Trying Austin's newest Cosmic cafe

Austin is a city teeming with great aguas frescas — and we recently tried one at the new Cosmic on East Fourth Street.

Zoom in: The sandía agua fresca ($6) is a mix of fresh watermelon and cucumber limeade, with a sprig of mint tucked in and a sprinkling of paprika on top for a kick.

• It was bright, refreshing and pretty to look at — and a nice way open the day.

The vibe: Industrial chic.

• Original graffiti remains plastered across corrugated metal siding.
• Old cinder-block walls give a kind of abandoned-factory look to the place.
• A burbling water feature emanates from a rusted-out pipe.

Flashback: The new Cosmic is located in the rapidly changing Saltillo District, in a former warehouse complex known as the Texaco Depot.

• The depot was an early rail yard for unloading oil and other petroleum products.
• Once home to industrial businesses like an automobile tire warehouse, the buildings were then repurposed as art studio space.

Now you can get tacos — we scarfed down the arrachera steak and the al pastor, each perfectly good at $4.50 apiece.

Pro tip: Make sure to hit the rooftop garden, with prime views of the architectural and sociological transformation of East Austin.