Axios Austin

May 14, 2026
Happy Thursday.
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high approaching 90.
🎧 Sounds like: That "cornbread and chicken" line from Alan Jackson's "Where I Come From."
Today's newsletter is 981 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Austin takes over Denver's food scene
Austin is making a frontal culinary assault on Colorado, one taco, sushi counter and boozy brunch at a time, our Axios colleague John Frank writes in a dispatch from Denver.
Why it matters: What started as a trickle of Texas-born concepts in Denver has become a culinary raid reshaping the local food and beverage scene just as the city attempts to rebuild its identity.
The latest: Paperboy, the brunch spot with Instagram-worthy pancakes and cocktails, opened its first location outside of Austin in late March in Denver's West Highland neighborhood.
What they're saying: Paperboy founder Ryan Harms said Colorado's mountains and the city's vibe put Denver at the top of his expansion list. The markets are also similar, he added.
- "Denver's … a cool market. It's vibrant," Harms tells Axios. "We looked at Denver, we're like, 'Yeah, I think there's room for it.'"
The big picture: Denver's demographics and lifestyle — young, well-paid and outdoor-minded — make it an easy pick for Austin, an equally youthful hip city that wants to keep things weird.
- Like Paperboy, a handful of Austin brands moved to Denver as a first stop outside Texas, as a test market before a broader expansion.
Zoom in: At least a dozen Austin companies now call Denver home — often with more than one location.
- The options are varied, from Uchi and Uchiko on the high end to fast-casual options Torchy's Tacos and Hopdoddy Burger Bar. Latchkey bar also opened up in Denver.
- The trend extends to the suburbs with Summer Moon's woodfired coffee beans in Thornton and Detroit-style pizza maker Via 313 in Centennial.
Zoom out: Other Austin brands with a Colorado and national presence include Tiff's Treats, NADC Burger, Chuy's Tex-Mex, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Siete foods and Tecovas boots.
The other side: The culinary pipeline works both ways to a lesser extent.
- Denver has exported a handful of brands to Austin in recent years, including Snooze Eatery and Punch Bowl Social.
The bottom line: Call it expansion. Call it copycat urbanism. Either way, Denver's dining scene is increasingly stamped "ATX."
2. New York coffee shop to open in ATX Tower
Speaking of restaurants crossing state lines...
New York City-based coffee roaster Black Fox Coffee will open its first Texas location tomorrow in Austin's ATX Tower.
Why it matters: The opening comes as the city's coffee scene continues to gain national attention, with Food & Wine recently naming Austin the top coffee city in the U.S.
Catch up quick: Australian co-founders Daniel Murphy and Gary Hardwick opened their first Black Fox location in Manhattan in 2016, and have since earned national recognition.
- The duo set out to create full-service cafes, espresso bars and a roastery, and has since opened four locations in Manhattan.
- The Austin outpost will be their first outside of New York, and it's being positioned as the company's Texas flagship.

What they're saying: "Austin is a city that shares our values of quality and craftsmanship, and we're excited to bring the Black Fox experience here," Murphy said in a statement.
☕️ To order: Black Fox will offer espresso, cold brew, specialty lattes ($8), tea, matcha and pastries from Swedish Hill.
- Beyond their standard menu, the shop will offer the "Editions" program — available only in Austin — featuring a rotating selection of six rare coffees sourced from around the world and available as a single-serve pour-over experience. (Pricing currently ranges from $10-$15.)
What's next: To celebrate the opening, the first 200 flat whites (usually $6) Friday and Saturday will be free.
📍 If you go: Find Black Fox on the ground floor of ATX Tower, 321 W. Sixth St.
- Black Fox's regular hours will be weekdays 7am-5pm and weekends 8am-4pm.
3. 🤠 The Roundup: Wrangling the news
🎙️ KUT's longtime "Morning Edition" host, Jennifer Stayton, will move to a later slot on air to focus on special events and a new project. (KUT)
🍻 South Austin dive bar Giddy Ups will reopen in a new location — 10509 Old Manchaca Road, building A — and under new ownership. (Austin Business Journal 🔒)
⚖️ An Austin-based law firm says it will sue the city and county of Denver on behalf of passengers aboard the Frontier Airlines plane that fatally struck a man at Denver's airport. (KVUE)
4. Weekender guide
Here's what's in store this weekend.
Friday
🤠 Don't miss the King of Country — George Strait — who returns to the Moody Center Friday and Saturday. 7:30pm, tickets starting at $150.
🎨 Catch the annual Affordable Art Fair through Sunday at the Palmer Events Center, with artworks priced between $100-$12,000. Noon-5pm Friday, $24 entry.
Saturday
🛍️ Shop at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar's May Market — every weekend this month — before it ends. 10am-8pm, free.
🎵 Groove at SIMS Foundation's Feel Good Fest, featuring Night Cap, Infinity Song, Elijah Delgado, and Cigarettes @ Sunset. 6pm, $37.
🖌️ Get crafty at Brentwood Neighborhood Park during Art in the Park, a family-friendly event with nature-inspired projects from Painting Pandas. 10-11am, free.
Sunday
🎭 Enjoy "Much Ado About Nothing" from Austin Shakespeare at Zilker Hillside Theatre. 8pm, free.
5. 🏊♀️ 1 pool upgrade to go
Southeast Austinites will have a refreshed place to cool off this summer now that renovations at Montopolis Park are complete.
Driving the news: The upgrades include new family changing rooms and showers, improved accessibility, expanded shade and upgraded seating and picnic areas.
- The park's playground also got a refresh with new play equipment, surfacing, pavilion, concrete walks, seating and more shade.
📍 If you go: The pool will be open June 1-Aug. 16, except Tuesdays.
Editor's note: The photo caption in yesterday's story on Austin FC salaries was corrected by Getty to show Owen Wolff of Austin FC (not Facundo Torres) celebrating.
Thanks to Astrid Galván and Bob Gee for editing this newsletter.
🥢 Asher recommends the steamed dumplings at this spot.
👀 Nicole is reading this Austin Business Journal story about Desert Door's sudden closure (🔒).
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