The Signs Of Austin

Güero's Taco Bar

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000

A South Congress staple, Güero’s originally opened on E. Oltorf in 1986, occupying the current Curra’s Grill building. Cathy and Rob Lippincott moved Güero’s to its current location in 1993. Their new spot remains one of the oldest buildings in South Austin, which operated as Central Feed and Seed since the 1920s. When the Lippincotts moved, South Congress had become run-down, and Güero’s became a big part of the area’s revitalization. Rob Lippincott passed away in 2022, and his daughters, Lyle and Bette, continue to run the family-owned business. A boutique hotel is under construction on land owned by the family behind the restaurant.

Hut's Hamburgers

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000

There are two histories to tell—the story of the building and the story of Hut’s. Both involve hamburgers. The Joseph family owns the building at 807 W 6th, the same family that ran Favorite Liquor (another Sign of Austin and now Favorite Pizza). In 1939, Sammie Joseph opened a drive-thru burger joint in the Hut’s building called Sammie’s, which later became Eli’s Lounge and the Picante Restaurant. The original Hut’s Hamburgers opened in 1939 on South Congress until Homer “Hut” Hutson bought the lease from Joseph and moved in 1969. Kim and Mike “Hutch” Hutchinson took over Hut’s in 1981 and ran it for 38 years before serving their last burger on October 20, 2019. The only remaining Hut’s location is at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Horseshoe Lounge

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000

Famous for its shuffleboard tournaments and jukebox, The Horseshoe Lounge was founded by Rene and Jimmy Gewing in 1965 after they took over the building’s lease from American Legion Post 83. The Gewing’s daughter Tennia started running the bar with her husband Brad in 2004, but rising rent forced the Horseshoe to close down in 2015 after 50 years in service. At the time, it was the oldest bar in South Austin. There were plans to move the bar and original sign to 153 E Riverside Drive and relaunch as Shoe.2, but permitting challenges at the new building prevented it from happening. The original location is now The Golden Goose bar.

Violet Crown Shopping Center

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 10:30:00 +0000

In 1890, Austin civic boosters remarked “Austin’s violet crown bathed in the radiance of the morning or arched with twilight’s dome of fretted gold” and began promoting Austin as the “City of the Violet Crown.” About 60 years later Clarence McCullough and Dr. Joe Koenig developed one of the first neighborhoods in North Austin, called Violet Crown Heights. The neighborhood stretched north of Koenig Lane to Ruth Avenue and a shopping center was built on the old Dallas highway, which is now known as North Lamar. The sign was lovingly restored by Evan Voyles of the Neon Jungle.

The Continental Club

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Morin Scott opened the Continental Club in 1957 as a private supper club. In the late 1970s it was bought by the former owners of the One-Knite club, and the owners of Liberty Lunch briefly ran the club in the 1980s. Current owner Steve Wertheimer took over in 1987, having learned the ropes of the music business at the old Rome Inn (now Texas French Bread) on West Campus. Wertheimer recently opened C-Boy’s Heart & Soul in the former home of the long-time dive bar Trophy’s on South Congress. The Continental Club sign was restored by Gary Martin and Ben Livingston.

Favorite Liquor & Wine

Tue, 12 Jan 2016 10:30:00 +0000

Sammie Joseph was capitalizing on the repeal of Prohibition when he opened his liquor store in 1939. At the time there were more than 20 liquor stores on East Sixth Street, but Favorite was the only one to last and is the oldest liquor store in Austin. Mr. Joseph also owned the building that houses Hut’s Hamburgers, which used to be called Sammie’s Drive-In. Mr. Joseph’s grandfather opened a candy store on Congress Avenue in the 1880s, and his brother opened the El Patio and Centennial Liquor on Guadalupe. Favorite Liquor is currently run by Mr. Joseph’s son, Sammie Joseph, Jr.

Torchy's Tacos

Tue, 12 Jan 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Michael Rypka opened the first Torchy’s food trailer in 2006 on South First Street. He went on to create the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery and was one of Austin’s early food truck pioneers along with Hey Cupcake! and Flip Happy Crepes. Rypka learned the ropes of the restaurant business while working for Mike Young and John Zapp as the corporate chef for Comida Deluxe, the parent company for Chuy’s and was the former executive chef for the Enron Corporation. Now with over 30 stores in Texas and Colorado, Torchy’s is opening their flagship store in the old Fran’s Hamburgers location on South Congress.

Curra's Grill

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 10:00:00 +0000

The East Oltorf location of Curra’s Grill, a converted convenience store, is rich in local Tex-Mex history. The building was the former home of Guero’s Taco Bar before they moved into their South Congress location. Curra’s interior Mexican food recipes and avocado margaritas kept the new space popular when the Garcia family took over in 1995. They tried opening a few other locations, most notably in a strip mall on Parmer Lane and in the current Frisco’s on Burnet Road, but were never able to match the funky charm of the original location.

Waterloo Ice House

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 09:00:00 +0000

Before it was Austin, it was Waterloo. Waterloo was the original site of the Republic of Texas’ new capital before being renamed to honor Stephen F. Austin in 1839. The owners of Waterloo Ice House decided to honor the original settlement when they opened their first location at 901 Congress Avenue in 1976. At its peak they had 8 locations but are now down to 4. The 38th Street location was shut down in 2014 to make way for Doc’s Motorworks, which is owned by the same group of investors that own Waterloo. The restaurants are shifting towards a more family focused atmosphere.

Texas Chili Parlor

Thu, 17 Dec 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Guy Clark might have said it best when he sang the Dublin Blues … “Well I wished I was in Austin, hmm, in the Chili Parlor Bar Drinkin’ Mad Dog Margaritas and not carin’ where you are.” Skyscrapers continue to fill the space around this popular little spot for Texas legislators and Quentin Tarantino films. It has thrived since 1976 thanks to its X-rated chill and local popularity. Scott Zublin, a regular customer since the 1980s and a former oilfield worker, bought the restaurant in 2002 after its previous owners had gone into foreclosure.