Austin is a city defined by turnover. In one of the nation’s fastest-growing metros, it’s not unusual to watch a single address cycle through multiple concepts, leaving longtime residents saying, “I never got the chance to try Tiger Lily, but I remember when it was Estelle’s.”
This year has been no exception. Several restaurants that helped shape Austin’s dining identity over the past decade have closed their doors, even as a fresh crop of ambitious newcomers has arrived. These are the departures that stung the most—and the openings that have us most excited for what’s next.
Closings
From left, Ana Torrealba, Iliana de la Vega and Isabel Torrealba at El Naranjo in Austin, Friday, May 1, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
The closing of El Naranjo on July 18 means the disappearance of one of Austin’s best restaurants. Chef Iliana de la Vega won the inaugural James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef: Texas in 2022. She opened El Naranjo with her husband, Ernesto Torrealba, on Rainey Street in 2012, before relocating to South Lamar in 2019. De la Vega cited an oversaturated restaurant market and the high costs of goods, labor and rent as reasons for her decision.
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Plating elegance at Olamaie matches the sophisticated mood of the modern Southern restaurant.
AARON E. MARTINEZ
Olamaie will serve its final meal on July 19. The only restaurant named No. 1 in the city by the American-Statesman on three separate occasions (first in 2017) was the first Southern restaurant in America to earn a Michelin star. Though he praised his own landlord, Fojtasek said Austin’s high rents and labor costs have made it a very hard restaurant market. He noted that unlike other major cities across the country, people in Austin rarely dine out late, making restaurants reliant on fewer guests to make ends meet.
Maie Day, Fojtasek’s chophouse in the South Congress Hotel, closed this spring, as the property is undergoing redevelopment and is slated to reopen with different food and beverage operations at the Standard hotel next year.
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Vince Young Steakhouse opened on San Jacinto Boulevard in 2010.
Austin American-Statesman
Vince Young Steakhouse closed in January after 15 years in downtown Austin. The steakhouse blended a polished but accessible atmosphere with references to former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young’s football career. While the restaurant bore his name, it was owned and operated by chef Phil Brown and his wife, Laura Brown, and Young had not been involved in day-to-day operations for several years.
In a statement, Phil Brown cited rising labor, food and operating costs, along with broader challenges facing independent restaurants downtown.
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Little Mexico closed on South First Street in February 2026 after more than 30 years at that location.
MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Little Mexico closed in February after more than three decades. What began as a seven-table operation by Rosa Martinez grew into a 200-seat institution that fed generations of diners on South First Street.
The antipasti case was always an enticing welcome steps away from the host stand at Vespaio.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILE
Few closures will hit quite like Vespaio, which anchored South Congress since 1998. It was the kind of place that defined “Old Austin” dining. The restaurant closed in February.
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Two dogs greet each other while playing at Yard Bar in Austin, Aug. 3, 2022. Yard Bar was the combination of a dog park and bar, allowing dogs to run around while their owners drink, relax and socialize.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman, Austin American-Statesman
Yard Bar, Austin’s first dog park and bar, closed in May after more than a decade in Allandale. Owners cited rising property taxes, insurance, labor and operating costs in announcing the closure. Travis Central Appraisal District records show the property’s appraised value has more than doubled since 2015.
The roof in the upstairs dining room of Bar Peached was destroyed in a fire on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Provided by Eric Silverstein
West Sixth Street restaurant Bar Peached closed indefinitely after a fire severely damaged the restaurant on May 31.
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Owner Eric Silverstein said much of the building will need to be rebuilt, and there is no timeline for reopening while insurance assessments and construction plans are underway.
Openings
Ēma, the sister restaurant to Aba, is now open in Domain Northside.
PROVIDED BY LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU
Up north, Ēma opened in February at Domain Northside, importing a Chicago-born, vegetable-forward Mediterranean menu. The opening marked Ēma’s third location overall and the second Lettuce Entertain You concept in Austin, joining Aba on South Congress. The menu includes mezze, spreads, vegetables and kebabs.
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3120 Palm Way, Suite 170. 737-402-1333, emarestaurants.com/austin.
Oria
Oria opened in February on Barton Springs Road.
Provided by Oria
On Barton Springs Road, Oria opened in February at the old Zoe Tong location. The menu pulls from Southern European and Eastern Mediterranean influences and is built around shareable plates and open flames.
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1530 Barton Springs Road. oriarestaurants.com.
Roxie’s specializes in the fried chicken and chicken fried steak of owner Scott Roberts’ grandmother, Roxanna Roberts.
PROVIDED BY GARRETT SMITH
In Buda, Roxie’s opened in February. The restaurant thrives on comfort food recipes from owner Scott Roberts’ grandmother. The menu includes chicken fried steak, biscuits and pies.
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308 S. Main St., Buda. 512-524-6578, roxiesbuda.com.
Tzintzuntzan on West North Loop Boulevard.
MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Tucked into Allandale, Tzintzuntzan opened in February as a sister restaurant to Fonda San Miguel. Named for a Purépecha word meaning “place of the hummingbirds,” the restaurant serves brunch, lunch, baked goods and house-made ice cream.
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2302 W. N. Loop Blvd. tzintzuntzan.com.
Umarell
The toasted Italian melt is one of several sandwich options at Umarell.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
Umarell opened in Hyde Park in February. The spot is a counter-service restaurant that serves Italian, New Jersey-style dishes: fried lasagna edges dunked in arrabbiata, meatballs stuffed with fontina and an Italian hot dog.
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4413 Guadalupe St. 512-893-8716, umarellatx.com.
Seafood tower at Austin Oyster Co.
PROVIDED BY MATT CONANT
After years as a pop-up, Austin Oyster Co. planted roots in a restored Craftsman home on East Cesar Chavez Street in March. The menu includes East Coast oysters, lobster rolls and seafood-driven small plates, alongside heartier dishes.
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2500 E. Cesar Chavez St. 512-222-4032, austinoysterco.com.
Boni’s, built from a home that dates back to 1934, is located at 1805 S. First St. next door to Lenoir.
PROVIDED BY CHAD WADSWORTH
The Spanish cocktail bar opened in Bouldin Creek next to Lenoir, set inside a 1930s bungalow restored with reused materials. The drinks list is built around Spanish classics and seasonal spirits, paired with a tight menu of tapas-style bar food.
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1805 S. First St. Instagram.com/bonisbaratx.
Only the Wild Ones
The patio at Only the Wild Ones, a new vinyl-focused listening bar and wine concept in Austin, features a sunken courtyard and live oak tree designed for outdoor listening sessions and lingering conversation.
Ashley Randall/Provided by Only the Wild Ones
Only the Wild Ones, a vinyl-focused listening bar and wine concept, opened in May with an emphasis on analog sound, natural wine and slow-paced hospitality. It’s the bar’s third location, with two others in New York and Los Angeles.
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The space centers on a sunken courtyard framed by a 20-foot cypress wood bar and shaded by a live oak tree. The beverage program includes cocktails such as a white mezcal negroni and a honeydew margarita. The food menu, led by chef Dimitri Voutsinas, focuses on small plates including olives, fermented pickles, bread service and local cheese and charcuterie.
1600 S. Congress Ave. 512-291-2553, onlythewildones.com.
Sugarwolf in Downtown Austin is one of the standout new bakeries in the city.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
Sugarwolf, a bakery, coffee bar and kitchen, opened downtown in May, through a collaboration between Guy + Larry Restaurants, Austin-based owner-operator Staton Jobe and chef-partner Kevin Taylor of ATX Cocina and Bulevar Mexican Kitchen.
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The menu includes croissants, sourdough loaves, cookies and seasonal pastries, alongside sandwiches and composed salads built on house-made bread. Offerings emphasize a seed oil-free kitchen and a simplified approach to daytime dining.
401 W. Fourth St. 512-827-2520, sugarwolfbakery.com.
Sea trout meunière with braised cabbage at Texas French Bread, June 30, 2026 as the Austin institution reopens for the first time since a fire burned the building to the ground in January of 2022.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
After operating from a food truck for nearly three years, Texas French Bread reopened its brick-and-mortar bakery and bistro in June. The bakery was forced to close after a fire heavily damaged the building in 2022.
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The restaurant is now serving breakfast and lunch with summer hours from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The menu includes croissants, sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies, cakes and other baked goods.
2900 Rio Grande St. 512-499-0544. texasfrenchbread.com.
