Original Black’s Barbecue confirmed Friday that it has found a permanent home at the former Trudy’s location on West 30th Street, ending months of speculation over the fate of the longtime Tex-Mex landmark.
“The Original Black’s BBQ has found a permanent home in Austin at the original Trudy’s location,” the restaurant wrote on Facebook. “We know this building holds a lot of memories. As we begin writing its next chapter, we’d love to hear your favorite Trudy’s memory.”
Fourth-generation pitmaster Barrett Black also confirmed the news in a video in the same social media post.
“The rumors are true, the news is real,” Black said. “The original Trudy’s here on 30th Street now belongs to the Original Black’s BBQ. This is where we will call our home permanently in Austin; we own this land and we are so excited to be here and be here for a very long time just north of UT.”
The confirmation comes about two months after Original Black’s Barbecue revealed plans to relocate its Austin restaurant to the former Trudy’s property at 409 W. 30th St., a move that would give the nearly century-old barbecue joint its first permanently owned location in the city.
According to its website, Black’s, founded in Lockhart in 1932, describes itself as Texas’ oldest family-owned barbecue restaurant and is now operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Black family. The restaurant currently has locations in Lockhart, Austin, New Braunfels and San Marcos.
The original Trudy’s opened near the University of Texas in 1977 and became an Austin institution known for its Tex-Mex fare and Mexican martinis. The flagship location was damaged in a 2019 fire, and the restaurant chain later filed for bankruptcy. Austin’s last remaining Trudy’s closed in January 2025, ending the brand’s decades-long run in the Capital City.
For Black’s, the move represents more than a relocation. It also marks a new chapter for one of Austin’s most recognizable restaurant properties — one that the barbecue family says it plans to call home for years to come.