Fareground at One Eleven, the epic downtown Austin food hall that was designed by Michael Hsu and features local restaurants, is now officially reopen! It closed in March 2020, shortly after the pandemic hit the United States. It remained closed for a dark and gloomy year until it officially reopened on September 7, 2021. The newly reopened Fareground features a bunch of NEW restaurants for us to try, along with a few original food vendors. I was invited in for a sneak peek and I tasted as much as my stomach would allow. Here’s the best food at Fareground Austin!
Fareground is owned by Cousins Properties. They added a new hospitality partner Richard Sandoval Hospitality, an internationally renowned contemporary Latin restaurant group with 45 restaurants around the world, to assist in th reopening. (One of their restaurants is Ciclo at Four Seasons downtown.)
A Few Details About The Reopened Fareground:
Fareground Austin is located at 111 Congress. It’s a great place to walk for lunch if you work in downtown Austin or you’re staying at a downtown hotel.
Parking is available at the One Eleven garage. From there, you access the eateries from an underground walkway.
The original Fareground restaurants included second locations of a lot of local Austin restaurants. This newly reopened version of Fareground still has some local restaurants, but it includes a lot more original eateries.
Fareground is open from 11 am – 9 pm, 7 days a week.
It features 6 eateries, 2 bars, and all-day coffee bar.
There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
Where To Eat At Fareground Austin
1. Henbit
This gem from Kevin Fink and the Emmer & Rye team is a repeat from the original Fareground. I am so happy it’s still around, because this is one of my favorite Fareground food options. They serve salads, bowls, and sandwiches, as well as a some beautiful matcha and juice beverages. The newly reopened version includes some new menu items like the Henbit Burger, made with 44 Farms beef on a white sonoran bun with American cheese, shitake aioli, grilled onion, tomato, red romain, and sour pickles. Order a single or a double patty, but note that the single is actually a doule and the double is actually a triple. (Uh, not confusing at all..) I ordered the double (aka triple) and it was scrumptious, but I could barely eat the dang thing because it was so tall! It’s easily going to go on a newly updated version of my best burgers in Austin list..
Henbit
111 Congress Ave Suite 010, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 527-3054
2. TLV
Another Fareground vendor from pre-pandemic days, TLV features plates with pita (the classic hummus plate can’t be missed!) and pita sandwiches. The sides are all fresh and healthy and colorful, like fire roasted eggplant, summer cucumber salad, and more.
TLV
Street, Austin TX 78704
512-804-5568
3. Austin Rotisserie
This is one of the NEW eateries at Fareground. Austin Rotisserie serves French comfort food, including individual and family-style meals. When I first saw that they’re a rotisserie I thought, “hmm, really? I don’t exactly crave rotisserie chicken on a regular basis..” But I tried a meal and I was instantly on board! This food is hearty, comforting, and definitely the type of food you’ll want to eat on a rainy day or when you want something hearty and filling. (Psst: 23 rainy day ideas in Austin.) You can order whole/half/quarter rotisserie meals, baguette sandwiches, soups and salads, and more.
Austin Rotisserie
Street, Austin TX 78704
512-804-5568
4. Taco Pegaso
Richard Sandoval leads this one, and he had big shoes to fill after Dai Due Taqueria (an original Fareground food vendor) closed in 2020. I have to admit that these tacos really are scrumptious, though. I’m a big fan! Walk up to order and you’ll see a big trompo with pastor meat. You can order other classics like carne asada and fish tacos, as well as less-Austiny things like burritos, burrito bowls, and Mexican ice pops.
Taco Pegaso
Street, Austin TX 78704
512-804-5568
5. The Market at Fareground
This is the second booth led by Rechard Sadoval. It’s the sort of “catch all” for the typical lunch odds and ends that you would expect, like sandwiches, salads, and pizza. I tried the carne pizza (really nice soft and chewy, sour crust) and the chicken parm panini (yum!), but I could have picked about 5 other items that all looked delicious. The Market occupies that first booth that you’ll see upon walking in the south-facing doors. This booth was originally occupied by Antonelli’s Cheese, and then switched to a second location of Italic, a downtown Austin Italian restaurant. So The Market is now the third vendor in this booth.
The Market
Street, Austin TX 78704
512-804-5568
6. Little Wu
I’m a big fan of the Chameleon Group (Wu Chow, Swift’s Attic, Rosedale Kitchen & Bar), and I’m extra excited that Little Wu is one of the new restaurants at the reopened Fareground! Little Wu is the only restaurant I wasn’t able to try during my visit (they had a few hiccups and weren’t quite ready to open on September 7), but I’ll be back soon to try a few dishes. From what I hear, they’ll have dumplings and potstickers, and a bunch of noodle and la main dishes (sichuan red braised beef, spicy pork wontons, sesame peanut noodles, and lots more.) Based on the other restaurants in this hospitality group, Little Wu is going to be a total gem in the downtown restaurant scene.
Little Wu
Street, Austin TX 78704
512-804-5568
Bars at Fareground Austin
Fairground features two bars:
DRINK is located indoors on the main level. This is where you can go for a coffee at any hour of the day, or stop by for a boozy drink. I sampled a few frozen cocktails, which were all poured from a machine and served cold and fast. But I plan to visit again to try some of their craft cocktails, like their watermelon mezcal margarita. You can also find kombucha, mocktails, wine, and beer at DRINK.
Ellis is a gorgeous bar that’s featured on the street level (the rest of Fareground is located on the sunken level), and it’s definitely more upscale than DRINK. While DRINK is the all-day coffee and booze bar, Ellis has more elevated cocktail options. This is a fun place to meet up with a friend at the end of a day of work downtown for an old fashioned or a glass of wine. Ellis, led by Bar & Beverage Manager Mat Costello, will feature cocktails including the San Martin, Waterloo antique gin with carpano antica, yellow chartreuse and orange; the Ellis Old Fashioned with Still Austin bourbon, aromatic and citrus bitters and sugar; and more.
Looking for more ideas in downtown Austin? Click here to see all of my blog posts that feature downtown food and activities!
