Trudy’s announced it would shut down its spot on Burnet Road on Monday, marking an end for the Austin-based Tex-Mex chain after more than 40 years of business.
“This post has been so much more than a restaurant—it’s been a place where memories were made, margaritas were shared, and the spirit of Austin came to life,” read a post on the restaurant's Instagram.
The restaurant's closure was abrupt. Michael Hillmer moved to Austin in 1981 and had been going to Trudy's since then. He hoped to grab something to eat Monday evening with his work partner and was met with shut doors.
" It's sad, I mean, I see it everywhere," he said. "I just was a witness to the Baby Acapulco's on Howard Lane that shut down not too long ago."
Hillmer works for a moving company and would often stop by after work.
“ After working in the hot sun, you know, 100-degree weather, Mexican martinis sounded good more than once,” he said.
Hillmer said he’ll miss the atmosphere and the smells of the kitchen.
“ You can always smell Mexican food cooking, like going into your friend's mom's kitchen,” Hillmer said. “A good aroma of steak fajitas in the air.”
Another long-time Trudy's fan, Russell Cowley, dropped by the restaurant on Monday expecting to have his final meal there. He said students would flock to the iconic Trudy's location near the UT Austin campus, but that location temporarily closed in 2019 and the property was later sold in 2022.
" They had a date where they said 'Hey, we're going to close,' but they still had time before they closed," Cowley said. "So I was just going to see if that was going to be the case with [this] Trudy's."
He said he'll have a hard time finding a new Tex-Mex spot.
“It’s like a chapter of Austin is closed,” Cowley said. “They are like a true local business, it’s really sad.”
Trudy’s was bought out of bankruptcy in 2020 by the firm Hargett Hunter. At the time, there were three locations open in Austin. One by one, each location has closed, but the Trudy’s team hinted at a future endeavor in its farewell to the North Star location.
“While this chapter closes, Trudy’s Tex-Mex continues forward, and we’re excited for what’s to come,” said the restaurant on social media.
What that future chapter would be is unclear. KUT reached out to Trudy's for comment, but did not receive a response before publication.
