‘Top Chef’ Alum Opens Duck Fat-Fried Chicken Restaurant in H-E-B’s New Food Hall

A new food hall from H-E-B is opening in Mueller this week, boasting five restaurants and a bar, including Top Chef alum and Dallas chef Tiffany’s Derry’s first Austin restaurant and three brand-new restaurants for the supermarket company.

The Main Streat (the spelling is intentional) food hall will be found at the Mueller supermarket at 1801 East 51st Street starting on Tuesday, August 25. The hall is open for indoor and patio dine-in service, in-person takeout, and free Favor delivery services. This H-E-B Mueller food hall will include:

1. Roots Chicken Shak: This is the second location of Derry’s restaurant (the first is in Plano). The spot is known for frying items in duck fat, including chicken wings and chicken strips. The menu also includes sandwiches, salads, and desserts, including banana pudding.

Derry competed on the seventh season of food television series Top Chef, where she placed fifth and was picked as the fan-favorite. She also participated in season eight of Top Chef All Stars.

2. True Texas BBQ: This is H-E-B’s branded barbecue restaurant’s second location in Austin. On deck are the usual barbecue staples: smoked meats (brisket, ribs, turkey), sides (mac and cheese, potato salad), and barbecue sandwiches.

The first Austin-area True Texas restaurant opened at 8801 South Congress Avenue just north of Slaughter Lane. There’s a third slated for the Lake Austin area at 715 South Exposition Boulevard.

3. Calle Taqueria: The new H-E-B restaurant features lots of tacos, tortas, quesadillas, and bowls. Protein options include al pastor, pork carnitas, adobo-smoked brisket, and the vegan picadillo (made with Impossible meat). Sides include street corn, guacamole with a big chicharron, and escabeche. There are flour and corn tortillas, too.

Ben Porter Photography

4. Yumai Japanese Grill: Another new H-E-B restaurant, the Japanese spot focuses on breaded or grilled meat and vegetable skewers, with chicken, beef, shrimp, or vegetables. The skewers can be placed atop rice, noodle, and salad bowls, or available a la carte. There are also potstickers and a curry bowl.

5. The Meltery: The final new H-E-B restaurant, this one focusing on grilled cheese sandwiches ranging from the Cheese Louise with gouda, gruyere, taleggio, and provolone, to the Heart O’ Texas with chopped brisket, pepper jack cheese, and roasted poblanos on Texas toast. All sandwiches can be served as salads.

6. Bar at Mueller: The bar offers local draft beers (the menu indicates how far away each brewery is from the food hall) and draft Texas wine, as well as bottled and canned beer, draft cocktails, and frozen margaritas. To-go orders have to be made in person.

The supermarket’s novel coronavirus pandemic regulations are in place for the food hall as well. Customers are required to wear masks when ordering and walking around the food hall, except when they are seated at their tables and when they are out on the patio. There are also social distancing markers on the floor, and there are staffers in charge of making sure people adhere to the rules.

For opening day, H-E-B will donate to Urban Roots and Travis High School’s William B. Travis Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts program. Ahead of the opening, the supermarket already donated to neighboring children’s’ museum the Thinkery.

Main Streat’s restaurant hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and then from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

H-E-B is also opening another food hall on South Congress and Oltorf with a beer garden at some point. The original supermarket was supposed to close at some point and relocate to a smaller market across the street during the construction process, but that keeps getting delayed. The original opening date was projected for 2022.

Ben Porter Photography

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