Austin Food Truck Bummer Burrito Opens Second Truck in East Austin

Downtown food truck Bummer Burrito expanded with a second location last week. The second truck is parked at East Austin bar and music venue Hotel Vegas at 1502 East Sixth Street as of August 18. It’s serving up its same menu of burritos with fillings ranging chili cheese Fritos to vegan to scrambled eggs, quesadillas, sides like jalapeno poppers, and cheese tater tots, plus specials. Its hours are from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday and then from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Bummer’s sibling spots include Better Half, Little Brother, Brew & Brew, and Hold Out Brewing. The original Bummer truck opened in February 2020.

Historic Austin restaurant gets landmark status

East Austin Tex-Mex restaurant Cisco’s is now considered an official Texas historic marker, as designated by the Texas Historical Commission through a push by nonprofit Preservation Austin. The restaurant opened in 1950 under Rudy “Cisco” Cisneros and became a political haunt. Currently, it’s operated by his grandson Matt Cisneros among other partners.

Online reviewing company gives Austin-area restaurants money for repairs

Yelp announced that the company is giving five small businesses in the state $10,000 to help with construction and repairs. This includes Austin’s Texas French Bread, which is currently closed and undergoing substantial construction after its building was destroyed during a fire in January; and Round Rock’s barbecue and burger spot Ambur Fire, which was damaged during the tornados in late March. This is part of the online business reviewing platform’s “Make It Happen” campaign with Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk on Friday, August 26, where they will give out $1,000 to 50 Texan winners to fund their own home projects.

Austin brewery-pizzeria reopens

Austin mini-chain Pinthouse Pizza reopened its Burnet location on August 19 after temporarily closing for renovations in early July.

New coffee opening

A new coffee shop opened at North Austin cidery Fairweather Cider at 10609 Metric Boulevard on August 22. All Gimmicks Coffee had been operating as a pop-up before then. The menu includes espresso-based drinks as well as cold brew and matcha.

Bar manager shuffle

South Austin cocktail bar Watertrade has a new bar manager as of this week: Nadia Hernandez who had been a bartender at the bar for the past three years. Under her guidance, the bar has a new cocktail menu inspired by Japanese micro seasons, including the I’m In Love With the Kokuu with tequila, Cocchi Americano aperitif, a herby liqueur, and a green tea simple syrup; as well as highlighting the ABV and booze-less spirits. This is to accompany the new izakaya food items, including hosomaki rolls, courtesy of sibling omakase restaurant Otoko’s Yoshi Okai.

Dani Parsons

Returning San Marcos pizza restaurant opens

A new San Marcos restaurant paying tribute to a longtime local restaurant opened in early August, under the same name. Valentino’s is found in San Marco’s Square at 1100 North LBJ Drive. Originally, the space had been pizzeria Pizza Plaza, which opened in 1972. The then-owners couldn’t go forward with the business because of debts, and delivery staffer Bijan Afkami offered to take responsibility for the restaurant and its debts. He turned it into Valentino’s in 1981. The restaurant went through several owners during its history, but it closed in 2018. New owners Harlan Scott and Cody Taylor — of also San Marcos restaurant Industry — took over the lease in 2022 and renovated/upgraded the space. The casual restaurant’s menu includes pizza, chicken wings, salads, and subs. Its hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and then from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

San Antonio restaurant is closing for a hiatus

Gulf Coast-ish San Antonio restaurant Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery is temporarily closing its location in the Pearl for renovations starting on August 22. It plans on reopening sometime in October. The Sotherleigh Haute South location at the Rim will stay open in the meantime.

West Texas shop hands out free emergency contraception kits

After the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade earlier this summer and thus got rid of the constitutional law that protected abortions, a coffee shop in a Lubbock suburb has been offering free kits with emergency contraception, as reported by Texas Tribune. Tumbleweed + Seed owner Destiny Adams started putting together and offering the kits in the bathroom of her Wolfforth business.

New taco podcast season

The next season of taco-focused podcast Tacos of Texas began in mid-August by host James Beard Award nominee, and occasional Eater Austin contributor Mando Rayo. This season includes conversations about tacos and music, LGBTQ communities and tacos, Filipino and Mexican cultures in Texas, children’s Spanglish book Vitamina T for Tacos, barbacoa, and more.

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