacks, and a modern take on rustic decor. Update, September 12: The tasting room’s opening date has been postponed because of plumbing issues. Status: Now open

— TLC anticipates a September opening in Lamar Union. This community-focused restaurant is led by a group of Austin veteran chefs and will serve classic Texas comfort food with a coastal twist.

— The first Austin-proper whiskey distillery since Prohibition, Still Austin Whiskey Co. is making a splash with its locally sourced ingredients and in-house brewed concoctions. Expect an early fall opening. Status: Now open

— South Lamar welcomes new Thai restaurant Krua Urban Thai early this fall. Status: Now open

— Opening in September, Honest Mary’s is bringing grain bowls to the Arboretum. Each bowl will be made with organic, locally sourced ingredients and customers will be able to specialize their order, catering to any and all special diets. Status: Now open

— MLK’s new brewery, Oddwood Ales, is coming this November with thin crust pizzas and American-style ales.

— Austin Daily Press is looking at a late fall opening for its second location. The new space will be bigger, offering more seating and the capacity to make its own bread. The cafe will also expand its menu with Tex-Mex tortas.

— North Central Austin is getting its own brewpub with Brewtorium, serving craft beer and specialty snacks, like candied pork belly burgers and pickled deviled eggs. Though it does not have a set date, it is planning on a fall opening.

— Halcyon and Stella Public House will both debut Mueller locations this September, with coffee, cocktails, brunch, and pizza. Status: Now open

— Popular 24/7 coffee shop Epoch is expanding with a new location on Far West. The cafe is taking over an old oil change shop and expects to open mid-October.

— Sushi restaurant Soto is joining TLC in Lamar Union in early September. Though the expansion will share dishes with the Cedar Park original, it will have a new, not-yet-announced name. Status: Now open

— Family friendly bar Revelry is opening a second location late fall with two outside patios and plenty of parking.

— Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse, the new extension of the Hyde Park bakery Quack’s, will be unveiling its music venue this fall, along with pastries, an espresso bar, and local beer and wine.

— The popular salad chain, Snappy Salads, is making its Austin debut this September. The Westlake location will offer the same features as other locations with pre-crafted salads on the menu along with the option to make your own.

Winter 2017/2018: 24 Diner [Rock Rose], Anthem, Better Half, Easy Tiger [Linc], Epoch Coffee [Plaza Saltillo], Flower Child [Downtown], Fluff Meringues + More, Guild, La Passiflora, Loro, Peli Peli, North Italia [Downtown], Sour Duck Market, Spin, Stereotype, Sway [Rock Rose, Westlake], Taco Ranch, Thirsty Planet Brewery, Unnamed Henri’s Cheese & Wine Restaurant, Unnamed Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew Restaurant, Vista Brewing

Rest of 2018: LeRoy and Lewis [brick and mortar], Pinthouse Pizza [Round Rock], The Brewer’s Table, Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ [brick and mortar], Unnamed Whisler’s Bar,

Unknown: Central Health's Public Market, Darna Mediterranean Cuisine, Employees Only, H Mart, It's Italian Cucina, Manley’s Bagels, Micklethwait Craft Meats [brick and mortar], Noble Sandwich [Georgetown], Rosen’s Bagels, Taco Palenque

• The Most Anticipated New Austin Restaurants of Summer 2017 [EATX]
• All Coming Attractions [EATX]