The Bullock Museum’s Story of Texas Cafe recently got an updated look.
The Story of Texas Café at the Bullock Museum of Texas History in Austin is sporting a new look, catering vendor, and menu. The café recently closed for three weeks to refresh the space with new upholstery and an updated kitchen, and also to work with Rosemary’s Catering, led by chef Baron Cazares, on developing a menu that includes salads, paninis, chili, chips and queso, and the popular build-your-own baked potatoes. Daily specials, like brisket nachos, coastal shrimp cocktail, and chorizo con papas, are posted on the café’s Twitter page.
With high-profile museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth investing care and creativity in their cafés, more institutions are following suit to bring an elevated experience for visitors, of which the Bullock welcomes 600,000 annually.
“You can’t learn and enjoy yourself if your stomach is rumbling,” Bullock Museum Director Margaret Koch says. “Museums have realized that comfort level changes the way [visitors] engage with entire museum.”
Koch hopes that the café will become a dining destination. For now, the top priority is to be conscientious about the price point and keep it affordable for families.
Rosemary’s Catering started in San Antonio in 1946, and now has locations across the state. “I am honored to be a part of the team leading the relaunch of the Story of Texas Café,” Cazares said in a press release. “We have some fun specials planned that will bring our guests back to their Texas roots. I am looking forward to connecting with our guests, new and old alike, to make their experience truly special.”
The 68,000-square-foot space seats 190 inside and outside, and overlooks the Bullock’s Lone Star Plaza and its bronze star statue. The café is open Mon-Sat, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sun, noon-4 p.m. Texas From Above, a photography exhibit by Jay B. Sauceda, is on display in the Bullock now, and some of Sauceda’s photos are also on view in the café.
