Have you visited the oldest continuously operated grocery store in Austin?
We’re talking about Avenue B Grocery & Market. This long-standing local gem has been serving the Hyde Park neighborhood since 1909, for more than a century.
Avenue B — as most Austinites simply call it — is maintained by its tenth owner, UT alumnus Ross Mason. He joined the store in 1984, and officially gained control of the business in 1986, hoping to preserve the small-town feel of the throwback market.
The store reopened earlier this summer after closing for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to groceries, this store sells items such as tableware + records.
It’s safe to say the market’s sandwiches are popular in the community. | Photo by @thiccboymedia
Many customers also enjoy the simplistic, yet delicious, menu. Some items you’ll find on the market’s menu include:
🌶️ Texas chili
🥗 Salads
🥚 Deviled eggs
🥪 Roast beef, ham, turkey, salami, and bacon sandwiches
When guests visit the store’s website , they are encouraged to “scroll to the bottom [of the website] and employ the audio gizmo if [they] want to enjoy listening to some sweet background tunes from the past.”
Guests are taken back to the musical era of the 1960s. Currently, website visitors can listen to Texas-born blues musician T-Bone Walker and “The Genius After Hours ” by Ray Charles.
The grocery store, which is located at 4403 Ave. B, is BYOB and has a dog-friendly patio. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.