Jacoby’s Austin, the family-owned restaurant and mercantile, makes its debut in the budding East Cesar Chavez neighborhood on Wednesday August 20th. Jacoby’s Austin serves ranch style cuisine with a southern and rustic influence. The restaurant features a full service bar and dining room, cocktail porch and a backyard-style patio deck with sweeping views of the Colorado River. Adjacent to the restaurant is a mercantile, which features artisan jams, jellies, meats, farm eggs, fresh flowers and home goods. Jacoby’s Austin is the newest addition to the Jacoby family company, originally from Melvin, TX.
Adam Jacoby grew up in the small town of Melvin, TX and realized his dream to expand his family’s café to Austin when came to Austin to attend The University of Texas. Jacoby helped to open several local Austin restaurants, but went back to Melvin to revamp the family café. Upon his return to Austin, he made East Austin his home and found the old Kanetzky electrical warehouse to be the perfect spot for his new venture. “We searched and searched for the perfect place for Jacoby’s,” says Adam Jacoby. “My dad was driving up here every other week from Melvin and each place we looked at he said just did not feel like Jacoby’s. When we walked out back at this spot on East Cesar Chavez, we both knew this was the place. It felt like home.” His partner, Kris Swift, designed the space to reflect the Austin neighborhood and paid homage to Jacoby’s hometown roots by incorporating bricks, reclaimed wood and even an historic, 1940’s sign from the small Texas town.
Executive Chef Phillip Anderson and Jacoby met through mutual college friends over two years ago. Jacoby quickly found Chef Anderson’s southern focused culinary skills to be the perfect fit for Jacoby’s. Anderson spent several weeks learning about the original menu at Jacoby’s Café in Melvin, TX, as well as learning about the family’s feed store and beef program. The Austin menu showcases Melvin favorites such as the onion rings and chicken fried steak, however Anderson updated the menu to adapt to the Austin palate. “We really wanted to stay true to Jacoby’s original concept with the menu, but we wanted it to be Austin at the same time,” says Anderson. “We kept the dishes that made sense and incorporated lots of fresh vegetables and seasonal fare to compliment the beef.” New items will include a Wild Boar Terrine as part of a housemade charcuterie plate, Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and a Roasted Beet Salad. The menu prominently features Jacoby’s beef from the Jacoby family ranch. Jacoby’s Austin will be the only place in Austin to feature the family’s beef which is humanely raised on the family farm.
The cocktail menu features playful twists on classics like the Secret Beach, a take on a Tom Collins with local fruit and cucumber, named as a tribute to one of the Colorado River’s secret treasures that Jacoby’s overlooks. A local beer menu and plenty of wines are also available. There is walk-up seating at the bar and a full food menu. The backyard patio will also have full service cocktails and food.
Megan G. | 8.15.14
On Wednesday, Jacoby’s Restaurant and Mercantile officially opens its doors in East Austin. What can you expect? Southern comfort food at its best, hyper-local meats and cheeses (from owner Adam Jacoby’s ranch), chicken coops, gardens and a picnic area overlooking the Colorado River Wildlife Sanctuary.
For now, take a long, lustful look at this old-school Salisbury steak made new with veal gravy and buttermilk mashed potatoes. See you on Wednesday.
http://www.zagat.com/b/austin/sneak-peek-southern-comfort-at-jacobys
Whitney Filloon | 8.15.14
Here's a look inside Jacoby's Restaurant and Mercantile, opening August 20 on East Cesar Chavez with river views and "ranch-style cuisine" that includes everything from chicken-fried steak and deviled eggs to housemade charcuterie and ribeye carpaccio (scope out the menu here). Meanwhile, the mercantile half of the space will sell farm fresh eggs, cheese, meats, fresh produce, stocked picnic baskets and more; a massive outdoor area overlooks the Colorado River, with plenty of space for patio tables, a picnic area and even backyard chicken coops.
http://austin.eater.com/archives/2014/08/15/eater-inside-jacobys-restaurant-mercantile.php
Opening Alert
Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile opens next week in East Austin
Arden W. | 8.15.14
The booming east side is readying itself for a new rustic retreat. Highly anticipated Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile, located on East Cesar Chavez, opens its doors next week.
The rustic-meets-urban space takes inspiration from Melvin, Texas where the Jacoby family has operated Jacoby's Cafe since 1981. But the new Jacoby's plans to meld city comforts and small-town vibes, serving up ranch-style cuisine in a refined (but still down-home) setting.
Inside the dining room, Chef Phillip Anderson's menu includes signature items from the cafe as well as new dishes. "We really wanted to stay true to Jacoby’s original concept with the menu, but we wanted it to be Austin at the same time," Anderson said in a release. Southern fare (think chicken fried steak and onion rings) mingles with housemade charcuterie, fresh vegetables and seasonal items. But the real star is the beef from the Jacoby family ranch. (Jacoby's is the only place in Austin that features the humanely raised beef.)
If you want to sit and stay a while, head out to the cocktail porch and deck where sweeping views of the Colorado River are plentiful. Adjacent to the restaurant is a mercantile selling artisan jams, jellies and meats so that you can take the Jacoby's experience back to your own home.
Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile, located at 3235 E. Cesar Chavez, officially opens to the public on Wednesday, August 20.
By Whitney Filloon | August 14, 2014
Jacoby's Restaurant and Mercantile has announced its opening date: The riverside restaurant on East Cesar Chavez will officially debut next Wednesday, August 20. Owner Adam Jacoby grew up on his family's ranch, and in their popular restaurant Jacoby's Cafe in Melvin, TX. Rounding out the Jacoby's team is Adam's partner and designer, Kris Swift, and executive chef Phillip Anderson. The restaurant will serve beef from the family ranch as part of a menu of 'Ranch-style cuisine with a Southern and rustic influence,' which translates to everything from chicken-fried steak and onion rings to a housemade charcuterie plate with wild boar terrine and a smoked gouda pimiento cheese sandwich.
The mercantile half of the space — which formerly housed an electric plant — will sell farm eggs, cheeses and meats, fresh flowers and produce, stocked picnic baskets and more. A huge back patio and picnic area will overlook the Colorado River, and Jacoby's will even have chicken coops. Stay tuned for a look at the finished space.
http://austin.eater.com/archives/2014/08/14/jacobys-to-debut-ranchstyle-cuisine-and-river-views-august- 20.php
