Hill Country Restaurant Updates 9/17/26

🆕 Blanco River Wing Company (Wimberley / Wimberley Commons) — Wimberley's new wing shop does one thing: chicken wings and tenders, sauced and tossed to order, in the Wimberley Commons strip on Ranch Road 12. It opened quietly in August, so consider this your official heads-up — it's the easy answer for game day and for the "what do we feed the kids" night.
⏰ Opened: August 2026
📍 Address: 14306 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley, TX 78676
🌐 Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566694641582
📞 Phone: 512-210-9785

The Vibe — In 2014, Travis and Tamra Tindol bought a shuttered 1980s convenience store at the FM 150–FM 3237 corner in Driftwood. The banks wouldn't touch it, so they used savings and family money, and in March 2015 they opened it as a restaurant and ice house. It has grown from 90 seats to more than 300 since — a big shaded patio, an ice house with 50-plus beers on tap, and live music most nights of the week. Ten years in, it's the place Driftwood meets: families at the picnic tables, the after-work crowd at the bar for happy hour (Monday–Friday, 3 to 5).

Must-Order Items — The chicken-fried steak is the anchor, and the "truck stop enchiladas" have their own following. The fried shrimp and the bone-in pork chop are the orders regulars argue over, and there's a real Greek salad on the menu for the person at the table who swears they're being good.

Pro Tip — Music runs 6 to 9 most nights and there's no cover, so a weeknight dinner doubles as a show — Ed Johns Thursday, Ryan Talley Saturday, Kim Meeks & Her Bad Habits Sunday this week. Hours are Monday–Thursday 11 to 9, Friday–Saturday 11 to 10, and Sunday 10 to 9. Sundays open early; get there before the church crowd.

📍 8989 FM 150 W, Driftwood, TX 78619
🌐 https://hayscitystoretx.com
📞 512-722-3905

📖 Want the full story on Hays City Store & Ice House? Read our complete write-up — backstory, hours, and what to order — at LocalEats.News/austin-hillcountry

Quiet week on the coming-soon board — nothing new was announced for Dripping Springs, Driftwood, or Wimberley that we haven't already told you about. The two Driftwood projects we flagged last week are still moving: the $8.5 million restaurant-and-bar rebuild at the old Driftwood Store site on FM 150 now shows an October completion on its state filing (still no name or operator), and Pop's Place next to Hays City Store has cleared its accessibility review with no opening date yet. We'll flag the next new one the second it surfaces.

🆕 Headwaters East Commercial (Dripping Springs / E US 290 at Canyonwood) — The biggest filing to hit the east side in a long time: a $20 million, 300,000-square-foot retail development registered with the state on September 10 by the Headwaters landowner, with city site-development permits for four sites (A–D) up for approval this month. Construction is slated for January 2027 through August 2028. No tenants are named — but 300,000 square feet of retail on 290 is where restaurants land.
⏰ ETA: Construction Jan 2027 – Aug 2028
📍 Address: E US Hwy 290 at Canyonwood Dr, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
📞 Phone: TBD

🆕 Darden Hill Market (Darden Hill Road / Belterra corridor) — A new convenience store with gas, a liquor store, and made-to-go food — breakfast, lunch, and dinner tacos and snacks — has filed for its state alcohol license (a wine-and-beer-to-go permit, submitted September 9). The property is already zoned; the owners are projecting a January 2028 opening.
⏰ ETA: January 2028 (projected)
📍 Address: 12000 Darden Hill Rd, Driftwood, TX 78619
📞 Phone: TBD

Our weekly pick: a local favorite worth the drive.

🍽️ Creekhouse Kitchen & Bar (Wimberley) — Built right on the bank of Cypress Creek just off the Square, Creekhouse has the deck you picture when someone says "let's sit outside in Wimberley": string lights under the trees, a 28-foot outdoor bar, a separate silo bar, and the creek running past your table. The menu is what the owners call elevated Hill Country — a smoked-and-grilled grass-fed ribeye sandwich with truffle fries, a fried chicken sandwich that's the lunch order, blackened salmon, and a grass-fed filet for date night. Live music Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Open seven days: Monday–Thursday 11 to 9, Friday–Saturday 11 to 10, Sunday 11 to 9.
📍 14015 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley, TX 78676
🌐 https://creekhousewtx.com
📞 512-722-3394

🆕 Briggs Distilling Co. (Driftwood) — Driftwood is getting a whiskey distillery. The family-owned Briggs Distilling Co. on Brownson Lane — the project that's been in the works at that address for over a year — is planning a grand opening on Saturday, October 17, with live music and a food truck. We'll have hours and the pour list closer to the date.
⏰ ETA: Grand opening Oct 17, 2026
📍 Address: 121 Brownson Ln, Driftwood, TX 78619
🌐 Website: https://briggsdistilling.com
📞 Phone: TBD

Good news — nothing new shuttered around the valley this week. We'll always flag real closings here first.

Visit our website for more local favorites, Top 10 lists and soon to come: Subscriber Offers, Experiences (reviews), Recipes, Videos and more.

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✌️ Until next Friday,

Nolan K.

P.S. Corrections welcome. If I got something wrong, email me at [email protected] — I try to double-check everything, but I’m human.