Lake Travis Restaurant Updates 11/5/26

🆕 MAJOR UPDATE: Neighbor's Cafe just took over the former Winston's spot on Bee Creek Road in Spicewood — same coffee-and-pizza concept, new owners.

⭐ Farmand's Family Kitchen (Steiner Ranch) is this week's Featured Spot — a full bar and playground under one roof, with chimichurri steak wraps and a Center-Cut Filet on the menu.

😋 This week's craving is all about the season: Baguette et Chocolat (Bee Cave), the French bakery with a steaming bowl of onion soup and a patio built for a crisp fall morning.

Quiet week on the big filings — SpiceQ's $1.8 million restaurant-and-retail building on Highway 71 in Spicewood is still sitting with no operator or concept confirmed, and CAVA's planned Bee Cave location on East Ladera Boulevard still has no update beyond its May-or-June-2027 target. We'll flag the next new one the second it surfaces.

🆕 MAJOR UPDATE: Neighbor's Cafe (Spicewood) — The coffee-pizza-and-breakfast spot on Bee Creek Road has new ownership after Winston's original owners, Aaron and Sally Creamer, stepped away from the Spicewood location to spend more time with family and focus on their Hill Country Galleria location in Bee Cave. The menu is staying familiar for now — coffee drinks, wood-fired pizzas, salads and breakfast items — just under the Neighbor's Cafe name. It's a quiet, no-drama handoff rather than a concept change, so expect the same cozy Bee Creek Road spot you already know.

Farmand's Family Kitchen — Steiner Ranch

If Angel's isn't in the cards this week, Farmand's is the move for anyone juggling a toddler and a craving for a real cocktail — a custom deck, big screens, and a full bar up front while the kids take over the playground out back. Founder Tony Farmand built more than 40 fast-casual spots before this one, and he brought in restaurant developer Carlos Griego and Culinary Institute of America-trained Executive Chef Matthew Price to run the kitchen. Nearly a year in, it's settled into exactly the role Steiner Ranch families wanted — chimichurri steak wraps and Mediterranean mezze plates share the menu with sundaes and smoothies for the kids, plus a Center-Cut Filet and Signature Blend Beef Burgers for the grown-up end of the table. Pro tip: open daily 11am–9pm with happy hour Monday–Friday 3–5pm and brunch Saturday–Sunday 10am–2pm — reservations are accepted, so grab a patio table ahead of a weekend brunch rush.

📖 Want the full story on Farmand's Family Kitchen? Read our complete write-up — the backstory, the menu, and what to order — at LocalEats.News/austin-laketravis.

Quiet week on the wine and beer trail — no new winery, brewery, distillery, or tasting-room news surfaced for Lakeway, Bee Cave, or Spicewood this week. Highway 71 Brewing's full-bar permit is still showing no cocktails on site, and 5 Soul Wine Co.'s filing is still working through the state with nothing new announced. We'll tell you the moment either one pours something new.

When the new-opening board is quiet, we point you to a neighborhood staple worth the trip, and this week we asked readers what spot feels most like this time of year around the lake. The votes haven't come in yet, but our own pick for cozy fall comfort food is a French bakery in Bee Cave that's been a family favorite since 2010.

Baguette et Chocolat (Bee Cave) — A steaming bowl of French onion soup and a warm croque monsieur hit different once the weather turns, and this little patisserie's cozy dining room and handful of outdoor cafe tables make it an easy stop on a crisp morning. Order at the counter — the new French onion soup and the Parisienne brie sandwich are regulars' favorites, and the case of croissants, eclairs and chocolate mousse up front is worth saving room for. It's open Wednesday through Saturday 7am to 4pm and Sunday 8am to 2pm (closed Monday and Tuesday), and getting there before the lunch rush is the move since pastries do sell out.

Nothing we can confirm closed around the lake this week — everybody's still standing. We'll pass along any news here the moment it's solid.

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✌️ Until next Thursday,

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.