Austin’s Matt’s El Rancho files plans for $100K patio renovation

One of Austin’s most famous Tex-Mex restaurants has filed plans to renovate its South Lamar Boulevard location.

According to a project registration filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the privately funded $100,000 project would add a 781-square-foot roof over the existing outdoor patio at Matt’s El Rancho. 

The filing lists a tentative start date of Oct. 1 and an anticipated completion date of April 1, 2027, though the permit remains under review.

“The permit is for the replacement of the existing canvas-covered patio section with a permanent structure,” owner Paul Counter told the American-Statesman via text message. 

Few Austin restaurants are as deeply woven into the city’s dining culture as Matt’s El Rancho. 

Their daughters — Cathy Kreitz, Gloria Reyna and Cecilia Muela — along with sister-in-law Estella Martinez, continue to operate the nearly 75-year-old business, whose signature dishes, including the famed Bob Armstrong Dip, have made it a local landmark.

The restaurant was inducted into the Statesman’s Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2021.