Meet Bethany Andrée
Bethany moved to Austin in 1988 with her cat Bobo and her then-boyfriend, now husband, Karl. Upon arriving in Austin, Bethany worked on finishing up her degree in Fine Arts at UT. She worked primarily in ceramics and did a lot of design work in general. She then taught ceramics in the late 90s and still to this day still has enjoys working with ceramics. Karl and Bethany bought a house together in 1995 on East 38 ½ St, a year before they got married. The next year while they were on their honeymoon in Japan, they found themselves at a tapas bar and Bethany said, “Austin needs a place like this and we can call it Bobo’s Snack Bar!” Earlier that year Bethany had been in Amsterdam where she had also seen a place called Bobo’s Snack Bar.
In 2005 Bethany took a job at the Austin Motel. During this time, the restaurant that was adjacent to the hotel decided they would be leaving. This is when Bethany’s dream of Bobo’s Snack Bar came back to her. She took the opportunity and opened a restaurant called Snack Bar. However, the “snack bar” idea did get a bit lost because they had to be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They tried to be more of a diner by day and lounge by night, which kind of took off. Snack Bar was open from 2009 to 2016, until the building was eventually sold. When they left Snack Bar they thought they were done with the restaurant scene.
But wait! There’s more! On Valentine’s Day 2018, Bethany and Karl signed a lease at a new location, 3850 Airport Blvd. It was the perfect spot, right around the corner from their home. They ran into plenty of setbacks on the road to opening their newest project. The week they signed the lease Bethany was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, they caught it very early and she is doing well. There was also some back and forth with the city as well as delays with permits (typical Austin!). Then they ran into contractor problems, a burglary, and vandalism. And then the pandemic hit. Over three years later, on April 28, 2021, they finally opened Bobo’s Snack Bar.
What’s a Snack Bar?
Bethany knew when she was planning for Bobo’s that she wanted to make some changes coming from Snack Bar. She didn’t want to have too many employees and she knew that they weren’t going to have a big enough kitchen to make every item from scratch. She also knew she wanted to serve Texas beer, wine, and spirits and they try to source everything within 100 miles of Austin. Some things are tricky, like their non-alcoholic beer made by Karbach, which comes from Houston.
Bethany thought this would also be a perfect place to support local producers and small businesses, like vendors from the local farmers’ markets! She would go to the farmers’ markets around town, meeting people and asking them about selling wholesale. Going back to her fine arts background, she would present Bobo’s as a gallery for local producers. She wanted to promote the creators and their products.
Bobo’s Snack Bar offers something for everybody! They have an extensive mocktail, or as they like to call it: nocktail, list to accommodate everybody. They also offer gluten-free items, vegan items, vegetarian items, as well as meat products. Something they did carry over from Snack Bar is that they make sure any meat products they sell are ethically and humanely raised or sustainably farmed.
How can we support Bobo’s Snack Bar?
Bobo’s Snack Bar is the perfect hang-out spot! They are closed on Monday and Tuesday, and open Wednesday – Saturday from 4 – 11 pm and Sunday from 2 – 9 pm.
You can almost always find an upcoming activity or event going on at Bobo’s. Recently, they have been hosting Civic Sundays, where every Sunday up until election day they had been writing postcards to get out the vote. They have occasional live music with Variety Jones from Cherrywood playing once a month during their porch sessions out front. Another event is Meet the Makers: Bobo’s brings in the artists, vendors, and products they represent. Once a month, on the second Sunday, they host a community BBQ. Karl sets up a tent and grill and they have live music. Last month at their community BBQ they featured Austin Beerworks for Oktoberfest.
Bobo’s Snack Bar is an extension of Bethany’s living room. It’s the perfect place to throw a house party, hang out on the “backyard – vibe” patio, or get cozy and play some games with friends. It also makes a great spot to host parties or events of all kinds. Karl and Bethany are here for the long haul, so be sure to stop by and see them!
Meet Kathy
… a cat lover and local aficionado, she goes out of her way to discover the best that Austin, Texas has to offer: from local businesses and schools, to local events and entertainment.
Kathy knows Austin.
Kathy knows community.
Kathy knows home.
Having lived in Austin since 2004, Kathy is your key to unlocking the city.
Interested in moving to the area? Book a chat with Kathy!