Frankie’s New York Style Pizza & Pasta serves a variety of New York-style pizzas. (Adrian Gandara/Community Impact)
From Tex-Mex-style barbecue in Bastrop to a Colorado brunch concept’s first Austin location, this week’s roundup spans the metro. Buda’s Brooklyn’s Down South celebrates 10 years and The Salty Donut marks five years of doughnuts, plus, in this week’s feature, a Georgetown pizzeria’s comeback after a fire.
Owner and pitmaster Jonathan Lagos and his team serve Tex-Mex-style barbecue at Hyperloop Plaza. The menu features agave-glazed pork ribs, brisket, house-made beef hot links, pulled pork, turkey, charro beans, jalapeño coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, Mexican rice, and smoked chicken fajita tacos. Most popular are the six-hour smoked ribs and macaroni and cheese.
Led by chef Joaquin Najar, his wife, Xochi Raquel, and their sons, Diego, Joel, and Leonardo, the restaurant serves fresh, made-to-order dishes. The menu features sandwiches, wedge salads, Chip’s Reuben, chicken tortilla soup, burgers, and breakfast tacos on corn or flour tortillas.
The Mexican restaurant expanded with a second Bastrop County location in the former Leo's Italian Grill spot. Owners Lupita Maria Reyes and Elias Ramos serve scratch-made, authentic Mexican dishes, including ceremonial dance event offerings. The team is excited to serve new diners at their Cedar Creek location and share their traditional Mexican cuisine with more of the local community.
The Colorado-based eatery is now open on Burnet Road, serving breakfast and lunch. Founded by Amanda Pizarro and Andy Rodriguez, the restaurant offers Texan-inspired dishes like Ranch Water, baked chilaquiles and shrimp and grits, alongside classic options. The venue features local ingredients, custom drinks and coffee-based beverages and has hosted multi-day grand opening giveaways for its local launch.
The family-owned restaurant will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a block party on Oct. 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. featuring live music, local vendors, barbecue and specials. The eatery serves Southern comfort food, including snacks like boudin balls and fried green tomatoes, alongside main courses like Southern alfredo pasta and the Texas Ribeye.
The bakery is celebrating five years at its South Congress flagship with limited-time doughnut and coffee specials this October. Originally founded in 2015 by Amanda Pizarro and Andy Rodriguez, it offers traditional glazed and specialty treats, like guava and cheese or Terry Black’s pork rib kolaches, alongside cold brews, lattes and matcha drinks.
Frankie’s New York Style Pizza & Pasta marked a new milestone with a ribbon-cutting Sept. 29. The restaurant reopened in January after a fire in 2024 hit several businesses on the strip, forcing Frankie’s to close.
Meet the owner
Owner Frank Nikshiqi’s 35-year career started in Manhattan in a high-class restaurant, he said. Frankie’s New York Style Pizza & Pasta was at its previous location for 10 years before moving to the current spot.
Frankie's employees and members of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce celebrate the restaurant's ribbon-cutting.Adrian Gandara/Community Impact
Then, after spending so much money to fix the space, Nikshiqi said, the building caught fire. Being a family restaurant, it was a difficult time with everyone unemployed. There were still bills to pay, and people had to take jobs such as with Uber to make a living, he said.
On the menu
Everything is fresh and everything is made from scratch, Nikshiqi said. When asked what the customer favorites on the menu are, Nikshiqi said, “They like everything.” But he said different people may have different favorites.
The menu at Frankie's includes salads and pastas.Adrian Gandara/Community Impact
Someone may like the lasagna, while someone else might like the cannelloni because of the cheese and spinach. The restaurant also offers salads and pastas, chicken and seafood entrees, and desserts.
