H-E-B opening multi-level store with lake views, multiple restaurants

H-E-B is taking the customer experience to the next level at its newest location in Austin.

The regional grocery powerhouse will open a 97,000-sq.-ft. location in Austin on February 15. The multi-level store will be packed with unique features designed to make it a community gathering place, including a two-story porch with views of Lake Austin, a full bar with indoor and outdoor seating and a coffee shop serving handmade breakfast tacos.

In addition, the new H-E-B will house a True Texas BBQ restaurant (named best barbecue chain by Texas Monthly) and a SouthFlo Pizza eatery.

Structured underground parking allows for a welcoming, pedestrian-friendly perimeter. The sidewalks are wide to encourage walking to the store. A street-level landscape softens the building’s impact on the neighborhood.

With a second-level sales floor, customers will have access to three elevators, open stairway, multiple escalators and cart escalators.

Design

Designed by San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects, H-E-B Lake Austin introduces new design elements that complement the neighborhood. These include vine-covered walls, pitched roofs that relate the building’s scale to the surrounding locale and textured materials such as limestone, wood, D’Hanis brick and metals.

The design also features several environmental/ sustainability elements, including energy-efficient refrigeration with condensation-capture for landscape irrigation and rooftop solar panels. Electric vehicle chargers will be installed soon after the store opens.

The store will offer a wide variety of fresh foods and quality products, with a variety of departments, including:

• Full-service pharmacy with drive-thru;

• The company's largest “Dinner Tonight” selection, with “meal simple” offerings, sushi and “cooking connections demos;

• Hand-made sushi made in-store daily and hot, ready-to-eat selection

• Large seafood section with fresh season seven days a week;

• Meat market which includes fully cooked options;

• Extensive craft been and wine section with a sampling station;

• Deli department with characuterie station;

• Healthy Living department with bulk food items, sports nutrition products and supplements;

• and more.

The largest privately held employer in Texas, San Antonio-based H-E-B operates more than 420 locations in Texas and Mexico. The company’s banners include H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop and Mi Tienda.