Iconic South Austin Restaurant Threadgill’s Sets Final Day of Service

Historic South Austin restaurant Threadgill’s has finally announced a closure date. The restaurant on 301 West Riverside Drive will close on Sunday, December 2, as confirmed to Eater by a staffer.

The north location at 6416 North Lamar Boulevard will remain open.

The Riverside location of Threadgill’s has been experiencing difficulties for a while. Owner Eddie Wilson told the Statesman in 2017, “I haven’t made any money in quite some time down there.” The restaurant signed a new lease in November 2017 generated hope, but the reality of property taxes and the slim margins of homestyle food proved too much to bear.

Crockett Properties Inc., which owns the land, told the Stateman that they are “actively looking for a replacement tenant for our property and will solicit offers for a continued food establishment for our property.”

The original location of Threadgill’s was on North Lamar, opened under Kenneth Threadgill in 1933 as a gas station and beer bar and transformed into a music venue in the 1970s. The South Austin location opened in 1996 near the site of the legendary music venue Armadillo World Headquarters, which Wilson was the proprietor of.

This is a devastating year of shutters for the Austin community. The Frisco diner, pizza parlor Frank and Angie’s, and ice cream shop Dolce Vita are some of the decades-old restaurants that announced closure this year.