Creativity and collaboration lead to unique dishes and flavors at Obsidian Brewery in Leander.

Co-owner Safir Ahmed said he relies heavily on working with staff at the brewery-style restaurant to come up with unique and ever-evolving cocktails, beers and dishes.

The gist

Pizza is the star of the show when it comes to food at the restaurant. The Mitz, sporting garlic oil, mozzarella, ricotta cheese, bacon, jalapenos, arugula and a balsamic glaze, is one of the more popular meals.

Ahmed said he gets input from different employees for each of the restaurant’s offerings, combining interests with a chef at the restaurant to create fusion dishes, for example.


One chef at the restaurant particularly likes southern comfort food, Ahmed said. The two put their heads together to come up with a fusion dish combining southern comfort flavors and flavors from the Asian cuisine that Ahmed enjoys.

“We try to compare our spices and how they work together,” Ahmed said.

How we got here

Co-owner Brandi Doggett was a later addition to the team. She’s taken on much of the behind the scenes work at the restaurant since her husband, Obsidian co-founder Michael Doggett, passed away in March 2024.


“I wanted to make sure his legacy lived on,” she said about her decision to step in after her husband’s death.

Brandi Doggett explained that her husband was a personable guy who “never met a stranger.”

There is a memorial to Michael Doggett set up at the end of the bar in the form of a leaning chair draped in a Coors Banquet shirt.

“When he was alive, that’s the seat that he would sit in whenever he was working,” she said, explaining it gave him a good view of the kitchen, bar and front door.


Explaining the choice for the shirt, Brandi said, “He loved craft beer, but he also was a sucker for a good Coors Banquet.”

What else?

Brandi Doggett called Ahmed a “recipe genius” when she explained that he plays a large role in the development of recipes for food, beers and cocktails at the restaurant.

She said a large focus for the restaurant is on fun and creative recipes, whether it’s for a beer, food or a cocktail.