AUSTIN MEXICAN RESTAURANT IS OPENING A NEW EAST SIXTH BAR THIS SUMMER

An Austin Mexican restaurant is opening a new all-day spot in East Austin this summer. Ma’Coco is opening Recreation — taking over what had been the former Drop Kick restaurant and bar space — at 1630 East Sixth Street starting sometime in July.

Recreation will work as a daytime cafe and nighttime bar with food, cocktails, and bar foods. Expect casual-ish New American dishes like chicken wings, shrimp ceviche, yellowtail crudo, wagyu burgers, Caesar salads, and fish and chips.

Recreation’s parent company is Origen Hospitality, which oversees Ma’Coco and Mexican restaurant Balcon Comedor y Bar in San Marcos, all run by owner Javier Equihua. Recreation’s location and proximity to Ma’Coco appealed to him: “Having Ma’Coco right around the corner on Fifth and Comal has been great exposure and a first-row seat to the growth, traffic, and energy of Sixth Street. It is a very exciting opportunity to have a location with such high visibility alongside businesses that I frequent.” He picked the name because of its funness, or as he explains, “It’s the act of doing something for enjoyment, it embodies leisure and entertainment.”

Ma’Coco co-founders Javier Equihua and Judith Equihua started Ma’Coco as a Bastrop restaurant where they focused on Mexican food from the San Diego and Baja California regions. They expanded into Austin — taking over what had been Italian sandwich shop La Matta — in July 2021, and, a month later, closed the Bastrop location. Judith left the business. And then, as the sole owner, Javier opened a brand-new restaurant in San Marcos, the modern Mexican restaurant Balcon, in June 2023; and then a second location of Ma’Coco in Buda earlier this year.

The East Sixth address had originally been the home of Portland burger chain Little Big Burger’s only Austin location from 2018 to 2019. Then it became casual New American restaurant and bar Drop Kick from 2020 to early 2024.

2024-07-01T16:39:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd