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2022 continues and at least there are new dining options to look forward to. The year started off strong already with several exciting restaurant openings. Already, there is the new restaurant location of beloved taco truck Mi Trailita Y Mas in Windsor Park, and a Canadian sandwich shop with a porchetta specialty in downtown Austin, and one of acclaimed chef Mashama Bailey’s hotly anticipated downtown restaurants with a casual spin.
To come are the Suerte team’s Mexican seafood restaurant Este, Bailey’s second restaurant, Aaron Franklin’s po’ boy shop on East Sixth, and a new third restaurant from talented dim sum chef Ling Qi Wu in Southwest Austin.
Read on for 2022’s most exciting restaurant openings, listed in chronological order. This guide will be updated as the year continues.
Mi Trailita Y Mas
Address: 5706 Manor Road, Windsor Park
Opened: January 21, 2022
Beloved Windsor Park taco truck Mi Trailita expanded to a physical restaurant down the road. The new restaurant has tacos, tostadas, gorditas, and tortas like the truck, and adds new items like enchiladas and chile rellenos. The truck remains in operation.
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Meat & Bread
Address: 360 Nueces Street, Downtown
Opened: March 8, 2022
Vancouver-based fast-casual restaurant Meat & Bread opened its only location in the U.S. in downtown Austin. The restaurant is known for its sandwiches like porchetta and meatball, and also serves dips, soups, salads, and more along with beer and wine.
The Diner Bar and Grey Market
Address: 506 San Jacinto Boulevard, Downtown (in the Thompson hotel)
Opening: Spring 2022; Grey Market opened on March 11, 2022
James Beard Award-winning chef Mashama Bailey, behind famed Savannah restaurant the Grey, and business partner Johno Morisano, are opening two Austin restaurants in the Thompson Hote. Bailey has said Diner Bar will work as a “cocktail bar-slash-snack thing” with sandwiches, charcuterie, and classic dishes from the original restaurant in Savannah. On the other hand, Grey Market, which opened during South by Southwest, functions as a “bodega-meets-lunch counter,” with counter service and grab-and-go items.
Hildee’s Dine-Inn
Address: 14111 Winters Mill Parkway, Wimberley
Opening: March 31, 2022
Former Houston chef Ryan Hildebrand is opening a new restaurant in Wimberley, focusing on Hill Country/Southern/New Texan fare. Look for smoked meats, confit tomato pie, and malted pecan pies. The restaurant will include a covered patio and lounge seating along the creek and lawn, plus an intricate playscape for children.
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Este
Address: 2113 Manor Road, Cherrywood
Opening: Summer 2022
The team behind modern Mexican restaurant Suerte — executive chef Fermín Núñez and Sam Hellman-Mass — are opening a new restaurant focused on Mexican coastal cuisine in the former Eastside Cafe space. That means local, sustainable fish and shellfish, and heavy use of a charcoal grill.
Uptown Sports Club
Address: 1200 East Sixth Street, East Sixth
Opening: Summer 2022
Barbecue great Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue is teaming up again with James Moody of the Mohawk (his partner in the Hot Luck food/music festival) to open a neighborhood bar and sandwich shop in the long-vacant Uptown Sports building. The menu will focus on sandwiches like po’ boys, gumbo, and breakfast. Cocktails will come from Chris Bostick of Rainey Street bar Half Step. The space is being designed by lead designer and project manager Tenaya Hills, with drawings and collaboration by the ubiquitous Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, who also designed Franklin’s other collaboration restaurant, Asian smokehouse Loro.
Unnamed Tatsu-Ya Restaurant
Address: 2027 Anchor Lane, MLK
Opening: Late summer 2022
The Ramen/Kemuri/DipDipDip/Tiki Tatsu-ya team is taking over important Austin restaurant Contigo’s space for a yet-to-be-named restaurant that will serve up ramen and barbecue.
Ling Wu Asian Restaurant
Address: 7415 Southwest Parkway, Southwest Austin
Opening: Fall 2022
Chef Ling Qi Wu, who’s behind Lin Asian Bar + Dim Sum in Clarksville and Qi in downtown, is opening a third restaurant in the Lantana Place complex. In addition to the dishes she is known for — dumplings, noodles, and dim sum — Ling Wu Asian Restaurant will serve recipes from Wu’s grandmother and raw fish dishes.
Underdog
Address: 1600 South First Street, Bouldin Creek
Opening: Fall 2022
South Austin is getting a new wine restaurant courtesy of couple/partners sommelier Richard Hargreave (who is a Momofuku alum) and Claudia Lee. Wine-wise, expect biodynamic wines from smaller wine producers and winemakers. As for the food, Hargreave describes it as “Asian Australian with a Texas influence.” To that effect, the couple is working with partner Morgan McGlone, an Australian chef who is behind the continent’s mini-chain Belles Hot Chicken. Expect Korean-Japanese-Southern-style fried chicken, ebi katsu (shrimp cutlet) burgers, mussels, and caviar.
Uchiba
Address: 601 West Second Street, Downtown
Opening: Fall 2022
Austin’s well-known Japanese restaurant, run by chef Tyson Cole, is bringing its Dallas-based casual spin-off Uchiba into Austin (not to be confused with its other spin-off Uchiko) this year. The menu will include yakitori, and if the original location is any indication, dumplings, bao, and lots of sushi and sashimi.
The Butcher’s Burger
Address: TBD
Opening: 2022
The team behind butcher shop Salt & Time is opening a sibling restaurant, the Butcher’s Burger, with a menu centered around the shop’s famed namesake burger, made from trimmings around the shop. Other burgers on the preview menu included a lamb birria burger, a breakfast burger, and halloumi grilled cheese, alongside beef-fat fries and coleslaw. Until the restaurant opens somewhere in Austin (its Houston food hall location has since closed), the burgers are available through third-party delivery service Caviar.
Honey Pig
Address: 11301 Lakeline Boulevard, Lakeline
Opening: 2022
East Coast Korean barbecue restaurant Honey Pig BBQ is coming to the same shopping center as H Mart in Lakeline. The restaurant features grill-it-yourself meats like bulgogi, pork belly, tripe, duck, squid, and more, as well as Korean dishes like kimchi pancakes, dumplings, tteokbokki, and noodles. The original restaurant opened in Maryland in 2007 and has expanded across the country and in Taiwan.
Marufuku Ramen
Address: 1900 Aldrich Street, Mueller
Opening: 2022
San Francisco ramen shop Marufuku is bringing its famed Hakata-style tonkotsu to Austin this year. The menu will also include chicken paitan ramen, rice bowls, gyoza, karaage, takoyaki, and steamed buns.
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- All Coming Attractions [EATX]