With a from-scratch kitchen, 44 craft beers on tap, a pet-friendly patio, live music, a children’s menu and even beer for dogs, Lakeway’s Hops & Thyme caters to the whole community, owner Trent Chastain said. The bar and restaurant, which opened in February 2018, has enjoyed a positive reception from the community and will undergo an expansion and redesign this year, doubling the amount of indoor restaurant seating and emphasizing the food menu, Chastain said. Chastain, a third-generation Austin-area resident who has called Lakeway home for more than 20 years, said his conversations with community members inspired him to create Hops & Thyme with the goal of providing quality food and craft beer in an approachable environment. “Our chef creates everything from scratch. We don’t have a freezer, so everything is fresh-made daily, and it’s a really good variety,” he said. Chastain said he places emphasis on creating a family-like environment with his staff and regulars, features local musicians on the weekends and offers one of the largest pet-friendly patios in the area. Although his original concept was for a taphouse with small plates, Chastain said Hops & Thyme received such positive food reviews he and his staff shifted more focus to the menu, offering bigger plates and extending restaurant hours. Hops & Thyme also offers a wine selection and 44 rotating draught beers, which are sampled and vetted by restaurant staff, Manager Ross Wetterer said. “My big thing is trying to have beers that you can’t find everywhere else,” Wetterer said. Chastain said he hopes to obtain a full liquor license this year in addition to the other planned changes. “Once we do this remodel we’re just going to run with it,” he said.