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🍽️ New eats ahead
Ēma’s first Texas location will open in Austin in the fall of 2025. | Photo by Jeff Marini
Over a year after its announcement, Ēma is gearing up to open at Domain NORTHSIDE Saturday, Jan. 31. A sister restaurant to Aba, Ēma will focus on Mediterranean and California-inspired fare on a mezze-style menu.
Ēma — which means “mother” in Hebrew — is the third restaurant of its name, and the first location outside of the Chicago area. Austin’s location will be helmed by “Top Chef Duels” winner Chef CJ Jacobson.
The menu will focus on vegetables and seafood, with highlights including sweet corn hummus, octopus carpaccio, and grilled shrimp kebabs. Meanwhile, the drinks program features creative takes like a tequila yuzu espresso martini, a curated wine list with sips from the Mediterranean coastline, and plenty of mocktails.
Austin’s “Second Downtown” is growing. Austin City Council voted to rezone seven acres near Q2 Stadium to make way for a potential 35+ story high rise. (Austin Business Journal)
Coming Soon
MICHELIN-recognized Chef Val Cantú, who earned his recognition in California but was born in Central Texas, plans to open a new restaurant at Canyon Ranch Austin, a resort set to open this fall. Estella will focus on upscale food inspired by Cantú’s Texas heritage. (CultureMap)
Ranked
Jeffrey’s is the most romantic restaurant in Austin, according to a ranking from OpenTable. Truluck’s also made the list, in case you need ideas for Valentine’s Day.
Festival
Here’s some neat news. Austin Whiskey Riot, a festival dedicated to tasting its namesake spirit, will return to the Fair Market in late April. Tickets start at $80.
Opening
Cedar Park’s first ever tattoo shop is now open. Don’t Tell Mama Tattoo is located on Whitestone Boulevard, specializing in American and Japanese traditional-style ink. (Community Impact)
Closing
GameStop is gearing up to close 470 stores across the country, including three in the Austin area. With the closure of one in Marble Falls, one at Lakeline Plaza, and one at Ben White Boulevard, the Austin area will still have more than a dozen locations to spare. (CultureMap)
Sports
Texas’s offensive line is poised to look a little different in 2026, thanks to the transfer portal. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Texas Longhorns with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
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Category
Play
🥒 Austin is in a pickle
PickleRage’s courts are perfect for play no matter the season. | Photo courtesy PickleRage
Pickleball is all the rage, especially at PickleRage.
Coming in Q2 of 2026, this Miami-based pickleball franchise will bring its first ever location to Texas at 13435 N. US 183. The indoor center will feature nine courts, a player lounge, retail options, leagues, lessons, clinics, and events.
The courts also feature CushionX surfaces, which claim to be more gentle on players’ joints.
If you’re ready to get playing, you can sign up for updates. Plus, the website shows two other Austin locations are in the works.
Super Bowl LX kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 8. Whether you’re catching the game at your favorite sports bar or hosting a watch party at home, we’ve rounded up a few must-haves for every kind of big-game watcher:
Chef Fermín Núñez, if you’re reading this, I want you to know that your restaurants have made such an impact on me that Bar Toti is usually the first restaurant I can recall when I’m asked for a recommendation, which is often.
If you’re not Chef Núñez, consider this your sign to visit Bar Toti or any of the places on our list of favorite dishes.
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