Mexican Restaurant Curra’s Grill Is Taking Over Mother’s Cafe’s Former Hyde Park Space

South Austin Mexican restaurant Curra’s Grill is expanding with a second location up in Hyde Park, taking over the recently vacated space previously belonging to longtime vegetarian restaurant Mother’s Cafe, as first reported by Austin 360. The new 4215 Duval Street restaurant will open sometime in the spring, either March or April.

Curra’s expansion into Hyde Park made sense to co-founder Jorge Garcia. He tells Eater that there’s a lot of customers from the neighborhood who come down to the original South Austin location. Opening a second location also widens the restaurant’s customer base. He had been looking for a new location so that his son, managing partner Daylon Garcia, could oversee his own venture.

The new Curra’s plans on launching a golf cart delivery service for the Hyde Park and Hancock areas. Jorge Garcia explicitly doesn’t want to partner with any third-party delivery companies — “we just want to keep it all inside and local,” he tells Eater. Hence, the golf cart. It’ll feature an ice chest for to-go margaritas and a hot box for food.

Also new for the Hyde Park location will be the Tia’s Menu, highlighting specials stemming from family recipes. These could include bacalao (a traditional salted codfish dish), chicken tinga, scallops aguachile, and more. Curra’s regular menu will be available as well, from mole, cochinita pibil, carnitas, enchiladas, tacos, to, yes, those avocado margaritas.

When Curra’s Hyde Park opens in the spring, the restaurant will allow whatever dining services are allowable at that time by the state and city Currently, the Oltrof location is open for dine-in (with 50 percent indoor capacity), curbside, and delivery services. Brothers Jorge and Marco Garcia opened the original restaurant on East Oltorf in 1995.

Curra’s future Hyde Park restaurant neighbors include Mexican restaurant Julio’s, Italian restaurant Asti, bakery Quack’s, Antonelli’s Cheese House, and Italian cafe Uncle Nicky’s.

Mother’s Cafe, which opened in the late 1970s and became known for its stellar vegetarian fare, closed in October 2020. The shutter happened because it was unsustainable to operate as a takeout-only establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic without any relief aid.

• Curra’s Grill opening location in old Mother’s Cafe space in Hyde Park [Austin 360]
• All Coverage of Curra’s Grill [EATX]