What: A gourmet popcorn and old time candy shop
When: Monday to Saturday 10am – 7pm and Sunday 12pm – 5pm
Why: Let Austin Gourmet Popcorn take you back in time. It’s a local family run shop that offers so much more than their namesake popcorn. They built Austin Gourmet Popcorn to make you feel like you’ve stepped back into your childhood.
You can choose from over 60 house-made flavors of popcorn from sweet to savory, they have pretty much every flavor covered. I got to hang out with Randy, the GM, who operates the store with his parents Alison and Scott hHern. I heard if you have a flavor you’d like to see made into a popcorn that they’re up for the challenge and appreciate the flavor requests.
All the flavors are made at that location, and you can see all the flavors stored in these big tubs all labeled with their special flavor. I obviously had to sample a ton of the flavors, for reviewing purposes. I absolutely loved the Birthday Cake, it was white chocolate popcorn with sprinkles mixed in. And another great flavor was the Austin mix which is half Sea Salt Caramel popcorn and half White Cheddar popcorn mixed in the bag. It’s perfect when you can’t decide if you want sweet or savory!
In addition to popcorn, they feature over 130 vintage, glass-bottled drinks. Their collection of regional root beer beverages is impressive and I was told that if they don’t happen to have the brand you’re looking for, they can try to find it and bring it in store. They also offer over 400 kinds of bulk and packaged candies like sixletes, which is personally one of my favorite candies, and specialty Albanese Gummi Bears to name a few. They are perfect for corporate and gift orders, and can pretty much customize anything to match from the type of popcorn to the colors, to the tin it goes in.
It was very clear that Randy and his family have created Austin Gourmet Popcorn to be an extension of their passion for putting a smile on someones face. They were sharing that people will come in and see a candy bar that they haven’t seen in decades, and it just brings an appreciation for their shop to a new level. People are able to try new things and get their fix on their old favorites. It’s a place for the young and old to bond over a bag of popcorn and candy. It really is a treat, and I hope you’ll give Randy and his family a hello next time you want to reward yourself with a bag of sweets.
What to order: Order the Zilker Mix, it’s a mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate drizzled over sea salt caramel popcorn. I’ll be honest, I ate the whole bag in one sitting. It was that good!
And be sure to let Austin Gourmet Popcorn know Dine With Shayda sent you, and follow me on Instagram for my daily foodie adventures @DineWithShayda.
