Austin-based restaurant Blue Corn Harvest, known for its locally sourced Southwestern cuisine and family-friendly dining, has now expanded to Round Rock.

The locally owned chain has four other locations in the Austin area, including Cedar Park, Georgetown and Leander.

The background

Owners Carlos Manzano and Santos Garcia spent nearly 20 years working together at the Tex-Mex restaurant Z Tejas.

After the company filed for bankruptcy and downscaled its Austin footprint, the pair decided it was time to pursue their own joint venture in 2012.


Both coming from a culinary background, they settled on a farm-to-table menu concept that combines affordability and scratch cooking.

Since starting, Garcia said they have formed strong partnerships with several farmers from across the state, sourcing nearly 75% of their ingredients locally.

“We know all the farmers work really hard, and we like helping each other. ... We pay attention to what they have in season, and we make our specials based on that,” Manzano said.

In December, the pair opened the Round Rock location.


The menu

The all-day menu at Blue Corn Harvest is primarily a mix of Southwestern and Mexican cuisine, which Manzano and Garcia prefer to call “Texan food.”

Enchiladas, taquitos and tacos appear alongside burgers, seafood, salads and pasta among the list of entrees.

To drink, the restaurant has a full bar with craft cocktails, wine and beer.


Patrons can also enjoy a range of family packages, kids' meals, and gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Quote of note

“We want people to come for the food. We put our passion and our time into that,” Manzano said. “We don’t make it super expensive because we want to make it a place that everyone can keep coming back.”

The future


Manzano and Garcia said they would like to focus on their four venues for now, but a new South Austin location could be on the horizon.