A Fancy Seafood Spot With Towers of Shellfish Is Opening in Downtown Austin

A new seafood and cocktail restaurant, Bill’s Oyster, is opening in downtown Austin this week. The 205 W. Third Street restaurant and lounge will debut on Friday, May 5.

The restaurant’s raw bar includes oysters from the East and Gulf coasts; yellowfin tuna tartare with lime, black garlic molasses, and avocado mousse; jumbo lump crab cocktail with mustard sauce, cocktail sauce, and saltines; sea urchin with scrambled eggs and trout roe; littleneck clams with michelada vinaigrette and tajin; and seared scallop with corn custard and pickled Fresno peppers. There are also two seafood tower options: the Lavaca with oysters, shrimp, clams, lump crab, tuna tartare, and king crab; and the Colorado with oysters, shrimp, lump crab, and clams.

Bill’s dinner plates include steak tartare with chateaubriand, hazelnut, black truffle, and quail egg; jumbo lump crab cake with remoulade and grilled lemon; a large lobster roll with tarragon aioli, and fries; a brisket and short rib burger with pickled okra, cheese, and fries; mozzarella stix with caviar, horseradish, and vodka creme fraiche; and seared red snapper with golden tomato vinaigrette and fines herbes.

The cocktail menu at Bill’s offers a selection of classic and house drinks, along with variations on the negroni and martini. Of the latter, there’s the Siberia (Ford’s gin, basil eau de vie, Carpano Bianco vermouth, black pepper mist, saline, and a lemon twist), and the Dangerous Curves (with Cascahuin Blanco tequila, Dolin dry vermouth, a Rum Fire mist, lime oil, sweety drop pepper, and a black salt rim). negronis include ones made with Nikka gin, Cocchi Torino and Carpano Bianco vermouths, Campari, and lemon and orange twists.

Other classics include hurricanes, Death in the Afternoons, and French 75s. Then there are local beers and wines.

Jane Yun

The space is designed to evoke the spirit of old New Orleans with natural woods, custom jade-toned tile work, and antique finishes. The restaurant’s interior includes a bar, a banquette, and an outdoor patio space.

Bill’s co-founders are Stewart Jarmon and executive chef Daniel Berg. Jarmon is a lifelong Austinite and graduate of St. Edward’s University and the Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana in Mexico City. A project manager by trade, this is Jarmon’s first hospitality project.

Berg is a native New Yorker who graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and La Scuola Di Cucina in Colorno, Italy. He previously worked at a number of high-profile restaurants in New York City, including the now-closed one-Michelin-starred restaurant A Voce and the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Daniel. In 2016, he opened his first restaurant, Yves, with partners Matt Abramcyk and Akiva Elstein. In 2018, Berg moved to Houston to work with his brother Benjamin at Berg Hospitality.

Bill’s Oyster will be open for dinner seven days a week from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., for walk-ins only. Lunch and weekend brunch services will be added in the coming weeks.

Jane Yun