Photo by Kelli Weldon

North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery plans to open a Southwest Austin location later this year.

Locally owned North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery started construction in February on its second location, which will be in Parkside Village.

Founder and owner Davis Tucker said he and his team have been planning to take the NXNW brand to Southwest Austin for more than two years.

"It just felt right," he said. "When I look around for locations, I ask 'Is this a good demographic for us? Do we think this market is underserved?' And I definitely think that market is underserved."

Slated to open by mid-September 2014, the restaurant will feature a theme similar to the "urban lodge" look of the existing location but with different materials, resulting in a comfortable upscale casual atmosphere with a focus on customer service, Tucker said.

"One of my pet peeves is when I leave a restaurant and nobody says a word," he said. "It should be friendly from the minute you walk in the door to the minute you leave to go back home. That's my general business philosophy."

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will feature a custom design with an extensive patio space, said Beau Armstrong, CEO of Stratus Properties Inc., which manages Parkside Village. Chris Engen is the contractor, he said.

"Obviously North By Northwest is a proven concept," Armstrong said, noting this 10-year lease will help meet pent-up demand for services in the area. "We have seen the residents within Circle C express interest in a really full-service, full bar, high-end restaurant, and this really fills that need."

Menu items include brined pork chops with roasted red potatoes and mixed vegetables, crab and shrimp cakes with fried shoestring sweet potatoes served with chipotle cream sauce, and assorted chocolate truffles, NXNW Executive Chef George Powell said.

"Everything is made in-house," Powell said.

The restaurant joins Parkside Village staples such as Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane. NXNW will have about 50 employees at the new restaurant, Tucker said.

"We're really excited about being a part of the Southwest Austin community and meeting lots of new folks," Tucker said. "We've got folks already that drive all the way from there to our north location, so I'm glad we'll be able to shorten their trip a little bit."