Bureau de Poste Opens Today

Yes, the closure of the Speedway post office has been a large pain in the booty for those of us who live in Central Austin and still mail things from time to time. BUT! What we've experienced in terms of postal inconvenience is paying off in terms of a new outpost of boutique market Tiny Grocer #2 and its baked-in French bistro, Bureau de Poste.

Bureau de Poste is helmed by Jo Chan, former Eberly brigadier, Jonathan Waxman acolyte, and Top Chef: Houston contestant. The menu will feature classic French dishes like steak frites, roasted chicken, French onion soup, pommes dauphine, caramel chocolate mousse, and seasonal fruit clafoutis.

While BDP is open for dinner nightly from 5pm to 10pm (and 10am to 3pm for weekend brunch), Tiny Grocer hours will be more expansive for customers to access a deli case with grab-and-go meals and sandwiches, along with a coffee bar and pastries from Swedish Hill and Gati (the latter of which are gluten-free).

Steph Steele, proprietor of Tiny Grocer and longtime veteran of the grocery industry, opened the original Tiny Grocer on South Congress in 2021. She sources thousands of grocery goods from wine and coffee to spices and produce, along with small batch goods from local producers.

Tiny Grocer and Bureau de Poste are the latest openings in the old post office building at 4300 Speedway. First Light Books, featuring pastries from Texas French Bread and coffee from Figure 8, opened in mid-August. Allday Pizza is slated to open sometime in 2024, and there's a yoga studio in the works, too.

Come to think of it, having ready access to a post office is overrated, especially when you've got a cornucopia of local yumminess in its stead.