Old Restaurants in Austin

[scrumptiouschef]

Like Tom T.Hall I believe cars,bikes,houses,people and restaurants get better with age.

What are some of your favorite time worn Austin restaurants?

Dirty Martin's Kum-Bak Place,opened 1926, used to be one of my favorite burger joints til they adopted usury as a business practice.$10.50 for Bacon Cheeseburger,Fries and Rootbeer.I still eat here but only when I feel like springing for a special lunch.

Arkie's Grill,opened in 1948 and opens Mon-Fri at the glorious hour of 5:30 am making it a great place to cap your evening or more commonly,a spot to start your day before a long hard slog through the workplace.I love their Fried Chicken and their homemade sausage patties for breafast.

Nau's Enfield Drug has been in it's current location since 1951.It's nice and old timey inside[buy a Big Chief notebook...huge penny candy selection]and some of the ladies who cook and serve you think of LBJ as a young'un.I'm not sure how many soda fountains there are in Austin but I know it's a short list.This is a good one.

Hofbrau Steakhouse opened in 1934.Yeah you can read a newspaper through their steaks but the flavor's right.However,they don't salt the beef in the kitchen, just break your portable sea salt mill out of your backpack and get down tableside.Their French Fried Potatoes are heaven.Crispy outers and mealy inners.These need to be mentioned in the Best French Frys thread somebody started.Don't leave without trying the Garlicky-GARLICKY salad.It's kind of plain but the garlic dressing will pummel you.Plus it's laden with oil.

I know there are plenty more of these old war horses around town.

What is your favorite?

What year did it open?

What do you eat when you go there?

[23451bum]

Oldest memories are coming to Austin for UT football games with my parents in the 60s - mandatory that we ate at the original Matt's El Rancho, just east of the Crest Hotel on First. I still love the place, even in the new building.

Moved back in the mid-eighties - Carmello's, Chinatown, and Paggi House were all open then. Does the Tavern count?

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Matt's El Rancho
2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Paggi House
200 Lee Barton Dr, Austin, TX 78704

[amysuehere]

We were just talking about how nice Chez Nous has always been, but that the parking downtown has hindered us going...

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Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

[TroyTempest]

Lat time i went there we parked by the brown bar and had some cocktails, and then took a cab to Chez Nous. Felt like being out of town. Cab ride was less than $10 with tip.

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Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

[ridgeback]

Quality Seafood has been around since 1938 but I don't know how long they've been cooking to order.

[honey_bee]

I've been going to the Bakehouse for at least 20 years now and it's quite a drive for me from north austin (land of bland) so that says alot.

I'm addicted to their chicken dijon sandwich and onion strings. I don't go there for the atmosphere, I go for the awesome food. I hear their prime rib is tasty.

Bakehouse
5404 Manchaca Road
Austin, Texas 78745

[Mangobob]

If you've been around Austin for a few years, you might well recall The Shanty, a fine bbq joint on Red River, Kirschner's Cafe on Burnet, Uncle Van's Pancake House, The Holiday House, Dale Baker's BBQ, Hank's Sunset Grill on the Drag, The Barn on Balcones, The Magic Time Machine, the Picadilly Cafeteria and Mi Casa. All are gone now. At one time or another, I enjoyed all of them. But I really miss the Shanty and Dale Baker's.

[tuckspop]

Just answered my own question. Rosie's opened in 1973.

[tuckspop]

I don't know how long ago they started, but Rosie's Tamale House has been around a long long time. They are out on 71 just past 620. Go in and ask how the Willie's plate came to be. Interesting story.

[singlemalt]

The Driscoll. Maybe it has gone through several iterations but it has always had a dining room or two. Years and years and years ago in the mid 60's my wife and I had lunch there. The lunch special came with tea but I ordered a beer and was not charged extra for it. That is the way things used to be in Austin.

[Kaya_n_Austin]

I used to love eating at Bert's Long Branch BBQ for lunch (I'm a downtown office caged person) but in the last year the hours changed so much that I was continually showing up when it was closed. I think they've finally set their hours again so I'll have to swing by.

[zebcook]

Long Branch BBQ is gone and is now J. Kelly's. They did a slight remodel and Bert's been training them on his recipes. They're now open for lunch and dinner. The BBQ is good, but I haven't had enough to compare to other places.

[mkwng]

The place on E. 11th was Ben's Long Branch. The place on MLK that burned down (and I think was even older) was Bert's BBQ.

FWIW, the Bert's on Far West is still open, and you can still get a Turbo T-Man there, but it's just not the same.

[scrumptiouschef]

Rolling by La Reyna this morning they've strung up a banner touting 35 years of operation.It's one of my favorite Tex-Mex joints in town.A few words

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/441442

Eaten at any old restaurants lately?

[danny_w]

The Bert's on MLK (19th when I was in college there) used to have a sign "Since 1970". I thought it was funny when I first saw it as a student in fall 1971. I guess everybody has to start somewhere.

[rudeboy]

That's a funny story - how time flies, huh?

I like Nau's Pharmacy on W Lynne.....for the atmosphere, mainly.

[chascates]

And there was a sign nearby (in the alley perhaps?) that read IF YOU EAT AT BERT'S DON'T PARK HERE.

[jwynne2000]

Here's a list of old establishments in Austin that the Chronicle put together in conjunction with a story they put out today about this very topic:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyroba...

Some of those kind of surprised me.

[dalaimama]

I grew up eating at The Nighthawk, but it's long gone. Fond memories, though!

[rudeboy]

That was gone before my time. How did it differ from the Frisco? I got a haricut last night at Bird's - when I walked out, I could smell the new Frisco. I was hungry, so it made me want to try it.

[txagcook]

The Nighthawk was a steakhouse, although it was owned by the same folks as the Frisco. It was a favorite place for the local politicos to go for lunch. The Frisco has always been more of a diner. Back in the day the Nighthawk was the place to take your out-of-town guests for a "fancy" dinner.

[agoodbite]

It was indeed a place for dinners that were an occasion. I ate many steak dinners at The Nighthawk in the 80's with my granny. She always ordered a 9 oz. rare Top Chop't (The Texan) with a baked potato and a plate of tomatoes with the house dressing on the side (think homemade thousand island with capers and anchovies). She only ate the tomatoes with a little dressing on them and the rare center out of the Top Chop't. She never touched the baked potato. She always had a piece of chess pie for dessert. She scraped the custard out of the crust.

H and I go to The Frisco on occasion since it's in our neighborhood. The Top Chop'ts are still the best grilled chopped you're likely to encounter. I've tried to reproduce the grind at home and I've come close, but it's not right still. I think I need to get more courage for asking for the extra beef fat for cheap at the meat markets.

[jjs21582]

How about Hill's Cafe - I know it closed for a while, but it's been open since 1941. Also, another landmark saved by Bob Cole - The Tavern - 1916!

[TroyTempest]

and they have air conditioning!
that always cracks me up

[El General]

When I was growing up we used to come to town for UT Football games. If we won, we would eat at Ruth's Chris, if we lost it was El Patio. My dad loves El Pats. It was his hang out when he lived here in the late 60's because they served beer late.

Does the Frisco still qualify? Top Notch certainly does, and they are still cranking out the goods. Cisco's probably qualifies age wise, but disqualify chow wise.

[NWLarry]

I would argue that it qualifies...it's certainly been continuosly operating, if in a couple of different locations. I went this past weekend and loved it. maybe more for the feel than the food, but it's a charmer.

and this is way off-topic, but if you love these old places and ever find yourself in SF, run, don't walk to John's Grill.

[akachochin]

You would not have laughed in 1962.

[TroyTempest]

The most interesting thing about this topic is that there is not a single "fine dining" establishment on this board. I've only been in town since 1991, and I'm having a hard time thinking of places that have been there much longer. Jeffreys and Hudson's are close to that old, maybe a little older. I'm guessing that maybe the oldest would be Ruth's Chris (which has changed locations) or maybe the Driskill or the 4 seasons.
Am I missing something. Anybody?

[sighmesigh]

Green Pastures?

[scrumptiouschef]

Shazam.

I'd completely forgotten about El Patio when I started this post.I should not admit this but I've never eaten at this icon of Tex-Mex.It's conveniently located which for me is a huge turn off.I've eaten at all the Taco Carts that dot the roadside pastureland down Hwy 812 on the path to Red Rock.I've driven 969 from Austin to Bastrop on the trail of more street[county road?]food but I've never visited the legend.It opened in 1954 which certainly qualifies it as properly weathered.

Jeffrey's opened in 1975 so it's still a young'un.This is where Raymond Tatum began his climb into stardom, it's narrative has been properly outlined elsewhere.

Ahhhh Green Pastures.The legend has had her ups and downs since she swung open her doors in the late 1940's but her importance has never wavered.This is the closest thing Austin has to compare to iconic Deep South eateries like Bright Star in Bessemer Alabama or Commanders Palace in New Orleans.When Mary Koock died back in the mid 90's Austin lost one of her great treasure.

Does anyone remember the lovely forest and pasture just south of the restaurant?Well hold onto that memory because it's being bulldozed for a lovely condo community.

YES.

More density,bigger taxbase.What were some of the other comments
when the axe finally swung home on Las Manitas?

This is one of my favorite subjects:Old restaurants.

Like old taverns or old motorbikes the tales are endless,the lore fascinating[I miss the Mermaid bar on East 6th st].I know there are a bunch more out there that are slipping past us.

Go eat somewhere old tonight

[TroyTempest]

I've never been to GP. I totally forgot about it. Would the food be worth a visit. I understand that it is pretty high dollar.

[BigboyDan]

Jeffrey's, 1975.

[danny_w]

El Patio on Guadalupe has got to be my favorite of all the old time restaurants that are still in business. I don't know for sure when they opened - sometime in the 50's I think. You just can't beat their old time TexMex enchiladas!

[jwynne2000]

Gotta be House Park BBQ, boys. When did it open....something like 1948? I get the beef brisket plate, and ask them if they can slice you some of the fatty brisket. They cook it low and slow, so you get nice smoke flavor and the fat is melted buttery goodness. Decent sides, too.

[BigboyDan]

Opened during the war, 1943.

[sqwertz]

Just a minor point - Arkies is not open on Mondays. I know this the hard way as I often don't bring a lunch on Mondays and the only thing in walking distance is Arkies.

They may be open on Saturday, though. So far I've found the food kinda so-so, but I'll try the fried chicken.

-sw

[sqwertz]

So I'm sitting here eating their fried chicken right now and I don't understand the attraction. The batter had nice form - crispy - but no flavor. And inside it's just regular chicken, slightly dry and hard at the breast No seasoning, marinade or brining whatsoever.

And the side of gravy I got extra is like yellow cornstarch and water. No flavor in here either. Frankly, the gravy is downright atrocious. I'd rather be eating Soylent Green.

I think I'm giving up on Arkies. Tomorrow I'll walk the other direction and try out Taqueria Jalasciences (sp?).

[nypb]

Can't have this discussion without mentioning Scholz Garten. According to the history page on their website, it's been open since 1866.

I went once for lunch and had a BBQ plate. It was ok. I would return to try other stuff as I love German food, I just haven't had the chance. Maybe I'll go back soon.

[mwreese]

I love their french fries - the cheeseburger is pretty good too. I believe on Thursday's in the fall they have the german oompah band, the Wurstband. It's nice to sit out in the biergarten and enjoy the music.

The same people that have the Scholz's lease own Green Mesquite. So, if you like the BBQ at GM, you'll like it at Scholz's too.