Austin eats its own. Always has. One month you’re elbow-to-elbow in a dining room that feels like it’s been there forever; the next, it’s gone, replaced by something shinier, louder or just different enough to remind you the city doesn’t slow down for nostalgia.
Here’s what opened and what slipped away in February.
Closings
Little Mexico
Little Mexico is preparing to close after more than three decades. What began as a seven-table operation by Rosa Martinez grew into a 200-seat institution that fed generations. With its closure, another piece of South First’s cultural spine disappears.
Pasta|Bar
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Pasta|Bar, the high-wire tasting counter from chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee, is closing at the end of the month. The East Sixth Street restaurant built its reputation on a $235-and-up experience that treated dinner like a performance. The team plans to debut a new concept in the same space.
Vespaio
Few closures will hit quite like Vespaio, which has anchored South Congress since 1998. It was the kind of place that defined “Old Austin” dining. Its sister concept, Chapulín Cantina, will also shutter. What comes next for the space is unclear.
Openings
Black Rock Coffee Bar
Oregon-based Black Rock Coffee Bar opened a new outpost along East Riverside, bringing its lineup of roasted coffees and energy drinks to South Austin.
2301 E. Riverside Drive. 833-843-5776, br.coffee.
De Nada Cantina (South First)
De Nada Cantina took over the former El Mercado space on South First. The new tenant promises tortillas on the comal and a margarita-forward identity, while holding onto small traces of what came before. The restaurant will also have seating wrapping around its exterior and a live music stage…