Even More Exciting Restaurant Openings to Know in Austin This July

Eater

6 days ago

Every month, a new crop of restaurants opens in and around Austin. While everyone loves a good sushi spot, food truck, or outdoor patio, this round-up will give you the high-end spots and the low-end spots that are new to town — be they good, bad, or so bad they're good/so good they're bad. Whether it's a locally owned restaurant or the latest addition of a chain, here's what's happening in the world of restaurant openings in Austin and beyond for the month.
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1123 East 11th Street in Austin
One of our most anticipated openings of the year opened at the Frances Modern Inn. The menu is by chef Laila Bazahm, who also owns El Raval on South Lamar, and has a culinary career that includes serving as executive chef at Eberly and owning restaurants in Barcelona, Singapore, Houston, and Ibiza. The menu marries the small plates of tapas with finger foods from the hawker center of Singapore. Look for dishes including a hiramasa (yellowtail king fish) with Tom Kha Kai broth, Thai chili oil, Asian herb emulsion, smoked trout roe, and Asian pear; Sambal Striped Bass that is banana leaf-wrapped and grilled, and served with pineapple and tomato salad plus nasi lemak; and charcoal-fired lamb chops with butter masala, tamarind, and naan with cheese.
Late-night sushi is coming, but for now get a preview of Konbini. Konbini
908 East Fifth Street, #107 in Austin
Konbini, a late-night sushi spot collab between Papercut and Tare, is doing a pop-up now and will open later this fall. Chefs Michael Carranza and Danielle Martinez of Michelin-recognized Tare are running the kitchen, creating dishes that marry Japanese technique with Texan and coastal Mexican flavors. It is walk-in only — find it behind Papercut, operating during that restaurant's opening hours.
Bring on the hot pot and chiles. Old Hot Pot Alley Austin
11900 Metric Boulevard, Suite F in Austin
The owners of Mian and Bao bring this new Sichuan mala (meaning numbing and spicy) hot pot spot to Austin. The dishes feature broths, including a spicy beef tallow, pork bone, and a tomato-based option that is vegan. Those are paired with the diner's choice of beef and lamb, or Sichuan delicacies including honeycomb tripe, goose intestine, duck gizzards, and beef aorta. The owners are chef Tony Xu, a 2018 James Beard Award Semifinalist, and Sean Xie. The nostalgic interiors reference hot pot culture from Chengdu and Chongqing in the '80s and '90s.
Try all three of these cocktails during summer happy hour for $20. Kaitlyn Hughes
400 Colorado Street in Austin
Co-founders Terance Robson (Two Doors Down in NYC, and Here Nor There in Austin) and Jack 'Slim' Hogan (also of Here Nor There) are the folks behind this underground lounge in the basement of Tiger Lily. Expect drinks by Robson like the Sunshine Sazerac (mango cognac, banana whiskey, vanilla Peychaud, and watermelon cordial), Salero (vodka, mango, vanilla sorbet, freshly squeezed orange juice, and bubbles), and Caragigilo (reposado tequila, sweet vermouth, miso, liquor 43 smoke & spent coffee). The bar is running a summer happy hour Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., when your choice of three cocktails costs only $20.
An orange cocktail, two dishes of food, and a smaller cocktail sit on a table. The Pershing
2501 East Fifth Street in Austin
All-day coffee spot Perishing East has added a cocktail arm. The restaurant becomes Perishing Milkman from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, serving classics like the negroni or iced Irish coffee, along with a menu of new cocktails (including a monthly special), wines, and beer — as well as light bar bites. It also serves mocktails for those who want to hang out, but not drink. Additionally, it is offering a to-go bottled cocktail program, including clarified, shelf-stable versions of classic cocktails and tropical drinks including a margarita, Miami Vice (rum, pineapple, strawberry, lime, Mahina coco, clarified in coconut milk), and Whiskey Punch (bourbon, lemon, bergamot, Earl Grey tea, clarified in honeycomb cereal milk) that are available on Favor and DoorDash with takeaway delivery also available to order online.
Bring all your friends and enjoy a drink. Revenge Bar
507 West Avenue in Austin
The 'revenge' at this bar comes from founder and mixologist Emily Smitheal, who says in a press release that she is 'frustrated' with all the outsiders trying to shape the city and its hospitality scene. Her revenge is serving what she calls 'bold' cocktails, including The Devil Made Me Do It (a spicy margarita with hints of orange, lime, blackberry, and agave), Sleep On It, Sweetheart (a spring on the espresso martini made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cold foam), and Brushfire (Rosaluna mezcal, Campari, sage, jalapeño, lime, grapefruit, and clarified milk). The design is pretty classic late-night cocktail bar, with small marble-topped tables, red velvet seat covers, low and red-tinted lighting, and a curvy bar with mid-century modern style.
3363 E. Commerce Street, Suite 104 in San Antonio
A catering spot in San Antonio is turning into a pop-up with limited service for barbecue lovers. Starting on July 23, it is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 a.m. until it sells out (or 7 p.m., whichever comes first). All the expected smoked meats are on offer, including brisket, barbacoa, pork carnitas, turkey, turkey legs, pecan-smoked chicken, and Polish sausages, along with a lesser-seen barbecue item in Texas — St. Louis-style ribs.