Star Seeds Cafe
Takeout Restaurant · North Loop
5610 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78751
Highlights
Legendary 24hr diner with artsy vibe, breakfast & cocktails
Legendary 24hr diner with artsy vibe, breakfast & cocktails
"After 58 years, this iconic Austin 24/7 diner—formerly known as Star Seeds—is closing because of the forthcoming I-35 highway expansion; its last day of service at 3101 I-35 North Frontage Road in the Cherrywood neighborhood will be Sunday, November 10. Co-owners Deitrich Armstrong and AJ Johnson announced the shutter on Instagram, saying they’ve “finally got our walking papers,” but plan to reopen Stars Cafe at a new location to be announced. The diner sits along the proposed path of the controversial I-35 Capital Express, a Texas Department of Transportation project that will add four new lanes and displace businesses; the landlord says the lease technically runs through 2028, and local reports indicate construction near the site is expected until 2027. Opened in 1966 as Star Seeds and long known for its all-hours service and affordable diner fare (actor Ethan Hawke was a fan), the restaurant was bought by Ellis and Austin Winstanley in 2001, renamed Stars Cafe after Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton took over in 2019, had its 24/7 hours cut during the early pandemic, and was returned to round-the-clock service when Armstrong and Johnson took over in 2022." - Nadia Chaudhury
"While Stars probably won’t be winning any awards for its food anytime soon, it does take the coveted niche spot for “Best 24/7 Restaurant Near Campus” by default. This diner in a Days Inn parking lot has been feeding students pulling all-nighters and post-bar goers since the 1960s, previously as Star Seeds, before a change of ownership in late 2019. Expect to find classic diner dishes like breakfast plates, chicken fried steak, burgers, and quesadillas, plus a menu of sweet cocktails that you can order in 60 oz fishbowls. Open 24/7 " - nicolai mccrary
"The all-hours, no-frills Cherrywood diner with a slightly revamped name from the beginning claims to be there for all those "legendary Austin late nights," especially if it involves breakfast. Takeout and delivery orders can be placed online or in person; there are indoor dine-in services." - Nadia Chaudhury
"And just as Project Connect threatened the existence of Dirty Martin’s and other businesses on the Drag, the I-35 plan could result in the removal of shops, bars, and restaurants along the I-35 frontage road, like the Stars Cafe diner and the Glass Coffin in Cherrywood." - Taylor Tobin
"Formerly Star Seeds, now Stars Cafe, the truly 24/7 Cherrywood diner is attached to a shabby Days Inn and caters to the kind of folks who don’t wait until the weekend to cut loose. Order the A-Baum, an unapologetic pile of English muffins, queso, sausage and scrambled eggs. There are indoor dine-in services." - Erin Russell
