"Golden Castle, the slider pop-up inspired by White Castle’s iconic food item, found a temporary home for now. The burger shop pop-up, dubbed Hoffbrau & Co., is operating at the historic closed-for-now downtown Austin restaurant Original Hoffbrau Steakhouse on 613 West Sixth Street as with pickup services only. It debuted on November 28, 2021, and its final run will take place this weekend through Saturday, March 13. Hoffbrau & Co’s menu features owner Stephen Kaste’s signature sliders by the half-dozen or full dozen, with beef patties, onions, and American cheese with recommended mustard on Martin’s potato rolls. There are also crinkle-cut fries and occasional specials. As for drinks, Kaste is working with cocktail bar Whisler’s, led by owner Scranton Twomey. There are both to-go bottle flasks and cans. Orders can be placed in person through the takeout window or through the website for pickups only. Kaste was connected to the Hoffbrau team, Mary Gail Hamby Ray and her son Zachary, through Twomey (Kaste operates another truck, Golden Tiger, parked at Whisler’s). “He mentioned that Hoffbrau has been sitting dormant,” says Kaste, “and they would be willing to host us until they are able to open at full capacity.” Hoffbrau, which had been operating for 87 years, temporarily closed in February 2020 because the founding Hamby family wanted to renovate the space. At that time, they planned on reopening the restaurant at the end of March, but then the novel coronavirus pandemic happened. They’re still planning on eventually reopening the restaurant whenever all dine-in service restrictions are lifted since the dining room space is small. Kaste is also in the middle of building out a trailer for Golden Castle at the same time. When the Hoffbrau pop-up ends, he’ll turn his attentions to finalizing the truck, with the goal of opening sometime in April. The location of the truck is currently being figured out. Hoffbrau & Co.’s hours are from 4 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. Update, Friday, March 12, 2021, 2:30 p.m.: This article, originally published on December 3, 2020, has been updated to reflect Hoffbrau & Co.’s final pop-up days." - Nadia Chaudhury
