Campus Dive Bar Hole in the Wall Is Staying Open for at Least 20 Years in Austin

Austin dive bar and music venue Hole in the Wall is going to stay open for at least 20 years, as reported by Austin Monitor. The bar was able to sign a 20-year lease thanks to money secured from the city’s Iconic Venue Fund, which launched in 2020 as part of overall COVID-19 relief efforts in 2020. The publication reports that the lease includes an upfront 10-year lease with two five-year extensions worked into the deal by real estate company Weitzman Group. Hole in the Wall owner Will Tanner told Austin Monitor if they didn’t get this help, the bar would’ve closed next spring. Hole in the Wall opened in 1974.

Austin coffee shop expands into Buda

Austin cafe Progress Coffee is opening its second location in Buda this month. The 750 Farm to Market Road 2001 coffee shop will open on Friday, August 25. The cafe will serve up coffee and coffee drinks, cocktails (including Buda-exclusive options), wine, and beer. There are barbecue truck Gebby’s BBQ and taco truck Pueblo Viejo for food. The physical space includes a patio, a walk-up window, an outdoor children’s playscape, and 11 television screens.The space will host Geeks Who Drink trivia on Wednesdays and there will be live music from Thursday through Sunday. Its hours will be from 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and then from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. The longtime Austin roasting company had originally operated a cafe but closed it in 2013. The new cafe opened in February 2023.

How Austin food trucks deal with hot weather

It is very, very hot outside, and Community Impact checked in with Austin food trucks to see how teams are holding up in the heat. This includes KG BBQ, Rogues Over the Top Pierogi, Biscuits and Groovy, and Tejas Birria.

Tracking other Austin-area openings

A new brewery opened in Round Rock in June, as reported by Community Impact. 3rd Level Brewing is found at 1201 East Palm Valley Round on June 10 by co-owners Amy Bradley, Clint Bradley, and Ross Winner. Clint and Ross had co-hosted a podcast where they talked about Texas beers called 3 Beers In, which led to them wanting to open their own brewery. The beers include sours, IPAs, rice lagers, and more, with retro video game references. It’s open from 3 to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and then from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

And then, Texas hot chicken chain Urban Bird opened its first Austin-area location up in Round Rock on July 24. The restaurant is found at 200 University Boulevard, Suite 600. The fast-casual chain’s menu includes fried chicken tenders available in varying spice levels from the spiceless Country to the spiciest the Fire in the Hole. There are baskets, tender-loaded fries, tenders and waffles, and a vegan Beyond Meat version. It’s open from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and then from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Celebrities dining in Austin

The Sopranos performers and Not Today, Pal podcast co-hosts Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano) and Robert Iler (A.J. Soprano) dined at Austin Japanese restaurant Uchi recently.

Tracking Austin food and drink events

Driftwood winery Fall Creek Vineyards is hosting a pizza night on Friday, August 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. There are two pies available, the margarita, paired with a peach pudding cake and cream, available for preorders at $19.99; and then the Italian sausage and cremini mushroom pie, with the same dessert, for $22.99 preorders.

McKinney brewery Meanwhile Brewing is hosting the second year of its book fair this month. Lagers & Literature will take place on Sunday, August 20, benefitting nonprofit Inside Books Project, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free online RSVPs available. On deck will be a bunch of book vendors and nonprofits, including Bluejay Books & Vintage, BookPeople, new bookstore First Light Books, Austin Public Library, and much more. One dollar from every pilsner sale will go to the nonprofit; the brewery is also collecting book donations for the nonprofit leading up to and including the event day.