Prepare yourself for mouth-watering news, Lake Travis Lifestyle readers. Late last week, Lucy’s Fried Chicken confirmed that the rumors are indeed true — they’re headed to Lake Travis to share their delicious food and fun vibe with us in the space that was formerly Iguana Grill.
Lucy’s Fried Chicken owner and chef, James Holmes is very excited about this new venture and knows Lake Travis will embrace his wildly popular and funky chicken joint. After all, we’re funky and weird out west too. James is taking full advantage of the sprawling space and plans to add lake-embracing touches like an oyster shucking station, a playground (hallelujah!), a new stage and, of course, an amazing outdoor bar and plenty of seating. They will also revamp the building adjacent to the restaurant to create a functional event space. Nicccce.
Long-time Lake Travis residents were definitely sad to see Iguana Grill close its doors. For me personally, it was the first lakeside restaurant I ever visited when I moved to Texas back in 1999. The gorgeous view took my breath away and I was instantly thrilled to call myself an Austinite.
James, who is friends with the Iguana Grill owner and chefs, has fond memories of Iguana too. He was a patron and enjoyed “many margaritas” over the years. He has always loved the property, so he is especially happy to have it. While he will transform the space to bring the Lucy’s concept to life, it will still be recognizable as a tribute to its “landmark” status in Lake Travis.
From fried chicken nachos to fried chicken spaghetti to deep fried deviled eggs with crunchy chicken skin aioli — boom! — Lucy’s Fried Chicken easily satisfies every kind of chicken craving. And don’t buy into the misconception that it’s all about greasy menu splurges. There are lots of healthy options which will make my protein-aware, carb-counting buddies in Lake Travis happy. Yes, they serve awesome salads with grilled chicken too. In addition to yummy delights like the Bucket O’ Chicken, you can also find wood fire grilled oysters, homemade sides and delish pies.
In fact, since this Lucy’s Fried Chicken will be the biggest one in Austin, James is going to expand his popular brunch menu and make Sunday Funday even better on the lake. You can chow down on breakfast favorites like chicken and waffles, fried eggs and cornbread muffins with live music, which makes it taste even better, right?
As we know, the unfortunate drought and low lake levels have wreaked havoc on our lake-front businesses during the past few years. Despite what our dream cuisine for LT may be, I think we are all united in the fact that we want to see our local businesses thrive. And we want businesses in Lake Travis that are truly excited to be here like the new H-E-B in the Oaks at Lakeway and Phase 2 additions to Trails at 620. That being said, if you couple Holmes’ enthusiasm about being in Lake Travis with Lucy’s notoriously tasty food and fun vibe, it seems we have a win-win situation on our hands.
Lucy’s is expected to open in the early fall, so there’s plenty of time to whet your appetite.
