The historic Victory Grill on 1104 E. 11th St., which has hosted legends such as James Brown, B.B. King, and Billie Holiday, recently reopened as “Victory East.” The new restaurant is owned by Austin restaurateur Glenn Williams and operations partner Steven Anthony Gomes.
Gomes, who also opened the venue’s swanky speakeasy Busy Signal before working with Williams on the front restaurant portion of the property, says, “What we want to be is a premier venue on the Eastside. Not even just the Eastside, but in all of Austin. What we bring to the table is a lot of culture and intention behind the things we program and the people we partner with. We’re trying to achieve this higher end clientele but also keep the soul, integrity, and history behind the venue.
“Along with the Eastside being gentrified, we wanted to keep up with the times,” he continues. “We decided to turn it into, yes, a soul food restaurant, but a little more upscale and elevated. We wanted a chef-inspired menu and to bridge the gap between soul food and Caribbean and African cuisine, which is a lot of our clientele. We wanted to be on the same level as some of the big name restaurants here but have more soul behind it.”
Gomes, who hails from New Jersey but spent most of his professional life in Los Angeles before recently moving to Austin, says about the menu, “The jerk chicken is one of my favorites. I’m Jamaican so I’m very particular when it comes to Caribbean cuisine. Our chef, Mike Lenz, put together a phenomenal recipe and cooking method for the jerk chicken which is pretty mouth-watering with the spice but also with the sweetness of the cocoa bread which is a side that it comes with.”
“Our lamb chops are the number one seller,” Gomes says. “You also can’t go wrong with the mac n’ cheese or chicken and waffles – they’re staples.”
Having been to Victory East during a recent AfroBrunch event they had, I’d say he’s certainly not wrong. We got the shrimp & grits and an order of the mac n’ cheese, followed up with an order of the lamb lollipops (an appetizer version of the lamb chop dish) – they were phenomenal.
With local DJ Ashmar Triggs heading up the bookings for both Victory East and Busy Signal, Victory East has quickly established itself as a hub for Black culture that is future forward while continuing to pay homage to East Austin’s heritage. Triggs says, “I want to help push the legacy within the Black community here in Austin because this is one of the last standing Black-owned businesses here [on East 11th Street]. I have a son so I really want to create a place where I can be proud to have him around people that look like him and I. We want to push the legacy not just with music and entertainment but also food. The stuff on this menu like catfish and grits or even the short ribs are things that my grandmother would cook.”
Victory East is open for dinner Wednesdays-Sundays, and for brunch service Saturdays & Sundays. See website for hours and to make reservations.
This article appears in July 19 • 2024.
