Lots going on as 2025 came to a close! Mama Betty’s (review this issue) and Foxtail Lounge opened up at 7001 Burnet Road. Khanm Kitchen rolled into 1901 West Anderson Lane to sling a variety of Kurdish and Iraqi cuisine. DonDon Japanese Fire Bowl is a Japanese Donburi providing rice bowls for delivery or pickup from 6701 Burnet. Tancho Sushi opened up in The Grove at 2621 Perseverance Drive. Local trailer army Wow Poke opened up its first brick-n-mortar at 7433 Burnet. Pete’s Cajun Seafood has rolled into the trailer park at 5000 Burnet. Austin Select Market, thems that took over Thom’s Market, rebranded as Fin’s First Market in honor of the owner, Rofin Maknojia. Top Notch has posted some top-notch videos to its socials that are rather wonderful.
Roya (7858 Shoal Creek) and tzintzuntzan (2302 West North Loop) appear to be mere days from opening, and both places look amazing, with Persian luxury at Roya and Barragán-esque Mexican minimalism at tzintzuntzan. SOSU Izakaya & Sushi Bar also looks to be close to opening at 6701 Burnet (DonDon is ghosting out of their kitchen). Old Jerusalem is opening at 3808 Spicewood Springs. The new construction next to Mama Betty’s at 7101 Burnet is Holy Pickle, a collection of four pickleball courts. No word on whether they will serve pickle juice.
Bird Dog Pit BBQ closed at 4707 Burnet. ChefSuite, which never really got its act together, went belly-up at 8023 Burnet. Jan Chi Korean Cuisine & BBQ closed at 3808 Spicewood Springs. The original El Mercado on South First closed, leaving our Mercado at 7414 Burnet the last Mercado standing. Gusto and gràcia missed payroll at the end of the year, and it’s up in the air whether they’ll reopen. The restaurant’s socials say they are opening on January 2nd, but signs on the doors seen by KVUE on January 1st say the restaurants are closing down. Employees are considering filing a lawsuit…