The below list has been updated as of Feb. 1, 2024.
Coming soon
Every time we look around, it seems like something new is popping up in Austin. Whether you’re looking for your next go-to brunch destination or a new public park to stretch your legs, we’re rounding up a few things coming soon to the Capital City.
Dining
The Guest House, 110 San Antonio St. | Opening in February | It’s all whimsy at this aesthetic New American restaurant and wine garden, which will serve creatively presented dishes in an equally unique atmosphere.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, 2529 S. Lamar Blvd. | Opening in February | The famed Nashville restaurant chain is nationally known for its delectable hot chicken.
Manny’s and Powder Room, 303 W. 5th St. | Opening in February | These spots, by new restaurant group Lobos Hospitality, will serve casual sandwiches, bowls, and snacks at Manny’s, and cocktails and infused liquors from its hidden cocktail bar inside.
LeRoy & Lewis, 5621 Emerald Forest Dr. | Opening in February | The award-winning barbecue spot’s first brick-and-mortar is set to open in south Austin, complete with a retail section for dry goods and packaged foods.
Lil’ Easy Fine Cajun Food & Bar, 5000 E. Cesar Chavez St. | Opening in February or March | Southern Louisiana flavors take center stage at the new restaurant from the teams behind Sawyer & Co. and De Nada Cantina.
Lao’d Bar, 9909 FM Rd. 969, Bldg. 4 | Opening in March | Right next to Austin’s new Sign Bar, this full-service restaurant will offer contemporary Laotian American bites.
RSRV, 3415 E. 7th St. | Opening in March | The Gatsby-styled bar, pronounced “reserve,” will offer Old and New World wines, beer, non-alcoholic drinks, and a small bites menu.
Redbud Ice House, 2027 Anchor Lane | Opening in March | Expect smash burgers, local drafts, and soft serve at this new concept from the team behind Olamaie and Little Ola’s Biscuits.
Bambino, 979 Springdale Rd., Ste. 153 | Opening early this year | The new Roman-style pizzeria comes from the brains behind Italian restaurant L’Oca d’Oro.
The Dead Rabbit, 204 E. 6th St. | Opening early this year | The New York-based pub will take over the former B.D. Riley’s space Downtown, serving up staple Irish beverages, plus fish and chips + Scotch eggs.
Nando’s Peri-Peri, 1825 McBee St. | Opening early this year | Expect South African flavors from this chicken chain, also serving salads, wraps, and sandwiches.
Ling Wu, 2625 Perseverance Dr. | Opening this spring | Renowned local chef Ling Qi Wu’s fifth restaurant will focus on simplistic Asian dishes.
Lala’s South Pole, 3008 Davis Lane | Opening this spring | The year-round Christmas-themed bar’s “south pole” will feature a patio, full-service kitchen, and its signature holiday cheer.
St. Elmo Brewing Co., 8110 Springdale Rd. | Opening this spring | The second location for this south Austin brewery is expected to contain a beer garden, 20+ beers on tap, all-day coffee from Spokesman Coffee, and a Spicy Boys food truck.
Recreation
Holey Moley Golf Club, 807 E. 4th St. | Opening in March | The first Texas location for Australian-based Funlab will contain three courses with 27 holes inspired by pop culture, a stage, and local graffiti art.
The Pickle Pub, 10630 Menchaca Rd. | Opening early this year | This sports bar with two pickleball courts will also house sister cafe Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails, a coworking space, and cocktail bar.
Landlock Festival, 5347 Old Mexia Rd., Waco | Friday, May 3-Sunday, May 5 | New festival alert. The inaugural surf rock-centered fest will feature performances from Young The Giant, Shakey Graves, Midland, Cory Wong, and many more.
Affordable Art Fair, 900 Barton Springs Rd. | Thursday, May 16-Sunday, May 19 | This spring, the international market featuring thousands of affordable art for purchase will make its first-ever stop in Texas.
Thinkery - Del Valle, 5301 Ross Rd. | Opening in August | The second location for the children’s museum will span 13,000 sqft and include a maker space, learning lab, plus 30 play-based exhibits.
Retail
Mirror Mirror, 2721 Perseverance Dr. | Opening February | The decade-old salon’s newest location prioritizes ambiance through a larger space and warm tones.
Nike Training and Nike Running Studios, 4615 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. #305 + 2729 Perseverance Dr. | Opening in March | These training centers mark the first of their kind to be built outside of California, focusing on strength, metabolic conditioning, and floor workouts.
Zadok, 11501 Century Oaks Terrace | Opening mid-2024 | This new Domain location marks the high-end jewelry brand’s first store out of Houston.
Korman Fine Jewelry, 2901 N. Lamar Blvd. | Opening TBA | Crews are hard at work building the new, 11,000-sqft jewelry store, set to contain a showroom, multiple hospitality lounges, a bridal salon, and VIP reception room.
IKEA, 3306 Esperanza Crossing | Opening TBA | This new concept from the Scandinavian furniture chain will be much smaller than a traditional IKEA, offer interactive planning and ordering services, and serve as a pickup location.
Residential
Residences at Sixth and Guadalupe, 600 Guadalupe St. | Now accepting applications | Austin’s current tallest tower will soon contain the fourth location of “The Kitchen,” a chain owned by Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk.
Waterline, 98 Red River St. | Opening 2026 | Austin’s soon-to-be tallest tower is well under construction, and is expected to contain the 1 Hotel Austin, 350+ luxury apartments, and 700,000 sqft of office space.
Sixth&Blanco, West 6th Street | Opening TBA | About two acres of West 6th Street will be transformed into a mixed-use development featuring several stories of residential space.
Healthcare
Travis County Mental Health Diversion Center, location TBD | Pilot program beginning early 2024 | This center could provide additional care options for people who are in need of acute mental health assistance that isn’t jail or the emergency room.
Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe St. | Opening by summer | The $305 million redesign of Austin State Hospital — Texas’ oldest hospital for the care of people with mental illness — consists of 24-bed units with therapy rooms, classrooms, exercise rooms, and activity rooms.
The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, 1701 Red River St. | Opening TBA | As crews chip away at demolishing the Frank Erwin Center, plans are in the works to build a $2.5 billion center with MD Anderson.
Texas Children’s Hospital, 9835 N. Lake Creek Pkwy. | Opening this year | This $485 million hospital and outpatient building will have 52 patient beds.
Transit
McKalla Station, 10401 McKalla Pl. | Opening February | After more than a year of construction, the Red Line station will open outside of Q2 Stadium just in time for soccer season.
I-35 Capital Express Central, Downtown Austin | Construction beginning this year | The $4.5 billion overhaul of I-35 will widen and lower parts of the highway and implement “caps” and “stitches” that will allow for pedestrian and bike access.
Art
Troll statue, 1100 Kingsbury St. | Construction beginning in February | An 18 ft-tall, 15 ft-wide statue of a friendly troll created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo will be made from recycled materials just north of the Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park.
”Music America: Iconic Objects from America’s Music History,” 2313 Red River St. | Opening Saturday, Feb. 17 | Stop by the LBJ Library to see Taylor Swift’s guitar, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” album cover outfit, and more music-related artifacts.
”Past Deposits From a Future Yet to Come,” 1401 Trinity St. | Opening in March | See artifacts exhumed from Waller Creek as far back as the 1800s at this new video display.
Now open
If there’s one thing we love even more than looking ahead to the future, it’s enjoying the present at one of Austin’s newest spots. Check out this list of Bat City’s recently opened establishments.
Dining
The Statesman, 710 W. 6th St. | Opened in January | This American-Texan supper club leans into a speakeasy-like vibe, and serves dishes like seafood towers, pimento mac and cheese, and rib-eye steaks. Psst — don’t miss the “press for champagne” button.
Sijie Special Noodle, 13729 Research Blvd. | Opened in January | The first Texas location for the California-based chain serves noodles, dumplings, bao, and other entrees.
Toasty Badger, 2206 S. Congress Ave. | Opened in January | Dine on diner classics in the building that used to house Austin’s first Dairy Queen.
Tare, 12414 Alderbrook Dr. | Opened in January | This high-end omakase restaurant serves up a 15-course meal of hot and cold dishes.
K Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, 5200 Brodie Lane | Opened in January | This all-you-can-eat chain also plans to open another location in the Arboretum.
Phoebe’s Diner, 12001-D Burnet Rd. | Opened in January | Don’t miss this spot’s uniquely flavored mimosas, order a smoked brisket breakfast burrito, or indulge in some deep-fried French toast.
Yeni’s Fusion, 510 W. Oltorf St. | Opened in January | The second location for this Indonesian Fusion Food Truck serves favorites like curry bowls, rice dishes, and coconut soups.
Suzi’s Chinese, 4805 Burnet Rd. | Opened in January | This two-decade-old restaurant may have shut down in 2013, but it’s back and better than ever with a new Burnet Road location.
Rose Bakery, 10000 Research Blvd. | Opened in December | Julie Myrtille, French pastry chef and Académie Culinaire de France member, opened this spot for brioche bread, petit fours, macarons, madeleines, homemade jams, and more.
Dish Society, 1900 Aldrich Blvd. | Opened in December | Dig into the daily brunch at the new location for this Houston-based mini-chain.
Gina’s on Congress, 314 Congress Ave. | Opened in December | Try French-Italian fare from this bistro, which serves house-made pasta, meat dishes, and cannolis.
Murray’s Tavern, 2316 Webberville Rd. | Opened in December | Stay tuned for another concept from the team behind this cozy, New York-inspired bar: Half Moon, opening in March.
Craft Omakase, 4400 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 102 | Opened in December | Meals are 20 courses at this restaurant from former Uchiko employees Charlie Wang, Nguyen Nguyen, and Tim Boyer.
Not a Damn Chance Burger, 1007 E. Sixth St. | Opened in December | Smash burgers with cheese, sauce, onions, jalapenos, and fries fried in wagyu fat — need we say more?
Poeta, 1123 E. 11th St. | Opened in December | This all-day Italian cafe from the chefs behind Intero serves bites like crab cakes, crispy polenta, a “wafflegato” topped with espresso, gnocchi, and tons of desserts.
Verdad, 2701 Perseverance Dr. | Opened in December | The team behind Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille opened this new Mexican restaurant, which serves filet mignon tacos, mole tastings, and a range of agave spirits.
Playground ATX, 5001 Airport Blvd. | Opened in November | This new culinary incubator from the duo behind Tykhe Group kicked off with a residency from East Meets Wings, which serves chicken in flavors inspired by Indonesia, India, Thailand, China, Japan, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Red Farm, 201 W. 3rd St. | Opened in November | Chef Joe Ng of New York City’s Red Farm restaurant partnered with local restaurateur Jesse Herman to bring the concept to ATX.
Recreation
Eastside Cinema at the Millenium, 1156 Hargrave St. | Opened in January | The defunct movie theater at the Millennium Entertainment Complex is back in business.
Other Racquet Social Club, 2717 Manor Rd. | Opened in December | This upscale pickleball club contains tournament regulation courts, cabanas, a bar, and member’s clubhouse complete with a cold plunge and drinks station.
Retail
MCM, 1700 Rock Rose Ave. | Opened in January | Shop for leather goods, bags, backpacks, trunks, and accessories from this German luxury brand.
Rails, 11621 Rock Rose Ave. | Opened in December | The growth won’t stop at Domain NORTHSIDE — this Los Angeles-based clothing company is just one of several new stores that opened in 2023.
Happy Cat Hotel and Spa, 13581 Pond Springs Rd. | Opened in November | This luxury cat hotel offers a state-of-the-art spa, room service, enrichment activities, and 24-hour webcam monitoring access for your feline friend.
Healthcare
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, 2400 Round Rock Ave. | Opened in January | The $53.1 million expansion of this medical center added 34 beds in the Intermediate Care Unit and completed the hospital’s tower.
Hotels
citizenM hotel, 617 Colorado St. | Opened in January | It’s all “affordable luxury” at this 17-story hotel, featuring a rooftop pool, plentiful art, a “living room” for relaxing and working, a retail space, and a 24/7 dining area.
Cambria Hotel Austin Downtown, 68 East Ave. | Opened in November | This upscale hotel located near Rainey Street also offers sips + bites at the Limestone Rooftop.
