WORDS BY AVA MOTES
LEE’S KITCHEN + COCKTAILS OPENS IN WESTLAKE
Now serving up Asian cuisine and mixed drinks in the Westlake Hills neighborhood is Lee’s Kitchen + Cocktails, the latest restaurant venture from the family behind PhoNatic. Similar to their other counter-service Vietnamese spot, Lee’s pays homage to the Vietnamese and Taiwanese comfort dishes that the Lee family regularly serves in their home kitchen. With a sleek sun-lit space in the Village at Westlake shopping center, Lee’s delivers classics like hainan chicken, bò lúc loc, fried rice vermicelli and beef broth pho in a comfortable family-friendly atmosphere.
Lee’s Kitchen + Cocktails
With a background in the grocery and food service industry, the Lee family prides themselves on only using the freshest ingredients in their dishes and drinks. Their full bar features bright cocktail pairings like a passion fruit margarita, hibiscus gin and tonic and lychee martini. They also offer a selection of local and imported beers and an extensive wine list.
Visit Lee’s at 701 S Capital of Texas Hwy Suite G700. Takeout orders can also be placed online at leeskitchenatx.com.
EMMER & RYE OPENS MEDITERRANEAN CONCEPT EZOV
Ezov, a new Mediterranean concept from Emmer & Rye, is now open in the former Pitchfork Pretty space. Named after the Hebrew word for hyssop, one of the main ingredients in the Middle Eastern spice blend za’atar, Ezov celebrates the markets of Tel Aviv with a Texan bent. The restaurant is headed up by Berty Richter, an Israeli native who has been cooking in Texas for seven years at Fareground stall TLV and San Antonio’s Ladino.
Ezov
With a seasonal menu, Ezov incorporates the freshest local ingredients into Israeli favorites like falafel, hummus, sabich and chicken shawarma. Highlights from the menu include seasonal crudo with pistachio, tahini and pomegranate; halloumi with date molasses and dukkah; and smashed cucumber with labne and sumac. For dessert, customers can enjoy classics like Baklava, which is served with Texas pecans.
Ezov also offers Mediterranean wines from Greece, Lebanon, Israel and Italy, as well as fresh and bold cocktails inspired by Tel Aviv nightlife.
The family-friendly restaurant is located at 2708 E Cesar Chavez St. For more information, visit ezovatx.com.
AARON FRANKLIN REINVENTS UPTOWN SPORTS CLUB
Paying homage to old East Austin is Uptown Sports Club, a former Eastside watering hole that has found a second life in its original location. Uptown Sports Club first opened in 1949 as a neighborhood spot to drink and socialize. Now, the bar and restaurant is heralded by Aaron Franklin with the hope of honoring its original spirit with a reimagined New Orleans-style menu.
Uptown Sports Club
The standout on the Uptown Sports Club menu is its selection of Po’Boys, which are made with French bread from Leidenheimer Baking Company — the gold standard in authentic New Orleans restaurants. Although Uptown doesn’t serve Franklin’s lauded barbecue, it offers gumbo (which takes three days to prepare with its oven-cooked roux of sunflower oil and flour), and seafood dishes like Crab Louie, oysters and a trout dip. Franklin says the seafood offerings will continue to expand in the coming months alongside the restaurant’s dinner menu.
Uptown is a walk-in-only restaurant, and has a comfortable dog-friendly outdoor patio, televisions to keep up with sports and a relaxed social atmosphere much like the Uptown of decades past.
Check out the new Uptown at 1200 E 6th St or visit uptownsports.club.
SOUPLEAF OFFERS ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT HOT POT
Hungry hot pot lovers will rave about Soupleaf Hot Pot, a new all-you-can-eat restaurant in the Highland neighborhood. Focusing on Chinese-style hot pot, Soupleaf offers made-from-scratch soup bases like spicy Chinese mala, vegetable and tomato, which customers can then top with a range of buffet ingredients — including vegetables, noodles and fish balls. The restaurant also offers meats and seafood like brisket, pork belly, clams and scallops that can be added at a la carte prices.
Lunch at Soupleaf is $18.99 per person and dinner is $23.99 per person with unlimited refills. However, the family-friendly spot also offers discounts for children between the ages of four and 10 who are sharing pots. Soupleaf is co-owned by siblings Nelson Lin, Nicole Lin, Nick Lin and their mother Jin Lin, who ran several successful San Diego restaurants before relocating to Austin.
Soupleaf is at 6929 Airport Boulevard. To learn more about Soupleaf, visit soupleafhotpot.com.
VERACRUZ FONDA INTRODUCES STOREFRONT IN MUELLER
Fans of Veracruz All Natural, one of Austin’s top taco trucks, can now enjoy their famed Mexican fare in a new table-service setting at Veracruz Fonda & Bar. Located in the Mueller neighborhood, Veracruz Fonda offers breakfast, lunch and dinner inspired by the flavors of Veracruz, Mexico — the hometown of co-owners and sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez.
The Vazquez sisters debuted their first Mexican food truck on East Cesar Chavez in 2008, and have since opened several other locations around the city. Now, with their new brick-and-mortar venture, they have the opportunity to serve an expanded menu.
Veracruz Fonda
Breakfast at Veracruz Fonda includes conchas and picadas — the open-face tacos that are a signature in Veracruz, Mexico — as well as a juice bar and coffee from Desnudo, which currently operates out of Veracruz’s food truck court on Webberville Road. For lunch and dinner, Veracruz Fonda offers moles, antojitos and entrees like Calabacitas Con Queso. And, of course, the authentic tacos that made Veracruz a local favorite are also available.
Veracruz Fonda & Bar is now open at 1905 Aldrich St #125 in the former JT Youngbloods space. To learn more, visit veracruzfonda.com.
FLO’S WINE BAR & BOTTLE SHOP OPENS IN TARRYTOWN
New in Tarrytown is Flo’s Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, a neighborhood-friendly bar and store accompanied by New York-style pizzeria Allday Pizza. The space includes a patio for leisurely hangouts and a counterservice window serving up whole pies and slices for lunch and dinner. Standout pizzas include the classic pepperoni topped with fresh mozzarella, the four cheese with homemade stracciatella and the broccolini pizza with roasted garlic and lemon pepper. They also serve gourmet meatballs, salads and gelato available to enjoy alongside Flo’s wine selection, which includes 250 labels available by the glass or bottle for on-site drinking as well as to-go.
Flo’s Wine Bar photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Flo’s is co-founded and co-owned by childhood friends Flo Clemons and Adair Belisle, who said they long dreamed of opening a local hangout. The pair has partnered with Townsend Smith and Daniel Sorg (two of the founders formerly of Sammataro), who run Allday Pizza to create a well-rounded pairing of food and drink.
Visit Flo’s at 3111 W 35th St. For more information, see floswinebar.com and allday.pizza.
VIA 313 ADDS LOCATION IN BEE CAVE
Photo by Via 313
Now serving up a taste of Detroit in Bee Cave is Via 313, a deep dish pizza joint that has had Austinites raving since it first opened in 2011. Dubbed “Pizzeria of the Year” by Pizza Today and named as one of the “Top 10 Pizzas in America” by Food Network, Via 313 has built a reputation for its signature deep dish pies — which are sure to have mouths watering at their newest location.
“We’ve had our sights set on Bee Cave for a while now and we’re excited to finally bring our Detroit-style pizza to this community,” said Co-Founder Zane Hunt. “The Austin area has shown its support for our awardwinning pizza, so it made perfect sense to give it even more.”
Via 313’s new home in Bee Cave will serve its signature Motor City pizza — with pillowy deep dish crust, Wisconsin cheese, and tomato sauce that is laid on after the bake — which made the pizzeria a local favorite. Via 313 has everything from unique pizzas like The Cadillac (which is topped with gorgonzola, fig preserves, prosciutto, parmesan, and balsamic glaze), to the double-pepperoni classic The Detroiter. The menu also features vegan and vegetarian options, as well as an alternative gluten free pizza crust, offering something for every pizza fanatic.
To try Via 313 for yourself, visit their newest location at 3944 S. FM 620 Road or order online at via313.com.
ROSÉ GOSÉ DEBUTS ON AIRPORT BLVD
With the closure of ATX Grill (which had a brief stint in the former Sala and Betty space) comes a New European and New American spot: Rosé Gosé. The restaurant and bar boasts more than 250 wines, 50 craft beers and a mysterious list of numbered cocktails — No. 1 is a gin martini with sparkling wine, lychees and bergamot oranges, while No. 3 is a rum punch with passionfruit and pineapple. These cocktails, though inconspicuous, have a whimsical edge, featuring everything from an apple foam drink to a flaming rose honoring the restaurant’s namesake.
Photo by Rosé Gosé
Rosé Gosé is owned by Belarus natives Veronika Hurynava and Igor Drypsiak, who describe the cuisine as “comfort food”-based. The restaurant’s menu selection is upscale and varied, with cheese boards, poke bowls and a raw bar with beef tartare paired with smoked mozzarella mousse and fries or caviar.
To try Rosé Gosé yourself, visit 201 Airport Boulevard. For more information follow IG: @rose_gose_austin.
ZE CREPES RELAUNCHES AS THE SCARBROUGH
Photo by Ze Crepes
Downtown eatery Ze Crepes has relaunched as The Scarbrough — a name inspired by the restaurant’s home in the lobby of the historic Scarbrough Building. The new concept continues to serve up the sweet and savory crepes that made Ze Crepes a local favorite, but also offers an expanded dinner menu with more health-conscious options.
Photo by Ze Crepes
The Scarbrough’s Bonjour Menu features brunch fare like healthy fruit and parfait bowls, a croque madame, breakfast crepes, and croissant sandwiches — including the lox ’n found croissant, which is a French take on a typical bagel and lox. In the evenings, The Scarborough offers their Bonsoir Menu, which includes snacks like crostini and both sweet and savory entree crepes. This is paired with an expanded wine list, local craft beer offerings, and summery cocktails like a hibiscus mule and passionfruit mojito.
To try a taste of The Scarborough’s crepes and more, visit 101 W. Sixth Street. Learn more at thescarbrough.com.
HUCKLEBERRY FEATURES CEVICHE SUMMER
Photo by Huckleberry
Austin’s beloved sustainable seafood truck, Huckleberry, is launching “Ceviche Summer”: a rotating ceviche special that will last all summer long. Inspired by co-owner Melinda Reese’s upbringing in Florida, where ceviche was a staple after summer fishing trips, this coastal staple is prepared like a home cooked meal. And, with the help of Chef Davis Turner, the new ceviche menu inspires unique creations with fresh black drum, shrimp, oysters, and more.
Launched in 2020 and located in the backyard at Still Austin Whiskey Co, Huckleberry is the go-to for ethically sourced gulf coast comfort foods. Their so-called “smart food truck,” utilizes 5G and IoT technologies to provide insight on food storage, temperature, and humidity — guaranteeing the highest quality fish in every meal. In addition to their ceviche specials, Huckleberry continues to offer their fan-favorite seafood platters, Po’Boys, and shrimp rolls.
Find Huckleberry at 440 East Saint Elmo Rd. and visit huckleberrytx.com for more
About the Contributor
Ava Motes is an Austin native who follows the city’s expanding food scene with an eye for the people and stories behind beloved menus. In her spare time, she loves trying new restaurants, exploring farmers markets, and relaxing in cafes with a good book in hand.
