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The ever-changing restaurant scene in Austin always gives residents something to look forward to. This 2020 new restaurant preview includes additions from powerhouse restaurant groups (a tiki bar from the award-winning Tatsu-ya family and McGuire Moorman’s three new restaurants) as well as a massive new food market and exciting new expansions, like the Cajun restaurant from beloved Italian truck Patrizi’s and pastry chef Abby Love’s new space at Barton Springs Mill.
Read on for what’s in store for 2020, listed in chronological order. Eater also has a more-focused guide on Austin restaurants opening this winter, too.
Qi
Address: 835 West 6th Street, West Sixth
Opening: January 2020
Chef Ling Qi Wu of dim sum restaurant Lin Asian Bar is opening a more upscale restaurant this year. Qi will use more high-end ingredients (think uni, truffles, and caviar) and locally grown vegetables. The larger, 3,000 square foot space will have three private dining rooms.
Reunión 19
Address: 1700 East 2nd Street, East Cesar Chavez
Opening: Early 2020
Los Angeles chef Esdras Ochoa (Mexicali Taco & Co., Salazar), is expanding to Austin with a casual restaurant with tacos and good cocktails. His restaurants in Los Angeles are known for a Vampiro quesadilla (with lots of garlic sauce) and grilled meats like carne asada. Reunión is taking over the former Gotham space in East Cesar Chavez.
Abby Jane Bakeshop
Address: 16604 Fitzhugh Road, Dripping Springs
Opening: Early 2020
Former Dai Due pastry chef Abby Love is opening a bakery (formerly known as L’Oven) as part of the Barton Springs Mill facility heading to Dripping Springs. She’s planning breads, pastries, wood-fired pizza, and other dishes made with grains from the mill itself. She hopes to offer coffee and beer/wine, as well as have a dedicated space for classes and workshops.
The Five 7
Address: 1809 West Anderson Lane, Crestview
Opening: Early 2020
Crestview gas station convenience store Sunrise Mini Mart is expanding into the space next door, bringing a natural wine bar and comfort food (which will likely mean potentially Neapolitan pizza, along with cheese and charcuterie plates). Owner Sam Rozani wants to keep the space approachable so people can explore many wines without feeling intimidated. The spot will also serve beer and coffee.
Sazan Ramen
Address: 6929 Airport Boulevard, Highland
Opening: January/February 2020
This Japanese restaurant specializes in tori paitan — a ramen made with creamy chicken broth rather than tonkatsu — though it will offer other items and have a full bar. Leading the kitchen is chef Shun Shiroma, who worked at Michelin-starred restaurant Tsuta Tokyo over in Japan. The restaurant is helmed by the team behind East Coast Japanese restaurants including Terakawa Ramen (Philadelphia), Ramen Azuma (New Jersey), and Donburiya, Naruto Ramen, and Nishida Sho-ten (New York).
Simi Estiatorio
Address: 601 Congress Avenue, Downtown
Opening: Early 2020
Greek restaurant Simi Estiatorio is dedicated to seafood — so much so, that it will fly in catches from the Mediterranean daily. Look for dishes like octopus and seafood orzo, all-white decor, and an extensive list of Greek and American wines.
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Lutie’s Garden Restaurant
Address: 4100 Red River Street, Hancock
Opening: Spring 2020
Barley Swine alums Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu (Eater Young Gun ’16) are opening their own restaurant at the Commodore Perry Estate. Lutie’s will offer Texan and New American fare, using ingredients from the property and local vendors, in a space with a classy, plant-filled country club vibe.
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Paperboy
Address: 1203 East 11th Street, Central East Austin
Opening: April/May 2020
Lauded breakfast truck Paperboy is expanding to a restaurant located in its original trailer spot. Known for creative brunch dishes like a breakfast sandwich with pimento cheese, Chef Patrick Johnson will expand the menu to include hand pies, quiches, and more coffee options. The space will be friendly to those in a rush or those wanting to linger, with a patio and a to-go window.
Tiki Tatsu-Ya
Address: 1300 South Lamar Boulevard, Zilker
Opening: Mid-2020
The Tatsu-ya family, which includes restaurant of 2019 DipDipDip Tatsu-ya, 2017 restaurant of the year Kemuri Tatsu-ya, Domo Alley Gato, and several locations of Ramen Tatsu-ya, is expanding with newest addition: a tiki bar. Tiki Tatsu-ya will be conveniently located next door to the South Lamar Ramen Tatsu-ya, found in the former Backbeat space. The bar will serve drinks crafted by Aaron Reed, who used to work at Volstead and Hotel Vegas, as well as a menu reflective of the tiki scene.
Neighborhood Sushi
Address: 1716 South Congress Avenue, Bouldin Creek
Opening: Spring 2020
Powerhouse restaurant group McGuire Moorman Hospitality, behind 13 local restaurants from Jeffrey’s to Perla’s, will venture into Japanese cuisine for the first time with Neighborhood Sushi. Few details are available except that the restaurant, taking over the former Little Brown & Barrel space, will be “no frills” — a marked change from the company’s usual stylish modus operandi.
Sammie’s and Favorite’s Pizza
Addresses: 807 and 801 West 6th Street, Downtown
Opening: Fall 2020
Not content with simply opening one new restaurant this year, McGuire Moorman announced plans for the former Hut’s Hamburgers and its adjacent liquor store: an Italian red sauce spot called Sammie’s and a pizzeria called Favorite’s Pizza (it’s unclear when Favorite’s will open). Sammie’s will offer wine in jugs, house-made pasta, and chicken and veal parmesan.
Vic and Al’s
Address: 2406 Manor Road, Cherrywood
Opening: 2020
The owners of beloved Italian food truck Patrizi’s is expanding with a Cajun restaurant, Vic and Al’s. Cousins and co-owners Matt and Nic Patrizi say the restaurant will be similar to their short-lived Cajun food truck (which closed in 2016), but with more of focus on bar food like boudin and gumbo. The restaurant is named after a family friend, Vic, who had a restaurant in Beaumont with his brother Al, and whose godmother ran Mosca’s in Louisiana, a restaurant that melded Italian food with local Cajun and Creole cuisine.
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St. Elmo Public Market
Address: 4329 South Congress Avenue, St. Elmo
Opening: 2020
This massive 40,000-square-foot market is modeled after famed spaces like Chelsea Market in New York and Pike Place Market in Seattle. Lots of big names in the restaurant scene will be a part of the space, including Mignette, a bakery and diner from Michael Fojtasek of Olamaie; a butcher shop and produce store from Salt & Time; an outpost of Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles’s Family Business Beer Co.; and a new project from local mini-chain Lick Honest Ice Creams.