Austin’s First Australian Cafe Opens on South Congress This October

Australian cafe Two Hands opened its first restaurant outside of New York City in the Music Lane development on South Congress this fall. It is now open at 1011 South Congress Avenue as of today, Thursday, October 15, for dine-in, takeout, and third-party delivery services.

Two Hands capitalizes on Australia’s renowned cafe culture with coffee drinks (including variations like a beet latte), açai bowls, toasts, salads, and sandwiches. The Austin location, like the other one in New York, will also serve dinner, as well as wine, beer, and cocktails. That means entrees like spiced squid noodle salad and schnitzel as well as Texas-specific additions like a pulled lamb carnitas torta and avocado toast with pickled prickly pear cactus. Get a first look at the menus below.

Chef Barney Hannagan grew up in the Australian outback, where he gained an appreciation for native foraging and campfire cooking. He previously worked at another Australian cafe, the Portland location of the Melbourne-based Proud Mary’s (which was planning a location in Austin that is now delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

In an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Two Hands will require masks on guests and staff, has added sanitizer stations around the restaurant, is using QR codes for the menus, and won’t accept cash. The restaurant has patio seating available and will open its dining room at 50 percent capacity with six feet of distance between tables, per state orders.

When it opens, Two Hands will also serve food to-go and for delivery via Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Update, October 15, 9:33 a.m.: This article, originally published on September 16, has been updated to include Two Hands’s opening status.

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