Photos: H-E-B opens new South Congress storefront after years-long revamp project

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a years-long wait for the facelift of H-E-B's SoCo storefront to be completed, the new site saw its first customers before it even saw sunlight Wednesday morning.

The new location, which sits on the corner of South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street, celebrated its grand opening at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The grocer announced plans to revamp its "longest-standing Austin store" back in December 2021. According to H-E-B's website, the demolition process of the original building, which opened in 1957, started in February 2022 while the grocer opened a temporary storefront at the Twin Oaks Shopping Center across the street. Construction on the new, multi-level, 145,000-square-foot building started shortly after.

Now, three years after the upgrade was first announced, the revamped store is open to the public.

According to the grocery retailer, the new location features indoor and outdoor seating for dining, three levels of above-ground parking with more than 600 spaces, a True Texas BBQ, a full-service pharmacy with drive-thru, local art inclusion that "celebrates the store’s longtime South Congress roots and today’s vibrant art scene," and Sushiya sushi made in-store daily.