Austin Café Mercado Sin Nombre Reinvents the Twinkie | Bon Appétit
"Opened in July 2024 by Julian Maltby, this bright Austin cafe is built around showcasing masa's versatility: Maltby nixtamalizes heirloom corn in-house and works with importers—most notably Tamoa—to source family-farmed masa. Signature items include a Masa Twinkie: a ladyfinger-shaped blue corn masa shell filled with Mexican chocolate ganache laced with fermented chile and topped with bruléed marshmallow fluff, a playful s'more/Twinkie mashup; masa also appears in a light, earthy biscuit sandwich, a nutty, subtly sweet atole cortado, and inventive masa-forward takes on familiar drinks like horchata cold brew. The menu favors comforting, recognizable formats (biscuits, pancakes, Twinkie-style desserts) as a way to introduce diners to nixtamalized corn rather than attempting to replicate regional specialties. Casual, sunny alley seating with colorful repurposed milk-crate tables complements Maltby's long-standing interest in corn—he wrote a master's thesis on nixtamalization and began selling masa-based coffee and products at markets in 2020—and positions the cafe within a broader U.S. movement to put heirloom masa front and center in both traditional and inspired dishes." - BySam Stone
