H-E-B Is Opening a Food Hall and Beer Garden on South Congress

Texas’ favorite grocery store chain H-E-B is opening a new food hall and beer garden as part of its major renovation for its 2400 South Congress Avenue store in Dawson. It’s expected to open sometime in 2022.

The store will remain open during planning and permitting, which is expected to last until mid- to late 2020. Then it will close during the construction period, but H-E-B will open a smaller temporary store at the Twin Oaks Shopping Center at 2315 South Congress Avenue.

The entire new store is meant to serve as a “community gathering place,” according to Leslie Sweet, the director of public affairs. People will be able to eat and drink on-site with indoor and outdoor seating. The food hall will feature some of H-E-B’s current restaurants (like tacos and barbecue), and the company is looking into potentially adding local restaurants and chefs. This is the first time it’s adding a beer garden, too.

Other changes include adding underground parking, murals and art installations done by Austin artists, as well as adding more food items (organic, prepared, bulk), updating signage, as well as expanding its footprint to 100,000 square feet (ight now, it takes up 69,000 square feet)

This particular H-E-B opened 62 years ago in 1957. There are currently over 400 locations across Texas and Mexico.

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