New to the Neighborhood: 9 Restaurants That Opened in 2024
December 16, 2024
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2024 was a big year for Austin hospitality and dining. Along with Michelin announcing its first-ever Texas guide, we also welcomed numerous top-rated restaurants, bars, and cafes to Austin. With the Heywood Hotel’s central location in East Austin, we’re lucky to be near some of the city’s newest restaurants.
If you’re eager to visit some of these top-rated hot spots in Austin, here are the places that we recommend adding to your list.
Palm Pizza
While Palm Pizza technically opened at the end of 2023, we think it’s worth mentioning now that it’s been in the neighborhood for a year. Palm is the sister restaurant of another neighborhood favorite, Bufalina. While Bufalina offers wood-fired Neapolitan pies, Palm focuses on New York-style slices — regular slices, square slices, and whole pies — along with a small menu with deserts, salads, and sandwiches. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday-Sunday from 11am to 10pm.
Casa Bianca
Casa Bianca is a modern American-Italian restaurant new to our neighborhood, located just across from the Heywood. They serve what they call “weirdo Italian” influenced by Japanese forms and techniques, craft cocktails, and wine. The menu includes lots of raw bar and conservas along with on-tap cocktails including the Aperol Spritz and Old Fashioned. We love the limoncello doughnuts! Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
Planning a trip to Austin soon? When you book your winter getaway now through January 31st, you can get a $100 gift card to Casa Bianca or another top East Austin restaurant.
Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop
Opened by renowned Austin pastry chef Amanda Rockman, her eponymous bakery opened this fall. In just a couple of months since opening, Rockman Bakeshop has been renowned for its unique pastries particularly its variety of croissants including cacio e pepe, everything, and apple almond. The bakery is located down the street from the Heywood, near Juniper and la Barbecue.
Dark Horse TCB
Just two blocks from the Heywood is Dark Horse TCB — which stands for tattoo, coffee, and barber — a multifunctional space that acts as a coffee shop, tattoo shop, barbershop, and art gallery all rolled into one. Whether you want to book a hair appointment or pop in for a tattoo, the coffee is always reliable. Plus, the coffee shop is open 24 hours and it’s just a five-minute walk down the street from our hotel.
Mercado Sin Nombre
What began as a farmer’s market stand, Mercado Sin Nombre opened its first standalone space this summer — and was recently named Best Cafe by Eater Austin. The coffee roaster is known for highlighting two ingredients: coffee and maiz. Must-try menu items include the masa milk shorty, which is an atole cortado, and its masa baked goods like Twinkies and pancakes. The cafe is tucked away at 408 N. Pleasant Valley, a little over a mile away from the Heywood Hotel.
OKO
OKO celebrates Filipino cuisine and Southeast Asian flavors. The restaurant serves small plates and shareable dishes of Filipino classics like lechon, oxtail Kare-Kare, and lumpia as well as skewers, sides, and desserts. OKO took over the former Ah Sing Den space on E. 6th St.
The Flower Shop
A New York City transplant, The Flower Shop opened its first Austin outpost this fall. The three-story space has a retro vibe complete with nostalgic decor, pool tables, and a hidden rooftop speakeasy. The bar serves cocktails, beer, wine, and “contemporary Australian and American comfort food.” Located less than a mile from the Heywood on E. 7th St.
Con Vista Al Mar
There is no shortage of taco spots in Austin, but Con Vista Al Mar is a welcome addition. With four locations in Mexico City, Con Vista Al Mar expanded into the US for the first time with its Austin location. The restaurant focuses on coastal Mexican dishes such as campechano tacos made with shrimp longanisa and pork rinds and seafood burritos made with smoked swordfish, octopus, and poached shrimp. Con Vista Al Mar is located at 1209 E 7th St., less than half a mile from the Heywood.
Ma’Coco
Ma’Coco is a newcomer to our neighborhood, just four blocks north on Comal. The menu offers smart, creative preparations of Baja Mexican cuisine in a friendly environment. Everything is made fresh to order, and the brunch is standout. Highlights include chilaquiles, steak and huevos, a poblano omelet, and their famous churro donuts. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11am.
