What Happened to Hoover's Cooking After Food Paradise? (Austin, TX)
Food Paradise, Season 9 Austin, Texas Closed May 2026
Current status
As of October 2026, Hoover's Cooking has closed — confirmed via kxan.com, March 19, 2026.
What the source shows: KXAN and CultureMap Austin both reported owner Hoover Alexander's March 2026 announcement that the restaurant would close permanently on May 31, 2026. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 9, Episode 5
- Address 2002 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
- Website hooverscooking.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Food Paradise?
The episode featured Hoover's Cooking for its Texas comfort-food menu, including its fried chicken and smoked plates, served at the restaurant's longtime home on Manor Road in East Austin. Owner Hoover Alexander opened the restaurant in 1998 and built it into a nearly three-decade fixture of the neighborhood. According to KXAN, Alexander announced on 2026-03-19 that he would close the restaurant, citing pandemic-era sales that never fully recovered, staffing challenges, and a desire for better work-life balance. CultureMap Austin reported that Alexander said 'the time for me to transition is now' in explaining the decision, and that the last day of service was set for 2026-05-31. Alexander said he was not fully retiring and planned a citywide celebration for June 15, 2026, saying 'the brand, spirit, and community' would carry on in some new form.
The episode
Also in Season 9
Season 9: 70 of 100 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
- Open
-
Ep 5Biscuit Head
Open - New owners
-
Ep 5Hot Suppa!
New owners -
Ep 5Lunch.Supper!
Open - Open
- Open
- Relocated
Nearest open restaurants
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Food Paradise
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Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
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Food Paradise
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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- kxan.com https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/hoovers-cooking-to-close-after-decades-as-owner-retires/
- austin.culturemap.com https://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/alexander-hoover-hoovers-cooking-closing/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record fp-0581 · checked by Cal Marchetti.