Austin Eastciders expands with new tasting room, restaurant on Barton Springs Road

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Eastciders has opened its second tasting room and first restaurant in the Austin area.

The new tasting room sits on Barton Springs Road at the gateway to Zilker Park. ​

​"While our goal is to introduce more and more people to the world of craft cider, we are an Austin brand to our core. Opening Austin Eastciders Barton Springs is a major milestone for our team. It's our second location in our hometown, meaning that we can show our brand of Texas hospitality to even more Austinites and visitors," said Brad McKeever, President of Austin Eastciders.​

​The new Austin Eastciders Barton Springs will feature the brand's easy-to-drink and meticulously crafted ciders, as well as wine, cocktails, coffees, limited-edition small-batch ciders that are fermented on-site and a full menu of snacks and meals.

The location boasts indoor and outdoor dining, and during a global pandemic, they were faced with several challenges. General Manager Joshua Thomas says this entire time they've had and will continue to have everyone's health and safety in mind. 

"The idea is you can come and sit and relax and it feels alive and it's such a great energy because a lot of places don't have the space that we have," Thomas said. "We have great food amazing food we have the coffee in the morning, it's kind of an all-day spot. Given everything going on I feel like it's a safe space people can come to, not clustered."'

The Barton Springs location is dog-friendly and has a small outdoor play area for kids. The menu features cider-brined cured meats, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, brunch, and other shareables that pair for Austin Eastciders, guest ciders, cocktails and the full wine list.

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Since March the team says they've worked tirelessly to implement new mandated state protocols for the hiring process and entering the premises.

To help limit contact with customers, there are QR codes linked to menus, contactless payment options, and curbside pickup. "There's not a lot of opportunity to promote when you're wearing a mask but that's the challenge with a lot of people and it's something we take very seriously," Thomas said.​

Austin Eastciders says it is also making a commitment of 10 percent of profits to support a rotation of local community groups with more to come as these partnerships are put into place.​