About Us

The first Kerbey Lane Cafe opened on May 5, 1980 with the simple goal of having a cozy place to eat that offered healthy local food at a low price. At the time, this was a virtually competitive free restaurant concept. Austin’s cultural ideal of keeping it local by supporting area farmers, artists and businesses is as strong today as it was when Kerbey opened its doors. This cultural mantra is a large part of what shaped the environment of Kerbey Lane and continues to drive our efforts today.

As expected, our cozy café seeping with local flair was exactly the kind of place Austin was looking for. With a successful restaurant, comprised of homemade furniture, family recipes and a staff of friends, we began to seek out expansion opportunities, which included longer hours and new locations. In 1986 the second location on South Lamar was opened with a diner inspired atmosphere. Our menu began to grow as the restaurant and community grew; now including more vegetarian items, salads and specials. Our preference for local and fresh ingredients actually shaped our menu, versus our menu dictating the ingredients we used. High quality, homegrown produce and meats are at the cornerstone of our success.

The late 1980’s brought yet another opportunity for expansion. In what was then a remote location, our growth took us to North Austin to an old house on Hwy 183. Over a decade later, in 2000, a location on Guadalupe became available and it was too good to pass up. This became our fourth Kerbey Lane and is definitely hopping with Longhorn pride and student life. In July 2008, Kerbey Lane took on a huge move and relocated the restaurant on Hwy 183 to just a few miles down the road. This is our largest location and our shiny new penny. Today, all four stores have their own unique personality but they still operate under the umbrella of being a local, friendly and relaxed place with affordable homemade meals.

We offer around the clock service at all four of our locations and we are open on most holidays. Our menu is constantly changing and expanding to include new trends in food, such as several vegan items, and what’s in season for our local farmers. For a list of local ingredients we use all throughout the year check out our vendor’s page.

Beginning in 2008 we began to sell our famous pancake mix at area HEB’s, Central Markets and Whole Foods. Kerbey Lane pancake mix is a Go Texan product, meaning it is produced locally by local employees. To see the mixes we have available, as well as several other great Kerbey retail items, check out our online store. Kerbey Lane believes we offer a unique product and atmosphere that definitely fits within the Austin culture and lives up to the “Keep Austin Weird” mentality. We strive to maintain our local reputation and increase our efforts at supporting and giving back to a community that has done so much to help us grow.