Day-to-Night Coffee and Wine Shops and Barbecue Rule Austin in June Openings
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2614 East Cesar Chavez Street
Coffee by day and wine by night? That's what the folks in this renovated bungalow house from the 1920s in East Austin are serving up. The folks who own the cocktail bar Small Victory got together with the people at Figure 8 Coffee to create a space for morning, noon, and night. The wines are selected by Small Victory's buyer, as well as small bites like a bread and cheese basket, cookies, and pastries; the new spot will also host pop-ups with food trucks from around the city. There's a nice big outdoor patio in what used to be the backyard.
Less of a ballroom and more of a converted corrugated metal storage building that's now a restaurant, this spot has all kinds of goodness hiding inside. It's a coffee shop (beans by Figure 8) with light bites and brunch dishes by day and a cocktail bar by night. The most substantial menu items are brunch bites like classic eggs Benedict, brioche French toast, a bacon-and-egg breakfast sandwich on brioche, a double smash burger, and two eggs with a Texas-sourced Akaushi New York strip steak. There are also matchas, teas, pastries, and breakfast tacos. Try fun cocktails like the Tiki Too Much (rum, pineapple, passion fruit, crème de banane, coconut, and pomegranate) or Puerto Punch (mezcal, ginger, cassis, and blackberry).
Now open in the Central Austin Public Library is a second location of Café Crème. As a family-owned, French-Vietnamese restaurant and coffee shop, the cafe is known for serving up crepes and lattes with notable art dribbled in them — think cats, dogs, and even bears, oh my. It's creme brulee latte is a fan-favorite, and the kolaches and breakfast tacos here have a strong following, too. This hand location offers diners a chance to pop in and support their local library while getting a coffee and a little treat.
205 East Austin Street in Fredericksburg
Out in Hill Country, a new hotel means a new barbecue joint. The Albert Hotel in Fredericksburg is home to Junebug's BBQ, which is in the historic Brockmann-Kiehne house — the hotel took over several historic properties in the city to cobble together a complex of sorts. Chef Justin Spencer created the menu, which features a menu of brisket, spare ribs, turkey, pulled pork, baby back ribs, sausage (regular and jalapeño), and chicken. The sides are classic, going all in on potato salad, green beans, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, beans, and a baked potato casserole — a very Dickey's coded-menu. There's also a stage for live music.
This barbecue spot hits all the notes, with Texas-style brisket, Alabama pulled pork, Memphis-style ribs, and sauces inspired from the Carolinas. Founder Daniel Monplaisir is especially interested in Texas and Alabama barbecue traditions. In addition to meats by the pound, it offers brisket and pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue plates, and sides like bacon macaroni and cheese, creamed corn, baked beans, and a mayo-based cole slaw.
After closing its space in the Frances Modern Inn in February, Italian cafe Poeta has reopened in East Austin this spring. In its new space, there is an outdoor garden cafe as well as indoor, and the floors get an upgrade to a lovely dark wood. The restaurant will continue to serve favorites from its seasonal menu, with dishes like tuna carpaccio, roasted beets with avocado, pork sausage rigatoni with tomato butter, and glistening wagyu steaks. See More: Austin Restaurant Openings
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