Katz's, the 24-hour deli that kept West Sixth fed at all hours for decades, is officially on its way back downtown after more than a decade in exile. Owners Barry and Lisa Katz have taken back the building where the original restaurant once stood and are planning a full restoration of the ground-floor space. There is still no firm opening date, but the long-teased comeback is starting to feel less like a rumor and more like a matter of time.
How the Deal Came Together
The Katz family bought the property at 618 West Sixth Street in a bankruptcy-court auction, clearing a legal obstacle that had blocked their return. According to Eater Austin, the Katzes closed on the sale with plans to devote the ground floor to the deli and lease out the upper levels. The deal reunites the Katz name with the corner that hosted the original shop from 1979 through 2011.
What Katz’s Is Saying
In an email to MySA, business and HR administrator Sadé O'Conner wrote, "we are so excited to get back [to] our roots in austin but we have no update at this time." The company’s own site lists Austin as a planned market, and its history page notes that the Austin 6th Street location is not expected to reopen until 2027 or later, so fans may be in for a bit of a wait.
A Short History
The downtown Katz's opened in 1979 and closed at the start of 2011 after roughly 32 years in business. Coverage at the time and in later years pointed to financial trouble and bankruptcy proceedings as the immediate cause of the shutdown. The building then moved through a series of new owners before landing in the auction that allowed the Katz family to buy it back. For many longtime Austinites, the return is less about simple nostalgia and more about restoring a late-night anchor to West Sixth.
Where Katz’s Operates Now
After the Austin closure, the Katz family focused on Houston, opening multiple locations across Montrose, The Woodlands, the Heights and the Galleria. Katz’s lists those locations on its site at Katz's Never Kloses. A Memorial City restaurant is slated for late 2025, according to the Houston Chronicle. Once permits and interior work are wrapped in Austin, the West Sixth project is positioned as the next chapter.
Design and a Cautious Timeline
The Katzes have tapped Michael Hsu's office to lead the Austin build-out. The architects say the design will mix old-school Katz's nostalgia with details already in play at the newer Houston locations, according to RestaurantNews. Barry Katz has called the Austin return a "full circle life moment" in interviews, per KUT. Still, the timing is far from firm; as MySA noted, Katz's site projects that the Austin restaurant will not reopen before 2027.
For now, locals will have to be content with the knowledge that the neon sign is likely to glow over West Sixth again, even if those late-night Reubens are still a few years away. The Katzes say they will share more details as plans move forward, so fans should keep an eye on official channels for the first real glimpse of Katz's comeback.
