Now Open
1. Drop Kick, a cocktail bar and restaurant, opened Feb. 20 at 1630 E. Sixth St., Ste. 100, Austin. Chef Francisco Baca arrives in Austin after 12 years in the food industry, working in New York and San Francisco. The restaurant is taking online orders for delivery and takeout as of March 17. www.dropkickbar.com
2. Hungry, a catering company that connects local chefs with offices in the area, opened its Austin location on March 11 at 1905 E. Sixth St., Ste. 100. 888-848-6479. www.tryhungry.com
3. Target opened its second Austin-area small-format store March 10 in the Plaza Saltillo development at 901 E. Fifth St., Ste. 140, Austin. The 25,000-square-foot store offers home decor and essentials, apparel and accessories, and grab-and-go groceries and produce. 512-813-2929. www.target.com
Coming Soon
4. Dear Diary Coffeehouse, a coffee shop and vegan cafe, was set to receive its final city inspection before opening on March 31 at 1212 Chicon St., Ste. 103, Austin. Co-owner Amalia Litsa said the business will serve beer to-go, gallons of cold brew and other takeout items until dine-in service is allowed. https://deardiarycoffeehouse.com
5. Este, a new Mexican-inspired seafood restaurant from the team behind Suerte, will open in late 2020 or early 2021 at 2113 Manor Road, Austin. Suerte owner Sam Heilman-Mass said he and Executive Chef Fermin Nunez spent time traveling through Mexico to learn more about coastal Mexican cooking ahead of the opening. The new spot will open in the former location of Eastside Cafe.
512-953-0092. www.suerteatx.com
6. The Block Yard, a new 280,000-square-foot mixed-use development at 2900 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Austin, is scheduled to open its office portion in 2021 and residential units in 2022. The project is being developed by Trammell Crow Co. and High Street Residential. They say the building will include 302 apartments and 68,000 square feet of office and retail space. www.trammellcrow.com, www.highstreetresidential.com
7. Dogs Around Austin, a dog community center offering boarding, day care, training, pet photography and social media consulting, is set to open soon at 3404 Oak Springs Drive, Austin. Co-owners Emily Stephens and Amanda Quick initially set early April as an opening date, and now are hoping to open as soon as possible pending more information for local government officials. The business will maintain a low volume of dogs at all times for daycare and educate trainers to provide a safe and welcoming environment.www.dogsaroundaustin.com
8. HŌM Condos will open between July and September at 3101 Govalle Ave., Austin. The development broke ground in August and will feature 59 units, including one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom options. The complex is being developed by Pearlstone Partners, a real estate investment firm that is also behind projects such as Natiivo Austin and 84 East on Rainey Street. www.pearlstonepartners.com
9. Rastegar Property Co. announced March 9 the acquisition of properties at 902 E. Seventh St. and 818 E. Seventh St. The real estate investment firm plans to convert the building at 902 E. Seventh into creative office space. The property at 818 E. Seventh is a parking lot, and Rastegar Property Co. said the proximity of the two lots will “provide flexibility for future development.” 512-729-7777. www.rastegarproperty.com
10. Mendocino Farms, a California sandwich chain, will open its first Austin location at 1109 E. Fifth St. in the new Saltillo development this fall. Husband-and-wife team Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen founded the business in 2003 and have since expanded it to locations across California and Texas.
www.mendocinofarms.com
Anniversaries
11. Launderette, a locally owned cafe, celebrated its fifth anniversary Feb. 19. It is located at 2115 Holly St., Austin. As of March 18, the restaurant is temporarily closed. 512-382-1599.
www.launderetteaustin.com
Relocations
12. Petite Ecole Internationale, a French-immersion Montessori preschool for children ages 2-5, relocated in January to 831 Springdale Road, Austin. The school, which was founded in 2000, was previously located at 4520 Burnet Road and is accepting enrollments for summer camps and the 2020-21 school year.
512-302-3180. www.petiteecole.com
