Three Texas Restaurants Are Expanding Into Mueller — Chuy’s, Hopdoddy, and Honest Mary’s

Several new restaurants are going to open in Mueller from the summer into early 2024. This includes Austin-born Tex-Mex chain Chuy’s, Austin-based chain Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Austin mini-chain Honest Mary’s, and new-to-Austin acai chain Nautical Bowls, all to be found in the neighborhood’s Aldrich Street District

This will be Chuy’s seventh Austin-area location, serving its classic Tex-Mex menu including enchiladas and margaritas, aiming to open in early 2024 at Aldrich and Philomena streets.

This will be Hopdoddy’s eighth Austin-area location with its variety of burgers, fries, sides, and cocktails. It’ll open in early 2024. For comparatively smaller mini-chain Honest Mary’s, this will be the company’s fourth Austin-area location, serving grain bowls from the AMLI Branch Park. And finally, this is Minnesota-based chain Nautical Bowls’s first Austin location, as reported by KVUE, aiming to open in the summer of 2023.

Other forthcoming Mueller restaurants include Houston restaurant Dish Society and a new location of Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse.

Returning tsukemen

Austin Japanese noodle chain Ramen Tatsu-ya brought back its tsukemen to its menu after a long pause since November 2022. The dipping ramen dish has been updated with a newer noodle (which the press release describes as “thicker” and “chewier”) and a new pork bone-based broth. Its sibling restaurant BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya is going to use the same tsukemen base for its brisket version. The chain had stopped serving its tsukemen because of supply chain issues.

Newbie Texas brewers program

Texas Craft Brewers Guild is accepting applications for its membership grant program for people who are looking to open their own breweries in Texas. It comes with a free year of membership into the guild, courtesy of guild member Texas-based firm Method Architecture. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, May 30.

Bagel expansion

Farmers market stand David Doughie’s expanded its market locations in early May. It’s now also serving at the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with its New York-style bagels, schmears, sandwiches, lox, whitefish, etc. The original stand at the Lakeline Farmers Market on Saturdays remains operational.

Gelato closure

Food truck Dolce Bacio closed its physical roaming location in early February to focus on wholesale and catering sales and events.

Tracking Austin events

Relocated-to-Austin-proper winery Wine for the People and seafood truck Huckleberry are hosting a paella party this week. The dish will include chorizo, littleneck clams, mussels, Gulf shrimp, black drum fish, vegetables, and more. It takes place on Wednesday, May 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 for Wine for the People members and $60 for others, which comes with food, dessert, and two wine glasses.

The American Lamb Jam is happening right now, where participating restaurants across the country (including Austin) will offer lamb specials in the month of May, run by the American Lamb Board. The resulting dishes will be judged by a panel, and the winner will be named the Lamb Jam Master and travel to Napa, California for lunch at the Culinary Institute of America and a visit to a sheep farm. Diners will be able to also vote for their favorite dishes, with the winner getting the People’s Choice award and the ability to donate $1,000 to any charity. Voters will get a special T-shirt and enter a raffle to win a $250 restaurant gift card. The Austin contenders are: El Naranjo’s Iliana de la Vega, Interstellar BBQ’s John Bates, Bulevar’s Kevin Taylor, KG BBQ’s Kareem El-Ghayesh, Micklethwait Craft Meats’s Tom Micklethwait, Lenoir’s Joey Atwater, Vixen’s Wedding’s Dan Kennedy, and Hopfield’s Mike Geelhoed.

Collaborations

Austin brewery Meanwhile Brewing Co. teamed up with nonprofit Texas Living Waters Project on a collaboration beer, a hazy IPA called Take Me to the River, available now as of early May. There’s accompanying merchandise: T-shirts and a Yeti Rambler. Proceeds from the taproom beer sales and accompanying merchandise will go towards the group’s efforts to preserve water wildlife.

Austin-based cookie delivery chain Tiff’s Treats invested in New York-based chain Baked by Melissa, known for its very, very tiny cupcakes. In honor of this move, the two are offering collaborations cupcakes this month. The little cupcakes come in cookie and brownie flavors like red velvet, triple-chocolate fudge, snickerdoodle, and salted caramel. The specials are available at all Tiff’s stores.

Ownership update

The owners and founders of Austin-based Italian restaurant Mandola’s, Damian and Trina Mandola, are now the sole owners of the chain’s Florida locations.