Step Back in Time at This New Mid-Century-Style Bar in East Austin
Popular New York City bar, The Flower Shop, expands to Texas, replacing the former Wilder Wood restaurant
New York City’s popular bar and restaurant, The Flower Shop, is making its Texas debut with a new location in Austin on Thursday, October 10. The Flower Shop Austin, located at 1300 E. 7th Street in East Austin, now occupies a historic 1922 building once home to Tony’s Tortillas, one of Texas’s first tortilla factories, and still has its original water tower. Most recently, the building housed the gluten-free restaurant Wilder Wood.
Co-founded by friends-turned-business partners Ronnie Flynn and Dylan Hales, The Flower Shop drew on their experiences frequenting and hosting at New York City’s popular venues. Seeing a gap for a go-to spot that combined classic pub culture with elements of Midwest-style diners, the duo set out to create a space that reflected that vision.
To bring this concept to life in Austin, Flynn and Hales teamed up with local firm Fox Fox Studios. The original sandstone facade has been preserved while design elements from the 1960s through the 1980s were incorporated throughout the space. The first floor features a main dining room, a floral-upholstered cocktail area, diner-style seating, and an outdoor beer garden. The second floor offers a private bar, designed to evoke the feel of mid-century hotel poolside bars, complete with vibrant outdoor furniture and umbrellas.
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The Flower Shop Austin’s food and menu offerings
Their menu closely mirrors its New York counterpart, offering elevated takes on classic comfort food. Diners can enjoy dishes like oysters with yuzu mignonette, deviled eggs topped with sesame seeds and wasabi, and crab linguini. The menu also includes bar favorites such as chicken wings tossed in Frank’s Red Hot sauce, fish and chips served with mushy peas, and the “party pie,” a traditional Australian meat pie.
The cocktail menu features inventive options, including the “Harry Styles,” a mezcal-based drink with Aperol and watermelon, and the “Pirate Rose,” which combines vodka, pomegranate, and rose water. The beverage offerings are rounded out by a curated selection of wines by the glass and local beers.
The Flower Shop Austin is open daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., offering a new dining and social destination just two miles from downtown Austin. To learn more or make a reservation, visit their website.
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