East Austin Hotel is the newest boutique hotel from La Corsha Hospitality Group, owners of Second Bar + Kitchen and Mattie’s at Green Pastures, as well as boutique hotels in Salado and Big Springs, Texas. The mid-century modern-inspired property features 75 rooms with a “luxe-to-less” price range —from poolside suites to cabins with private bathrooms down the hall— and three food and beverage concepts that are casual yet refined, helmed by regional executive chef Jason Stude, director of beverage Jason Stevens and bar lead Kenny Tinsley.

The main restaurant is Sixth and Waller, a retro-modern space with a diner setting and order-at-the-counter service. The menu reflects what Stude calls a global diner, melding international flavors with classic comfort foods. Sit at the bar and enjoy throwback movies like Gidget and Beach Blanket Bingo on the background or dine al fresco on the patio adjacent to the pool.

“At Sixth and Waller, we gave ourselves a seemingly simple task —make delicious and approachable food in an elegant, yet comfortable space,” says chef Stude. “You hear it said a lot lately, but we truly aim to make food that we like to eat: clean, bright, fun and not fussy. We like a lot of different cuisines and appreciate what the world has to offer. Equally important was that we have options for everyone, from anywhere, without forgetting we are in the heart of Austin.”

Breakfast is served all day long —one of the very few restaurants in the area that serves breakfast— with items such as queso Benedict and a breakfast taco with fluffy eggs, potatoes, pastrami and queso that will fill you up for hours. The menu also includes a collection of some of the world’s most classic sandwiches, like a Reuben with Texas pastrami, a fried shrimp po’boy, and a jackfruit báhn mi because well, this is Austin.

“We want to make fun food for everyone including ourselves, our families and our friends,” says Stude. “Where we modernize the classic diner is in the brightness and vegetable-focus of the food. It’s a very fun menu.” And when he says there’s something for everyone, consider that the menu offers chilled garlic-sesame udon noodles with smoked mushrooms, a vegan and gluten-free kale Caesar salad with lemon-caper dressing, and fabulous seven-spice lamb kebabs with quinoa tabbouleh, tzatziki and parsley salad.

Sixth and Waller also serves excellent coffee as well as beer, wine and craft cocktails created by Stevens, a veteran fixture in the Austin cocktail scene. “Our beverage program is built around a perfect day of vacationing in 1960s Palm Springs,” he says. “All three spaces feature a ton of local beers, an exciting and approachable wine list and different mid-century-influenced tropical cocktails with ingredients pulled from the Caribbean, Central and South America.”

On the second level, The Upside bar has an ample terrace overlooking 6th Street and is the perfect spot for a pre or after dinner drink, but it also features an abbreviated version of the Sixth and Waller menu. While some cocktails overlap at all three venues, each has a few signature offerings and at Upside the Tiger Eyes – Tequila Ocho añejo, Amaro Nonino, Vermouth di Torino and mole bitters – is a must-try.

On a hot summer afternoon, it is hard to beat the Pool Bar. This is the spot to try cool, refreshing fare like the salmon and shrimp ceviche, or a platter of chilled farm fresh vegetables with green goddess dressing. Drinks are bright and tropical, including a couple frozen options and a spectacular concoction named Chaotic Good – Hayman’s London dry gin, guava marmalade, lime, absinthe and Angostura bitters – served over crushed ice. Pool Bar is open to the public for drinks and bites from a smaller menu, but access to the pool for non-guests requires the purchase of a day pass, available Monday-Thursday.

While green initiatives throughout the property are still being discussed, the bar program is already ahead of the game. They only use hay and bamboo straws, and the fresh fruit they use for garnish is often dehydrated or pickled, increasing its life behind the bar and reducing waste. Leftover citrus juice is used in the kitchen, and what little waste remains is composted.

“Some fruits we use for cocktail ingredients, like strawberries, tend to spoil quickly,” says Stevens, “so we use organic freeze-dried strawberry powder, which eliminates spoilage and reduces its weight, which reduces the amount of energy required to ship and store.”

Every Sunday from through Labor Day, Pool Bar also hosts Summer Swell, a pool party for locals and visiting guests ages 21 and up, with food and beverage specials, a Gati Ice Cream truck pop-up and DJ Bird Peterson. All three of the hotel’s restaurant and bars offer happy hour Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m. at Sixth and Waller and Pool Bar, and 4-6 p.m. at The Upside.

Source: Forbes