On East Common Street, two barbecue restaurants that both trace their roots to the same 1932 pit in Lockhart now share a parking lot. Terry Black's Barbecue opened at 1310 E. Common St. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, across the lot from The Original Black's Barbecue. The Original Black's has served barbecue at 936 Loop 337 since June 20, 2018.
That pairing explains most of this fall's food news in New Braunfels. Nearly every new name on the dining map arrived as a second, third or seventh location of something that first proved itself somewhere else. The newcomers include a Lockhart barbecue family, national fast-casual chains, a San Marcos grocery, an Austin-based franchise group, a Houston sports bar chain, and a tea shop that grew out of its own New Braunfels flagship. Taken together, the city is adding restaurants mostly through expansion. New concepts are rare in this round.
One parking lot, two branches of a 1932 family tree
Both restaurants come from the same Lockhart family. According to KXAN, Edgar Black Sr. opened the original Black's Barbecue in Lockhart in 1932, and it claims to be the oldest barbecue joint in Texas owned by the same family. Terry Black's started in Austin in 2013 and has been run as a separate company since then.
In New Braunfels, the result is that diners can compare two family lineages of Lockhart-style barbecue on a single block. Terry Black's is the chain's seventh restaurant, after Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Lockhart and Houston. San Antonio and Nashville locations are planned.
"We've had our eye on New Braunfels for a long time," co-founder Mike Black told the Herald-Zeitung. "It's a city with deep Texas roots, a strong sense of community and a lot of energy behind it."
The building will look familiar to anyone who has lived here a while. Terry Black's bought the vacant former Los Cucos Mexican Cafe and started converting it at the beginning of 2026. Senior Vice President Darien Kapture told the Herald-Zeitung that this was a first for a company that usually builds from the ground up. Inside are genuine German steins on the walls, photos from Gruene Hall, and a front patio the company calls the beer garden, with custom murals. There's also a private event room.
The menu is market-style and sold by the pound: brisket, jalapeño cheddar sausage, beef and pork ribs, turkey and chopped beef. Sides include mac and cheese, cream corn and Mexican rice. According to the company, the smokers run 364 days a year and stop only on Christmas Day.
Creekside Crossing filled three suites in three weeks
Terry Black's fit a regional brand into an existing local building. At Creekside, national brands are moving into new suites side by side. Between early September and early October, three chains opened at the same address, 323 Creekside Crossing:
| Restaurant | Suite | Opened | What's on the menu |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAVA | Ste. 117 | Earlier in September | Mediterranean and Greek-inspired bowls and plates |
| Chipotle | Ste. 101 | Tuesday, Sept. 22 | Burritos and bowls, with a Chipotlane for app-order pickup |
| Potbelly Sandwich Works | Ste. 105 | Tuesday, Oct. 6 | Sandwiches, milkshakes, salads and soups |
Sources: the Herald-Zeitung's Creekside roundup and its Potbelly opening report.
More is on the way nearby. Candy Cloud, a beverage franchise that sells coffee, energy drinks, soft serve and matcha lattes, is planned for 2830 Town Center Dr., Ste. 110. The Herald-Zeitung reported that it doesn't have an opening date yet.
Local names are expanding too
The expansion pattern applies to locally owned businesses as well. Texan Tea opened its second New Braunfels store on Friday, Oct. 9, at 2286 Alyssa Way, Ste. 101. Co-owner Jodi Zellner told the Herald-Zeitung that the new shop serves the same iced teas, lemonades and flavored waters as the flagship. In this case, a local business that did well enough to open a second store did it in its own hometown.
Ollie's Market, a boutique grocery and cafe from downtown San Marcos, is still to come. San Marcos native Natalie Zablosky and her husband, Eli, opened the original in 2025. It mainly stocks products from independent, local and regional producers and Texas-based brands. The second location will be at Midtown Mayfair, 5708 Guthrie Trail, which also houses Mayfair's welcome center, HOA office and the offices of developer Southstar. The Ollie's New Braunfels page still says "Coming soon" and "opening Fall 2026," and no specific opening day has been announced.
According to the Herald-Zeitung's profile, the New Braunfels store will offer several things the San Marcos store doesn't:
- Espresso drinks and soft serve ice cream
- More made-to-order food, plus a kids menu
- A weekly "TV dinner" program with a new menu each week. Customers order Wednesday through Friday and pick up the following Wednesday between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Mayfair's Celebration Hall.
- Poolside service for Mayfair residents
"We're kind of playing off of TV dinners, but in a healthy, Ollie's Market way," Eli Zablosky told the paper. Community Impact adds that the New Braunfels menu will include pastries and bread, deli items, made-to-order salads, smash burgers, matcha, and beer, wine and mixed drinks.
The one that started here
Tish's Homestyle Cooking is one of the few new food businesses this season that started in New Braunfels. Mytisha Baker runs the veteran-owned comfort-food trailer and catering business at 1190 Gruene Road, which opened in May. The menu includes chicken bites, rib tips, mozzarella sticks and peach cobbler. Community Impact profiled it on Oct. 14. It started as a single trailer on Gruene Road with no other locations, which is a much smaller and more personal way to open than the expansions above.
One closure, and what's still under construction
Expansion has costs, and real estate costs are one of them. Ohana Poke & Sushi Burrito at 651 N. Business I-35, Ste. 1320, served its last day on Aug. 22. The Herald-Zeitung reported that rising real estate costs were behind the closure. According to Community Impact, its menu was Hawaiian and Japanese fusion, with poke bowls, salads and sushi burritos wrapped in seaweed.
The next round of openings follows the same expansion pattern, and most of it is along the I-35 corridor:
- Slim Chickens, 1395 I-35 N. frontage road, is expected in January 2027. Big Star Hospitality, an Austin-based group led by President Dan McGrath, is developing it as a franchise, according to Community Impact. The menu covers tenders, wings, sandwiches and wraps.
- McIntyre's, 478 Porter St., is being renovated into a sports bar. The state construction record lists work starting Aug. 3, 2026, with estimated completion on Feb. 1, 2027. That is a construction estimate, not a confirmed opening day.
- King Buffet is coming to the former Steele Hyundai space at 485 N. Business IH 35. The Herald-Zeitung listed it as coming soon, serving Mongolian dishes, sushi and seafood.
Like Terry Black's, King Buffet is moving into a building the community already knows. In that case it's a former car dealership becoming a buffet. As of the third week of October, the barbecue on Common Street and the three Creekside restaurants are open and serving. Ollie's at Mayfair is still listed for fall.
The old Los Cucos on Common Street and the former Steele Hyundai lot on Business IH 35 are two buildings getting a second life this season. If you're curious what that kind of change could mean for your own street, Anthony Boelens is glad to compare notes over brisket on Common Street. Let's Start a Conversation.
