Starbucks / 1200 Barton Springs Road
This Starbucks opened in October 2018 according to Starbucks Everywhere. This is, in fact, an extensively renovated (that is, renovated down to the frame and a few walls) Jack in the Box restaurant, which operated from 1977 to around 2015-2016.
1209 Barton Springs Road
This former McDonald's restaurant opened in 1979 but closed in 2022. By that time, the restaurant still had a silver mansard roof but even older "Billions and Billions Served" signage. By spring of 2023 it was demolished, the signage going last.
Great Outdogs / 1210 Barton Springs Road
Kentucky Fried Chicken (later KFC) has been here since the early 1970s (though the store was rebuilt c. 1979). From what can be found, KFC operated here until 2005. In 2006, it became Jack and Adam's Bicycles, which moved around 2014. Within a matter of months, Great Outdogs moved in.
According to Yelp, this store, here since 2014, explains that this store is "an all-inclusive, one stop shop for all things outdoor related dog products". For a time the property was bannered as "Zilker Food Park" and there's also always at least one food truck on the property.
Walmart / 710 E. Ben White Blvd.
Walmart #1253 opened in May 2005 (as a Wal-Mart Supercenter) after relocating from their old location at 5015 S. I-35 (and as of this writing, the Bluepages page says it opened in 1988 and expanded in 2005; this is incorrect), though it only replaced 1253's number (#5317 was built at the same time to serve the southern area). In the 1970s and 1980s this was the site of Southside Twin Drive-In.
Tornado & El Expreso Bus Company / 711 East Ben White Blvd.
This was a Taco Cabana from 1987 to 2006. Around 2011 it became Axent Auto, and after closing around 2015, became the Austin location of Tornado & El Expreso Bus Company.
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q / 709 E. Ben White Blvd.
Bill Miller has been operating here since 1979, back when trains still rumbled through on the now-abandoned tracks (now overgrown and a homeless magnet) behind it.
Chevron/McDonald's / 3909 South Congress Avenue
This combo gas station/McDonald's restaurant has been here since 2001.
South Bend Center / 321 W. Ben White Blvd.
This three-building center has a restaurant in the front (300), a strip mall-type building behind it, and more office/service/warehouse-oriented tenants behind it. The restaurant in front is currently Bender Bar & Grill, since November 2007. From 2005 to 2007, this was Woody's South, Serrano's Cafe & Cantina South (1987 to 2005), and Torta Brothers Restaurant (1985 to 1986).
Habitat for Humanity / 500 W. Ben White Blvd.
This was Kroger Family Center (972) from 1970 to 1978...the only physical Kroger store Austin has ever seen, and was later a Homer's Home Center from 1979 to 1982.
The section near 1st Street became Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (as it was known then) in 1982, with Ross Dress for Less taking the rest of the space in 1984. Ross closed in 1992 shortly before construction of the widened Ben White Boulevard took out the front parking lot. Chuck E. Cheese continued to operate at the subdivided space (502 W. Ben White) until the early 2010s. By 2016 it had become Austin Habitat for Humanity with the non-profit "ReStore" operating in the 1st Street frontage area.
7-Eleven / 601 W. Ben White Blvd.
This "true" 7-Eleven, with gas and a convenience store, has been operating as such since 1986 (though likely originally had Citgo as a gas brand).
Poco Loco Supermercado / 611 W. Ben White Blvd.
In the late 1970s this was Foodland, and from 1980 to 1998 this was Cutrer's City Market (simply known as City Market since 1998 to 2015). In 2013 this opened as Mi Rancho Meat Market. In late 2015 or early 2016 it was rebadged as the current name. Sharing the address and building is a restaurant called Bamboo Garden, this was Godfather's Pizza in the 1980s.
Uncommon Objects / 1602 Fort View Road
While the history of Uncommon Objects hasn't yet been explored, it was discussed at the page "Carbon-izer Goes to Austin 2017...Plus Some".
Before the freeway was built, Fort View Road intersected with Ben White and curved toward Gillis after a stoplight.
Two Men and a Truck / 1600 West Ben White Blvd.
This odd building owned by a moving company used to be addressed as 4305 Clawson and was the home of Short Stop, a drive-through hamburger chain once owned by Two Pesos, from 1985 to 1995.
1815 West Ben White Boulevard
This abandoned restaurant looks pretty rough today. It was a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) from 1974 to around 1997, "Roy Henry's Famous Waffles & Chicken" from 2000 to 2001, S. 1st Bar-B-Q & Catering (2002-2006), and Taqueria Los Jaliscienses from 2007 to 2020. It also appeared to be a Philips 66 for a very brief time prior to KFC, with KFC possibly even renovating the building.
Jack in the Box / 1891 West Ben White Boulevard
Jack in the Box has been here since the mid-1970s. The current building dates back to 1989.
1910 West Ben White Blvd.
Long John Silver's opened here in 1993 (relocating from 4315 S. Menchaca Road, though I can't confirm where it might've been, even accounting for ROW demolition). By 2007 it was a Long John Silver's/A&W combo store, but it closed in 2022.
Dan's Hamburgers / 4308 Menchaca Road
Dan's Hamburgers has been here since 1986, located in what was originally built as an A&W restaurant (many years before they returned to the corner). In 2013-2014 it was rebuilt with a new building. (Prior to 2019 Menchaca was named Manchaca).
Cork & Brew Market / 4416 Menchaca Road
Cork & Brew Market has been here since April 2023 (see this article). The Indian food they serve in the kitchen is very overpriced. This was an old-school no-fuel 7-Eleven that operated from 1961 to 2006. In 2007 it was retenanted by local store Live Oak Market but it closed toward the end of 2021. (Note: Prior to 2019, Menchaca Road was Manchaca Road).
Randalls / 2025 West Ben White Blvd.
This store (Randalls 485, later 2485) originally opened as Safeway way back in 1966 as a Marina store, though in the 1970s the old Marina store was torn down for a larger store behind it. It later changed hands to AppleTree as the Houston division spun off in 1989, then was sold to Randalls in 1994 (which closed the store for conversion).
Taco Cabana / 2117 W. Ben White Blvd.
This Taco Cabana was built new in 1992 and for many years was 24 hours. Sadly, that hasn't been the case in several years.
Target / 2300 W. Ben White Blvd.
This Target (T-96), together with Target T-95 in North Austin, formed the first two Target stores in Austin when they opened in October 1980.
2428 W. Ben White Boulevard
This theater-looking structure opened in 1978 as the Lakehills Cinema 4 before closing in 1999. It became the new location of Strait Music Company in 2005, but in May 2023, Strait Music Company "South" relocated to 3201 Bee Caves Road Ste. 140.
Office Depot / 2101 S. Lamar Blvd.
This was Safeway from 1965 to 1989, then converted to AppleTree when it closed in early 1994. It was not converted to Randalls despite being purchased by them. In 1998, Office Depot moved in, and in 2010 the space was downsized and reconfigured for a CVS/pharmacy sub-lease, which also added a drive-through pharmacy.
In-N-Out Burger / 3701 S. Lamar Blvd.
Wendy's was built here in 1995, but sometime around January 2015, Wendy's closed and was knocked down for In-N-Out, with a completely redeveloped lot. In-N-Out Burger opened in October 2016.
Red Lobster / 3815 S. Lamar Boulevard
Red Lobster originally opened here in 1981, the facade was modified around the late 2000s.
Hobby Lobby / 4040 S. Lamar Blvd.
Hobby Lobby takes up the main portion of 4040 S. Lamar Boulevard (the rest is ROK Golf and a few vacant spaces). This used to be Mervyn's from 1983 to 2006. The store was halfway between the two malls of Westgate and Barton Creek Square.
Pinthouse Pizza / 4236 S. Lamar Blvd.
From 1983 to February 2013 this was a Chili's restaurant, but I know it best as Pinthouse Pizza, easily one of the best pizza restaurants I've had in the last 10 years. Of course, good conversation and good company made it all better. We got the "Honey Pear" (yes, it had pear slices and honey) as well as something more traditional with pepperoni. (Definitely more unique and tastier than Chili's).
Arby's / 4411 S. Lamar Blvd.
This Arby's originally opened in 1972 and was the last "Big Hat" Arby's location in Austin. Sadly, in late 2020 the sign was dismantled & removed as part of the restaurant's closure. In 2021, the building was demolished and rebuilt as a new Arby's...but the sign did not reappear.
Cavender's Boot City / 4435 S. Lamar Blvd.
Cavender's Boot City opened in July 1994. This was H-E-B (#39) from 1970 to 1986 and briefly Federated, but it appears it was vacant in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
4477 S. Lamar Blvd.
This was once a Woolco that operated as part of the Westgate Mall from 1970 to 1983. In 1983 it reopened as a Wilson's catalog showroom and converted to Service Merchandise in 1985 before closing in 1996. The current tenants here include Central Market (opening originally in 1999 and briefly closing in 2006 for a renovation), Whole Earth Provision Co., Skandinavia Contemporary Interiors (formerly Bealls), and other tenants on the west side of the building (built after Westgate's demise).
Hyde Park Bar & Grill / 4521 Westgate Blvd.
This is a bit hard to tell because 4521 Westgate Blvd. was also the address of the old Westgate Mall, but it appears this has been here since 2005 and previously was Grandy's (1985-2003), with the restaurant starting out around 1979 as Sambo's but closing around 1983. I've placed this after the above entry due to the fact it's on the far west side of the Westgate property.
4715 S. Lamar Blvd.
This opened as Cannoli Joe's Italian Feast in 2007, a large Italian restaurant with extensive theming and menu options but sometime in or prior to 2013 it closed and is now divided into smaller stores and restaurants (the Italian village-themed exterior was completely changed) including Canne Rosso, Stouthaus Coffee Pub, RE/MAX Posh Properties, and Salon by Milk & Honey.
LongHorn Steakhouse / 4809 US-290
This was originally the home of Red Robin from 2005 to 2011. The building was demolished in early 2012 to make way for a new LongHorn Steakhouse site.
South Towne Square / 4970 US-290
This is another shopping center where all the stores, even the big ones, have the same address, which is annoying as far as research purposes go. The big stores here, from east to west, are Spec's, Sam's Club, and Best Buy. The Spec's was an Academy sporting goods store from 1999 to 2006 (moving to 5400 Brodie Lane, which used to be a Home Depot store before they moved to a larger location) and in December 2006, became a Spec's Liquor store. It is part of the chain's entry into Austin and the largest Austin store at around 50,000 square feet. The Sam's Club opened in 2001 and originally opened in 1992 as Builders Square, a home improvement chain owned by Kmart. Under new management it was rebranded as Home Quarters before it closed for good in fall 1999. The Best Buy is original, having opened in 1991 and still here to this day.
Walmart / 5017 Highway 290 West
This Walmart Supercenter (at Mopac Expressway and Highway 290) opened in April 1994 as store 2133. Around 2008 it was converted to a Supercenter by expanding it on both the east and west sides.
Taco Ranch / 5033 US-290
Although it faces Loop 1, Taco Ranch has a US-290 address. A spin-off of P. Terry's, Taco Ranch was originally a Burger King, which opened in 1995 but closed around late 2016.
To date, it remains the only Taco Ranch location (a UT-area location failed and was later converted to a normal P. Terry's).
At Home / 5151 U.S. Hwy. 290 West
This store originally opened as Garden Ridge (#32) in 1999 and was renamed as At Home sometime around 2014-2015.
Hampton Inn & Suites / 6401 US-290
Hampton Inn Austin/Oak Hill opened in 2013. It was originally built behind a blanket of trees with a 300-feet driveway in anticipation of the highway widening.
Graceland Grocery / 8600 U.S. Hwy. 290
This former gas station was originally Buddy's Corner Store for years (with a small Texaco gas station) and in the early 2010s, transformed into Señor Buddy's, a hybrid Mexican restaurant/corner store that served not only tacos but drinks and wines. Their motto was "Mi Casa Es Su Casa," which translates to "My House is Your House". In summer 2015, the era of Señor Buddy's came to an end. It was renamed as Graceland Grocery and served up barbecue while the "grocery" part took a further backseat. The gas canopy disappeared around 2020, presumably as part of road construction that was to be well underway by 2022.
Hobby Lobby / 6600 S. MoPac Expy.
Randalls opened a large store here in September 1995 with a 58k square foot store. It was the first Randalls store built in Houston as a Randalls (the rest were conversions from AppleTree or Tom Thumb). Regrettably, the Randalls closed in September 2021 following an "underperformance" report with Hobby Lobby opening a year later with some exterior changes (notably removing the "pyramid" on the Randalls' facade, you can see it in some aerial and Street View images).
Life Time Fitness / 7101 S. MoPac Expressway
This enormous membership fitness center opened in 2007. The "South Austin" location was the chain'sa second location in the city. A proposed driveway was to connect it to Convict Hill Road, but was scrapped presumably due to neighborhood resistance.
QuikTrip / 4802 US Hwy 183 S.
This 24 hour convenience store (with fresh sandwiches!) opened in 2020.
Tex-Mix Concrete / 11021 S. Hwy. 183
This ready mix concrete supplier is the last address on US-183 before Highway 130 is in the median of the road. Since around 2008-2009 the reconstruction of the road has prevented left turns in/out.
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers / 415 West Martin Luther King Blvd.
Raising Cane's website doesn't have store openings anymore (though it opened approx. September 2013). The store's webpage makes no mention of its most notable feature...a rotating sign! This was carried over from the previous restaurant on the site, Wendy's (here since the mid-1970s), though the sign was physically reduced in size to a simple rectangle instead of the Wendy's-shaped sign.
It appears that the restaurant was extensively renovated from Wendy's (same footprint, even the back) but to what extent is unknown.
P. Terry's Burger Stand / 517 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. After operating in the spot since 1993 when it was built, Taco Cabana closed in 2017, while Taco Ranch opened its second location in the spot in October 2018. In December 2019, Taco Ranch closed as its parent company decided to convert it to a P. Terry's, which opened 2020 as P. Terry's Burger Stand #22.
Oak Hill Plaza / 7100 US-290
This shopping center opened as a grocery store, Tom Thumb-Page to be exact, back in 1980. In 1989 it was sold to Albertsons and quickly reopened as such (Albertsons #4006), but in 2007 the store closed permanently when the chain exited Austin and sold the remaining stores to H-E-B. This one didn't reopen as H-E-B because of their store across the street.
By 2011, the building was divided between Planet Fitness, a vacancy, and Goodwill. Goodwill expanded into the middle section of the former store, and by the late 2010s, Planet Fitness was gone. The store was then sub-divided further between Emler Swim School, Won's White Tiger Taekwondo, and NAPA Auto & Truck Parts.
Jim's Restaurant / 7101 West Highway 71
Jim's has been in this location since 1982, even when so many others have closed. The roadside sign says "Open 24 hrs." but that is no longer the case, not since 2020, and now closes at 8 pm.
Luby's/Fuddruckers / 417 W. Slaughter Lane
A combo Luby's/Fuddruckers restaurant (seating areas are separate, only some common things like restrooms are shared). It originally opened in 2013 (and not 2017 like this article suggests). Following the deterioration of Luby's corporate in the late 2010s, this is one of only two Luby's in the entire Austin metropolitan area until San Antonio.
El Pollo Rico / 609 W. Slaughter Lane
El Pollo Rico opened in fall 2018 but it was not built as an El Pollo Rico. It opened as Carl's Jr. in early 2009 (with a Green Burrito co-brand, which it kept until its demise in 2018).
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema / 5701 W. Slaughter Lane
This theater opened in March 2012. The exterior of the 8-screen theater facing MoPac changes every month or so based on a new movie.
Taco Bueno / 700 E. William Cannon Dr.
This Taco Bueno location opened in 2020 that was a Burger King from 1992 to sometime around 2019.
Advance Auto Parts / 600 E. William Cannon Dr.
This opened in 1990 as Western Auto, with both a retail component and an automotive service component. Under then-parent company Sears, in 1998, the store was converted into "Parts America" while the automotive service side was spun off to Just Brakes. Soon after, Parts America was sold to Advance Auto Parts and renamed again. For nearly twenty years, Advance Auto Parts and Just Brakes operated at the building. 2017 brought the renaming of Just Brakes to Pep Boys following Pep Boys' acquisition of the chain. Pep Boys would close around 2022-2023. (See 204 Harvey Road for a similar story).
H-E-B / 2652 Lake Austin Blvd.
Back in the day, this was a lot owned by University of Texas with a 200-year old pecan tree on the grounds. When Safeway leased the land and announced it was to build a store at what was addressed as 715 Exposition Boulevard, what began as a fight over zoning eventually resulted in a compromise to keep the tree inside, surrounded by the store on all four sides when it opened in 1977. The store was rebranded as AppleTree (must have been confusing since it was a pecan tree inside) in 1989 and reopened in 1994 as Randalls after a brief closure. In 1997, the tree was removed (the roots had rotted). By 2001 the store was renovated to have a floor and a roof where the tree was, but the store closed for good in 2019 when the lease ran out. UT leased the space instead to H-E-B, which rebuilt the store from the ground up. This opened as a 97,000 square foot flagship H-E-B in February 2023.
4400 Shoal Creek Drive
Marked as "Records Management Division" on Google Maps, this mysterious building houses state records, as well as the warehouse for the Talking Book Program. The latter can be partially seen in the opening scene of Idiocracy.
Barton Creek Square / 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy.
The Barton Creek Square mall opened in 1981 with six department stores--Sears, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, Foley's, Dillard's, and the locally-based Scarbrough's (though Dillard's and Foley's did not open until 1982). Today, the Sears is gone, Montgomery Ward is replaced with Nordstrom, Foley's with Macy's, and Scarbrough's as a second Dillard's. We've written about this mall previously (check it out!). In the updates section, I previously mentioned that "off the record that Soccer For You is gone, Starbucks is open again, the Toys R Us-knockoff looking store moved, and there's a locally-owned Pokémon store called Pokémaniacs".
H-E-B / 8801 S. Congress Avenue
This H-E-B (about 130k square feet) opened in summer 2020 with an enormous Curbside department (something that exceeded H-E-B's expectations, no doubt, as it was all designed before...well, 2020) and True Texas BBQ, an in-house barbecue restaurant with its own drive-through.
The H-E-B has a Congress address, but it's built on the old original right of way, demolished in the late 1980s or early 1990s when Slaughter was extended and the whole interchange (S. Congress once directly connected to the highway frontage roads, with an underpass) was reconfigured.