Highland Pub Royal Jelly Is Now Closed

Looks like Highland pub and restaurant Royal Jelly is now closed on 704 West St. Johns Avenue. While the shutter isn’t exactly obvious on the restaurant’s online presence, it referred to the whiskey burger special on Wednesday, December 12 as its last one and its final day of service was on Saturday, December 15.

Owner Evan Garrett closed the restaurant because he is moving to Washington, D.C., according to CultureMap Austin. He also revealed that Austin bar owner Will Tanner (Stay Gold, Hole in the Wall) is taking over the West St. Johns Avenue address, turning it into “a new bar with a vintage record theme,” as CultureMap reported. Garrett told Eater that the new place will open in January 2019.

Though it’s worth noting that Yelp marked Royal Jelly as just “temporarily closed,” with a reopening date of Thursday, January 17. Someone on Facebook noted that the space has been cleared out.

Garrett took over the restaurant from founding owner Dominic Mauro sometime in late 2017, with chef Jason Salas. Mauro originally opened the restaurant with former Swift’s Attic chef Matthew Walker in 2015.

• Lights Out for Psychedelic North Austin Gastropub, Plus More Food News [CultureMap Austin]
• All Coverage of Royal Jelly [EATX]