“I like that we’ve kind of brought [the Northwest Austin restaurant] into an early ’70s vibe as opposed to the late ’50s and mid-’60s like we have at our South [Austin] location,” he said. “[The ’70s] was when I was in high school, and I like that about [this location].”
Tucker said the Red’s Porch menu reflects his childhood in South Texas with Tex-Mex and Southern influences. Popular dishes include a street taco platter with smoked brisket, shrimp and pork; chicken-fried chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes; and hamburgers made from Angus chuck, brisket and short rib.
“That’s something we really focused on: comfort food and stuff you can enjoy eating that also has a little bit of flair to it,” he said.
Charro beans, a side on the menu, were a staple of Tucker’s childhood in South Texas, and he said they were the first dish he learned to make on his own. During his early twenties, he and John Hockenyos, the co-owner of Red’s Porch, would eat them while living as roommates in Austin and trying to save money.
“We were both broke because we had just started our first businesses,” Tucker said. “We liked to describe ourselves as two rats hanging onto a log. ... I would make a big pot of charro beans every week.”
In 1999, Tucker started North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery, a brewpub in Northwest Austin, and later opened his first restaurant, the South Lamar Boulevard location of Red’s Porch in 2009. He opened the Braker Lane location of Red’s Porch in 2017.
After spending decades in the restaurant and brewing industries and accumulating personal experiences to draw inspiration from, Tucker said he hopes he has made Red’s Porch a welcoming place for people of all ages to come and relax for a while.
“When I walk in and hear people laughing, it reminds me why I’m in this business,” he said.
Red’s Porch
4200 Braker Lane, Bldg. B, Austin
512-236-5436 • www.redsporch.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
