Beloved Austin Bar Nickel City Announces Temporary Closure During Coronavirus Pandemic

Beloved Central East Austin bar Nickel City announced that it will “temporarily suspend operations,” after 968 straight days of being open, due to concerns surrounding coronavirus.

The neighborhood hangout announced it will be closed until further notice. It was known particularly for staying open during all circumstances, including on holidays. Current Nickel City employees are temporarily laid off in the meantime.

Nickel City opened in 2017 and was named Austin’s Bar of the Year by Eater Austin that year. Nickel City is owned by Craig Primozich of Rainey Street bar Javelina, Via 313 brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt, and bar expert Travis Tober.

The Hunts’ other venture, Via 313, announced that it was closing down its brick-and-mortar restaurants (East Sixth, North Campus, and Oak Hill), and switching to curbside pickup orders only starting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17.

Likewise, both Italian restaurant Uncle Nicky’s in Hyde Park, which the Hunts and Tober are also involved with alongside Nicholas Yanes from Italian restaurant Juniper, is now temporarily closed.

Update, 6:24 p.m.: This article has been updated to reflect that Uncle Nicky’s is also closed for now.

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