Hillside Farmacy’s building dates back to the 1950s when it was known as Hillside Drugstore owned by Doc Young. This first chapter for the building ended in 1970 when the drugstore closed. Now known as one of Austin’s favorite farm-to-table restaurants, it's been lovingly restored in a way that truly honors its past in this new chapter. The team at Hillside Farmacy have not only won a Preservation Austin Awards for their efforts, but in 2019 it was designated as a Texas Historical Landmark. While all these superlatives are outstanding, the most heart warming aspect of it all is that Hillside Farmacy is still owned by members of Doc Young’s family.

One of the things I love about the Austin food scene is the juxtaposition of historic buildings with modern cuisine & beverage concepts housed inside. With Hillside Farmacy’s touching history in mind, I couldn’t wait to try the menu. I started with an oat milk latte while I waited for my friend to arrive. It was the perfect choice to take in the ambience there. When it arrived it not only had the usual latte foam art, but also an adorable brown sugar heart to sweeten it. It was strong, creamy, and exactly what I needed as an introduction to their menu.

I was seated off to the side room known as the Private Dining Room.  It had green banquette seating and marble topped tables decorated with apothecary bottles for the condiments. Despite the rainy skies outside, there was lots of natural light filling the space. The jade color of the booths, the natural wood, and the art deco inspired wallpaper really make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
 
Once my friend arrived, she also ordered an oat milk latte, but opted for iced rather than hot. I took a sip of hers and it was just as delicious as my hot one. We also decided to order a couple of drinks from their soda fountain, a nod to the drugstore era. One of the things that I love about their soda fountain drinks is the customization of having them boozy, virgin, or with CBD. We ordered a Hibiscus Lemonade and Tumeric Ginger soda (lemon, ginger, and black pepper) both with CBD added. They were both refreshing and delicious, but I enjoyed my Hibiscus Lemonade the most.

We then split the Kale Cesar salad and the Farmacy Plate. I always like to check out the menu before going somewhere new, so I had my heart pretty set on trying the Farmacy Plate. Spoiler: It lived up to the hype in my mind! The Kale Cesar comes with tomato, shaved parmesan, and lemon. Our server recommended adding avocado, which really added to the overall flavor of the salad. I love a salad that comes with smaller, heirloom colored tomatoes. Their flavor combined with the lemon brought a delightful tartness to the dish. The Farmacy Plate is perfect for 2-3 people to split. It comes with a hard Texas cheese drizzled with local honey, a house charcuterie, candied pecans, pickled onions, blueberries, strawberries, and crostinis. The house charcuterie was earthy, flavorful, and paired perfectly with the cheese.

I wanted to order the Macaroni & Cheese with pancetta for my entree, but they were out of it the day I went. I opted instead for the grilled cheese and tomato soup while my friend ordered the Fried Egg Sandwich. Mine was a delicious take on a rainy day classic, but my friend definitely won the ordering game with her sandwich! It came open-faced with local greens, avocado, and fried green tomatoes. As someone who grew up on fried green tomatoes, these definitely passed the Southern Grandma Test. They were perfectly sliced & seasoned with a breading that was salty and crispy. All of that paired excellently with the over-medium egg and the toasted bread.

For dessert we split the Campfire Mousse. This was layers of graham cracker crumble and dark chocolate mousse topped with roasted marshmallows presented in a glass flanked with fresh strawberries. This was quite a posh take on a campfire classic that we both thoroughly enjoyed.