For more than a decade, Siwaphan Sampaotong served Thai food from the Aroi Thai food truck in Belterra, from 2014 until 2025. On Jan. 2, 2026, she opened Rice & Oak Thai Texas Grill Kitchen at 1025 Cannon Dr., Ste. 105, in downtown Dripping Springs, according to Community Impact. Her move from Belterra to downtown points the opposite way from most of the year. Most of the new places to eat and drink in 2026 opened on the roads leading out of town, one or two per route: US 290 toward Belterra, Fitzhugh Road, RR 12, and Brownson Lane down in Driftwood. The biggest name still on the way is at the eastern edge, where Canyonwood Drive meets 290.
If you live here, you can see the year's new places by thinking about the road you drive home on.
| Route | New this year | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown, Cannon Drive | Rice & Oak Thai Texas Grill Kitchen | Jan. 2 |
| US 290 near Belterra | The Alley | March 28 |
| US 290 in town | Golden Chick | April 28 |
| Fitzhugh Road | Beerburg Beer Garden | Ribbon-cutting May 28 |
| RR 12 | Ziggi's Cafe | August |
| Brownson Lane, Driftwood | Briggs Distilling Co. | Grand opening Oct. 17 |
| US 290 at Canyonwood Drive | Tacodeli, plus T.J. Maxx nearby | No date announced |
Downtown got the food truck that grew up
Rice & Oak serves woks, curries, rice bowls, shareables, soups and desserts. It was among the first openings of the year. Community Impact's midyear roundup placed it in downtown Dripping Springs, the same stretch where Southern Roots Boutique opened on June 5 at 330 W. Mercer St., Ste. 7, with live music by local artist Thomas Babiak at its grand opening.
Downtown dining news this year was mostly about this one Thai kitchen. The rest of the year's openings spread out from here.
US 290 east: bubble tea near Belterra, fried chicken in town
US 290 is the road most people here drive every day, and it picked up two very different spots.
Closer to Austin, The Alley opened March 28 at 12400 Hwy. 290, Ste. 230, near Belterra. The tea shop makes its tapioca fresh and uses a house-made cane syrup. Its signature food is the croffle, a crispy baked waffle. Its mailing address says Austin, but Community Impact counts it in its Dripping Springs-area coverage. The same is true for several of this year's openings along the corridor.
Farther west, inside town, Golden Chick opened April 28 at 104 Hwy. 290. Owner Tariq Khan is an Austin local who also owns two other Golden Chick locations in the Austin area. The menu covers wings, tenders, fried and roasted chicken, chicken sandwiches, fried catfish and Southern-style sides.
Fitzhugh Road became a weekend stop
Fitzhugh Road got the biggest change in where people spend their evenings. Beerburg Beer Garden, at 13476 Fitzhugh Road, held a ribbon-cutting with the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce on May 28 and hosted grand-opening events that weekend, as the Hays Free Press reported. The outdoor space is planted with native landscaping.
It opened with weekend-only hours and has since added days. The Beerburg website now lists this weekly schedule:
- Outdoor beer garden, Thursday through Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m.
- Indoor tasting room with two-stepping, Sunday, 2 to 7 p.m.
- Live music at the Sunday Dance Hall, 3 to 6 p.m., with bands booked into November and December and a cover that is usually $10.
The same road gets traffic for other reasons too. Dripping Springs Sports Club opened a warehouse facility with volleyball courts, basketball courts and a weight room in March at 15113 Fitzhugh Road, Ste. 1400. More families now have a reason to be on Fitzhugh Road on weekends, and Beerburg's Thursday-through-Sunday schedule matches that.
RR 12 got Greek food with almost no fanfare
Ziggi's Cafe opened quietly in August at 28485 Ranch Road 12. Local Eats lists Greek pitas, souvlaki, handmade savory pies and pastries on the menu. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Mondays.
The RR 12 corridor added other everyday businesses too. Band Aid School of Music opened April 19 at 30307 RR 12, Ste. 700, with band programs, camps and lessons in voice, guitar, drums, bass and piano. Drip Haus Barbershop opened Oct. 3 at 27320 Ranch Road, Ste. B. If you drop a child at music lessons, you now have a Greek lunch spot on the same road.
South to Driftwood for the newest night out
The most recent opening on this list is a short drive south. Briggs Distilling Co. held its grand opening on Oct. 17 at 121 Brownson Lane in Driftwood. Community Impact describes a family-owned, 9,000-square-foot facility serving cocktails, spirits and mocktails, with room for live music and an outdoor patio.
Food comes from A.T. Eatz Burger Joint, which runs inside the distillery and serves smash burgers, fries, tots and wings. Briggs' website advertises live music on weekends. Local Eats adds that the menu includes whiskey and coffee. It's new enough that you should call ahead or check the distillery's site before a weeknight visit.
One downtown address changed hands
Oakwood Public Market, at 2500 Beverly Drive, brought together coffee, a patio bar, a soda shop, pizza, a market and retail. The Hays Free Press reported that it closed July 3 after seven months of operation.
In August, the Hays Free Press reported that new owners Sarah and Dallas Miller planned to reopen it under the same name, in stages. The plan they announced began with a coffee shop. Later stages would add an arcade, American and Southern Tex-Mex food, and a Friday and Saturday supper club with cocktails and small plates.
The next pin goes on the map at 290 and Canyonwood
The next opening many people in town are waiting for is on the eastern end of the corridor. Tacodeli has signed a lease at the intersection of US 290 and Canyonwood Drive, a spokesperson confirmed to Community Impact in September. In its Nov. 5 update, Local Eats said the lease is still in place and called it "the closest the taco favorite has come to the Hill Country." No opening date has been set. Community Impact listed a few menu items for anyone who hasn't eaten at a Tacodeli in Austin:
- The Otto: organic refried black beans, double bacon, avocado and jack cheese
- Cowboy: dry-rubbed beef tenderloin, grilled corn, caramelized onion, roasted peppers, guacamole and queso fresco
- Sunset Shrimp: crispy Texas Gulf shrimp, purple cabbage slaw, jícama, creamy salsa de árbol and lime
Tacodeli won't be alone on that corner. T.J. Maxx has leased about 25,000 square feet at the planned Headwaters commercial development at Canyonwood Drive and Hwy. 290, Community Impact reported in October, citing CoStar Research. Its opening date is also TBD. The leasing team markets the site as Headwaters Retail, more than 30 acres on the northwest side of the intersection, with pad sites and shop space. In August, the Austin Business Journal reported that Headwaters East was set to begin construction soon.
The intersection itself is also in the plans. The agenda for the May 19, 2026 Dripping Springs City Council meeting included an agreement for a 250-foot southbound right-turn lane, with a 50-foot taper and a right-turn signal head, at US 290 and Canyonwood Drive. The work was estimated at $160,000. Hays County's share was capped at $32,160, and the developer, ME Headwaters REG, LP, would pay the rest. That works out to about one-fifth from the county. The agenda based the cost split on the share of traffic expected from the Headwaters project.
At Gregg Klar, we keep up with what opens along 290, Fitzhugh, RR 12 and down in Driftwood, because those are the same roads our clients drive every day. If you'd like to talk about how this part of the Hill Country is changing, or which corner of it suits your routine, we'd be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
