NAYA, a Mediterranean-and-Asian fusion tapas lounge, quietly opened July 9 at 506 West Ave in downtown Austin, slipping into the address that previously housed Irene’s. Inside, the space leans into lounge-style seating, shareable plates and a nightlife-forward cocktail program overseen by general manager Matthew Pawlak. The team is already working on an upstairs hidden cocktail bar and an expanded outdoor area with a built-in bar and hookah service planned for later this summer.
As reported by Community Impact, NAYA opened on July 9 and Pawlak, the lounge’s general manager, is the architect of the cocktail list, which includes drinks like the Silk Road and the Midnight Bazaar. Pawlak told Community Impact, "Come in and let us create an experience for you, but then go tell your story to all of Austin," underscoring the venue’s dinner-to-late-night pitch. The story also notes that DJ sets generally fire up around 9:30 p.m., when the room shifts into a more club-minded mood.
Menu and chef
OpenTable lists a menu built around robata skewers, meze and a rotating roster of shareable "fired-up" plates, and names Pedro Padilla as executive chef. The OpenTable entry shows the menu was updated in late May and emphasizes a blend of Mediterranean technique with Asian ingredients. The listing also provides hours and a reservations link for the West Sixth dining room.
Buildout plans and favorites
According to Community Impact, signage at NAYA advertises an upstairs "hidden" cocktail bar and an enlarged outdoor space with a dedicated DJ area, with hookah service expected to begin in mid-August once the outdoor bar is finished. The piece also highlights menu items such as tuna tartare, yellowtail crudo and a Shiitake Mapo Tofu that Pawlak counts among his favorites, a snapshot of the kitchen’s east-meets-Mediterranean approach. Once the outdoor bar is completed, the team says draft beer and cocktails will be available there as well, per the story.
Neighbourhood reaction
Public logs on the City of Austin 3-1-1 system show at least one recent noise complaint tied to amplified music coming from NAYA’s West Ave address, and note an APD inspection and follow-up. The ticket indicates the city closed a complaint after finding ambient, low-level music at the site while nearby residents reported louder noise late into the evening. With West Sixth’s dense mix of apartments and nightlife, early complaints are a familiar part of any new late-night venue’s rollout.
Visitor details
Reservations and current hours are available through OpenTable, which lists the address as 506 West Ave and provides the restaurant's contact information. The listing links to the restaurant’s website and includes an email for reservations and inquiries. For now NAYA is positioning itself as a dinner-and-lounge concept that will lean into later-night DJs as the outdoor buildout comes online over the coming weeks.
