South Lamar Is an Only Child Now
Wheatsville's Guadalupe store closes Oct. 25 after 45 years, undone by rising costs, falling sales and planned Drag construction. A letter to the South Lamar store, which just inherited the whole family.
6 min read
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South Lamar
Browse Old Austin Grouch posts about south lamar, Austin nostalgia, and the city habits locals still argue about.
Use this topic hub to explore satire, memories, and cultural commentary about south lamar in Austin, Texas.
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Write It on the Little Slip and Hold It Up
Fantastic Fest opens today on South Lamar, and I'm in a line full of lanyards. My head keeps wandering six miles north to a downtown theater where the floor stuck to your shoes and nobody minded.
5 min read
Rosita's Trailer Ran on a Five and a Nod
In 2007 Rosita's yellow trailer off South Lamar and Oltorf took cash, served $2.25 chorizo-and-potato tacos off a griddle older than most of the customers, and never once needed your email; the same corner is now occupied by a glass box called Cultivar where a single "heritage masa taco" starts at $15, the salsa comes with tasting notes, and the QR code menu demands you affirm your "dietary alignment" before it unlocks the add-ons.
6 min read
Two Fajitas for Three Dollars and No PowerPoint
El Patio's lunch plate used to set you back $3.25 with beans, rice, two fajitas, and all the tortillas you could eat; the new owners kept the sign but swapped the Formica tables for live-edge wood, added a $9 add-on for 'street corn', and now the same meal costs more than a tank of gas while a guy in Patagonia shorts explains NFT tacos to his date.
6 min read
Chief Nostalgia Officer Spotted at the Old Broken Spoke
The new "Chief Nostalgia Officer" at the Broken Spoke introduced himself by handing me a branded koozie and asking if I'd like the $22 heritage two-step lesson; the South Lamar institution that ran on $3.50 Shiners, $7 chicken-fried steaks the size of hubcaps, and zero irony from 1964 until the latest buyout now charges $39 entry on Thursdays and pipes in a Spotify playlist labeled "Authentic Texas Swing (Curated)."
6 min read
The Guy Pitching Web3 Country at the Broken Spoke
Last night at 3101 South Lamar the specimen in pristine Ariat boots interrupted a perfectly good set of western swing to explain how his startup could "tokenize the dance floor" and give every two-stepper a revenue share; the bartender poured him another Topo Chico while the rest of us remembered when the only thing getting fractionalized around here was the last basket of fried pickles.
6 min read
Pump Screen on South Lamar Just Asked If I Wanted to 'Subscribe to Fuel'
The filling station at Barton Springs and South Lamar used to let you pay cash, buy a 32-ounce Coke for 89 cents, and get actual directions from a clerk who knew every back road to the gig at Threadgill's; yesterday the digital pump offered me a 'fuel subscription' for $9.99 a month and tried to upsell me oat milk while the total ticked past $52.
6 min read
The Saxon Pub Lot Is Now "Inspired By" Itself
The gravel lot next to Saxon Pub where bands loaded in and fans tailgated for free is now The Backbeat at Lamar promising honky-tonk vibes in $2,795 studios; the renderings show models two-stepping on balconies while the actual venue braces for noise complaints from its new upstairs neighbors.
6 min read
Overheard in the Juice Line: 'Have You Tried Pivoting the Brisket?'
A man named Chad in performance fleece stood at the counter of the former Gas Station Tacos on South Lamar last Tuesday, suggesting the abuelita running the flattop 'A/B test the carnitas with a gochujang glaze' while his $9 cold-pressed green juice sweated onto the floor; the same corner in 2009 handed you four tacos, a Big Red, and zero unsolicited product advice for six bucks.
6 min read
Boots Still Shuffle at 3201 S Lamar Blvd
Dropped in on a weeknight at the Broken Spoke where the chicken fried steak runs $16.95, the two-step lesson costs ten bucks and fills by 7:30, and the condo cranes now peer over the tin roof from the back parking lot like uninvited guests.
6 min read