January: Mario's Mexican Restaurant
When Mario Perez opened Mario’s Mexican Restaurant in 2004, the population of Hutto was just around 1,200.
In the 18 years since, Perez has watched the city grow to nearly 28,000 residents, and as other businesses have come and gone, Mario’s has remained one of downtown Hutto’s dining staples.
Mario's Mexican Restaurant
209 East St., Hutto
512-846-1778
Hours: Sat.-Wed. 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Thurs.-Fri. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
April: Amigo's BBQ Grill
Amigo’s BBQ Grill, a well-loved Pflugerville taco and barbecue spot, has stood the test of time as the lone tenant remaining of the original Park at Grand Avenue occupants.
While the faces of retailers and restaurateurs in the shopping center have changed over the years, Amigo’s owners Paul and Iris Liu have held steady, serving a combination of Mexican and southern comfort food to locals.
Amigo's BBQ Grill
1100 Grand Avenue Parkway, Ste. 108, Pflugerville
512-989-0123
Facebook: Amigo's BBQ Grill
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Sun.
June: Elsie's Egg Rolls
Elsie Corass started gaining fans of her homemade egg rolls well before she opened her food truck, Elsie’s Egg Rolls, in Round Rock in 2014.
To hear her husband, Mike Corass, tell it, Elsie was working at a Lowe’s hardware store and would sometimes bring her egg rolls and other Filipino cuisine to coworkers.
People loved them so much she started taking orders, Mike said.
Elsie’s Egg Rolls
525 Chris Kelley Blvd., Ste. 100A, Hutto
512-642-6984
www.elsieseggrolls.com
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mon.
August: Rio Grande Tex-Mex Restaurant
Raquel Cisneros opened Rio Grande Tex-Mex in Hutto in 2005 with her husband, Mario Maldonado.
According to their daughter and Rio Grande General Manager Priscilla Orona, Cisneros and Maldonado wanted to create a restaurant that serves generations of recipes inspired by their family as well as well-known Tex-Mex favorites.
Rio Grande Tex-Mex Restaurant
551 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto
512-759-1449
www.riograndemex.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
October: Baris Pasta & Pizza
Owners Tony and Cheryl Bardhi opened Baris Pasta & Pizza 25 years ago in 1997 after moving to Texas from New York City.
Prior to the move, Tony and Cheryl had experience in construction and hairdressing, respectively. However, in Pflugerville they decided to lean on the Bardhi family’s history in the restaurant business and open a restaurant of their own, naming it after a spelling variation of their last name.
Baris Pasta & Pizza
1501 W. Pecan St., Ste. 100, Pflugerville
512-989-8900
www.barispastaandpizza.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Sun.
December: Southside Market & Barbeque
Southside Market & Barbeque got its start in 1882 just outside Elgin when founder William Moon sold fresh meat door-to-door from a horse-drawn wagon.
Four years later, Moon settled down, opening a butcher store in downtown Elgin called Southside Market. In the decades to follow, Southside Market moved to a few different locations around Elgin and changed ownership several times before coming under the ownership of the Bracewell family in 1968. Along the way, Southside also evolved from a simple butcher shop into a full restaurant.
Southside Market & Barbeque Hutto
106 Co-Op Blvd., Hutto
512-518-2117
www.southsidemarket.com
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
