January: Georgetown fusion restaurant Wasabi aims to open another location in 2023
Amber and Aaron Hsieh, the owners of Chinese and Japanese fusion restaurant Wasabi, said they hope to grow their Georgetown restaurant into a chain.
In 2023, the brother and sister pair from Taiwan plan to open a second location.
“For the future, I hope we’ll be able to open more Wasabi restaurants and continue to make customers happy,” Amber said.
February: Georgetown restaurant Roots continues providing space for food, family, fun
When Karim and Jeana Aliani scoped out the building at 118 W. 8th St. in Georgetown in 2015, the couple was looking for a new location for their Italian restaurant.
However, once they set eyes on the business already sitting among the slate of boutiques, eateries and the historic Williamson County Courthouse on the Georgetown Square, it was clear to them
Roots had already become part of the community.
March: Downtown Georgetown restaurant Jaiwai Thai Kitchen serves authentic cuisine
In 2014, Tom Jaiwai took over the Thai restaurant sitting at 114 E. 7th St., Ste. 105, Georgetown, just off the city’s downtown Square.
Three years later, he rebranded the business—formerly known as Khun Kan Thai Kitchen—to better reflect the change in ownership and make it his own, changing the name to Jaiwai Thai Kitchen.
“We changed a lot of the menu to make it my own taste,” Jaiwai said. “It’s still the same [dishes], but we changed basically all the recipes.”
April: Angela Ronzoni’s Pizzeria uses custom recipes to hand-make meals
It took more than a decade for Angie and Ron Diaz to see their idea come to fruition, but finally the couple has a space to show off Ron’s recipes.
In 2008, the Diaz family wanted to open a pizza place in Nevada, but they were not able to find a space, so they decided to go into the food truck business before moving to Texas and opening Perky Beans Coffee & PB Cafe in Leander. Now, the pair is revisiting their original plan by opening Angela Ronzoni’s Pizzeria in late January.
“It was always supposed to be pizza,” Ron said. “I just like pizza and Italian food, and that’s what I wanted to do.”
May: Namaste Dine-In aims to share Nepali culture through cuisine
Raised in a small town in Nepal, Dinesh Mishra dreamed of coming to the United States.
In 2010, he turned the dream into a reality when he moved to the U.S. to earn his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Minnesota State University Moorhead. After graduating, he spent eight years in the U.S. Army. Retiring as a veteran, he decided to serve the community in a different way—by sharing his food and culture.
“I wanted something common that’s going to bind us together so that we can fully talk to each other,” Mishra said. “What I found was the food.”
June: Georgetown barbecue joint combines customer care with careful cooking
A “hole in the wall,” as owner Al Shankle calls it, Hello Sweetie BBQ has been around 11 years, offering Georgetown residents a menu of Southern home cooking made spontaneously but diligently.
Located on the corner of Austin Avenue and West 22nd Street, the restaurant often goes unnoticed, Shankle said. So when a customer walks in, he asks himself, “What can we do to keep them here and keep them coming back?”
July: Wriggley’s Pub combines social gatherings, comfort food in Sun City
When Nels and Jan Johnson moved to Sun City in 2011, the couple realized the age-restricted community lacked a pub. They filled that hole opening Wrigley's Pub in the fall of 2013. Now, nearly 10 years later, the neighborhood spot continues to be a gathering place for local residents.
Wriggley’s serves up classic American bar food, with nachos, salads, hot dogs and sandwiches lining its menu. However, pizza is the most popular dish.
August: Georgetown horse rescuer Amber Kurkowski opens new pub The Palomino
Georgetown resident Amber Kurkowski has spent years caring for horses found starved and emaciated, ensuring they don’t go hungry again.
Now, Kurkowski is feeding the humans of Georgetown after opening her new restaurant. The Palomino, the city’s newest burger and brat house, opened at 305 E. Morrow St. on the Fourth of July.
October: Hardtails Bar and Grill offers concerts, comfort food, connection in Georgetown
Located off I-35 3 miles north of Georgetown's downtown, Hardtails Bar and Grill has served as a gathering place for motorcyclists, veterans and families for over a decade.
Decorated with vintage poker, military and Texas-themed ephemera, the colorful spot is known for its live music nights and casual comfort food menu.
November: New owner sustains, grows Sierra's Mexican Food in Georgetown
At the bottom of a small hill off Spring Street, Sierra's Mexican Food, a family-run restaurant, remains a Georgetown staple after over a decade in business.
After the previous owner and chef Luis Vences retired in 2020, he passed on the restaurant to family friend Victorino Estrada, who brings more than 10 years of experience in the Austin restaurant industry.
