The next time you're looking for brunch food at 3pm, head downtown—and straight to Holy Roller.
The highly-anticipated restaurant from Callie Speer, who's well-known for the phenomenal pastries she's crafted at Geraldine's, Swift's Attic, Wu Chow and other Austin favorites, is finally open in the former Wahoo's Fish Taco space on Rio Grande. Here you'll find a punk-inspired atmosphere (think: breakfast-themed graffiti bathrooms) and a menu that sports dishes like migas kolaches, sweet tea-brined chicken, a Waldorf salad and the Grilled Cheesus (buttered toast with gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, tomato jam and avocado).
The bar menu focuses on drinks you can sip on all day: Topo Chico-topped shrub sodas, Bloody Mary pitchers and a wine list heavy on the bubbles. There will be coffee, of course, which comes from Chameleon Cold Brew's new organic Whole Bean Coffee.
One of the most unique things about Holy Roller? The staff is comprised entirely of women, from owner Speer to beverage director Jen Keyser to general manager Sarah Bevil.
"Together, we're doing something we really like in the most creative way we knew how," says Speer. "It was important to us that we had something for everybody—from families to partiers, and it was equally important to me to serve a menu of dishes that we really wanted to eat. It plays on the nostalgia with new takes on food you probably ate growing up, but with a little more. Holy Roller is a casual restaurant with really great food and unforgettable cocktails served without any pretension or pomp."
You can find Holy Roller at 509 Rio Grande in downtown Austin. The restaurant is open seven days a week, with counter service starting at 8am every day and the rest of the menu available from 10am-10pm Monday through Saturday and late-night options available on Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch is from 10am to 4pm.
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