Tasty Tidbits

  • We’re the original Central Market!
  • Our patio and playground at the Cafe is the gathering place for family, friends and co-workers.
  • We’re one of the top tourist destinations in Austin, attracting some 2,000,000 guests each year!

Austin-North Lamar store photo
Austin-North Lamar In the Spotlight


Chocolate Festival

Are you really into chocolate? Have you ever told a ganache-ganache joke? Does death by chocolate sound like a pretty good way to go? Are your four food groups white, dark, milk and semi-sweet?

If the answer’s yes, then bring your sweet tooth to the 5th annual Chocolate Festival at Central Market, February 8-14. Our entire store will be dedicated to the sweet and savory sensations of chocolate. Meet world-famous chocolate makers and sample unforgettable eats like cocoa-dusted cheese and irresistible treats like chocolate breads, browniesand plenty of dippable delights.


~ Live Music ~

Click on the month below to see a full calendar of band listings.

Austin-North Lamar Weekly Specials
Austin-North Lamar Café Menu

(512) 206-1020
Austin-North Lamar Catering
(512) 206-1024
Austin-North Lamar Store Directions
Austin-North Lamar map
Austin-North Lamar Contact Info
4001 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 206-1000
Austin-North Lamar Store Hours
Open 8 am to 10 pm
Austin-North Lamar Café Hours
7 am to 9 pm Sunday - Thursday
7 am to 10 pm Friday - Saturday
Event Calendar

Live Music: Warren and Marshall Hood

Thursday, February 2, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Warren Hood is an accomplished musician who composes, sings and plays violin, fiddle and mandolin. He lives in Austin and performs with his local band, Warren Hood and the Hoodlums, in a blend of jazz, blues and newgrass Americana. Marshal Hood is Warren's cousin, an equally talented songwriter and guitarist for the band The Belleville Outfit.

Live Music: Cienfuegos

Friday, February 3, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Cienfuegos performs a diverse array of Latin genres with a focus on traditional Cuban styles such as son, bolero, guajira and cha-cha.

Live Music: Marshall Ford Swing Band

Saturday, February 4, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
The Marshall Ford Swing Band is a rotating lineup of young musicians from the Texas Hill Country who combine traditional western swing with be-bop jazz and Texas blues. Drawing inspiration from artists as diverse as Nat King Cole, Bob Wills, T-Bone Walker, Django Reinhardt and Johnny Gimble, the band plays music that can swing a dance floor into a full-tilt boogie.

Chocolate Festival: MOO Chocolate

Thursday, February 9, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Join founder Jackie Ekholm at this in-store demonstration as she shares her story and passes out samples of her delicious chocolates filled with ingredients like graham crackers and corn flakes.

Live Music: Morena Soul

Thursday, February 9, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Morena Soul is a band envisioned and created by singer Sarah Altoé, guitarist-songwriter Frank Almendra and percussionist Mike Longoria. They bring a variety of Brazilian beats to their own creative light and treat them with modern arrangements and plenty of musicality. Sarah was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. From Rio's warm beaches Sarah brings the smoothness in her voice, and from Rio's suburbs and tumultuous hills she carries the power of the samba on her feet.

Chocolate Festival: Pure Dark Chocolate

Friday, February 10, 11:00 - 2:00 PM
Join chef Jason Caslow at this in-store demonstration as he shares his story and passes out samples of his artisan chocolate.

Live Music: Dustin Welch

Friday, February 10, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Odds are most people familiar with Dustin Welch's background — his dad is acclaimed writer-performer Kevin Welch — probably thought Welch's debut album would aim for the center of the singer-songwriter market. No way. Backed by his regular band of young Austin hardcases, Welch's Whisky Priest has all the muscle of a band of vikings on a raid.

Chocolate Festival: Askinosie Chocolate

Saturday, February 11, 12:00 - 4:00 PM
Join founder Shawn Askinosie at this in-store demonstration as he shares his story and passes out samples of his award-winning chocolate.

Chocolate Festival: Xan Confection

Saturday, February 11, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Join chocolatier Lauren McCusker at this in-store demonstration as she shares her story and passes out sample of her delicious confections.

Live Music: BettySoo

Saturday, February 11, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
BettySoo is an Asian-American singer-songwriter with a large voice and an even larger musical spirit. She’s rooted in the folk-rock world, but expect a little gospel, straight-ahead folk and a bit of twang in her performances too. The Kerrville New Folk winner deserves a listen.

Chocolate Festival: Bissinger’s

Sunday, February 12, 12:00 - 3:00 PM
Join chief chocolatier Dave Owens at this in-store demonstration as he shares his story and passes out samples of his delicious chocolates.

Chocolate Festival: Patric Chocolate

Sunday, February 12, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Join founder Alan McClure at this in-store demonstration as he shares his story and passes out samples of his award-winning chocolate.

Chocolate Festival: Knipschildt Chocolatier and Café Chocopologie

Monday, February 13, 12:00 - 3:00 PM
Join owner Fritz Knipschildt at this in-store demonstration as he shares his story and passes out samples of his one-of-a-kind artisan chocolates.

Live Music: Guy Forsyth (solo)

Thursday, February 16, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Guy Forsyth is an amazing, one-of-a kind, "Keep Austin Weird" performer. His dazzling live shows are a rugged dusty journey along the Americana, folk, rock, country, early jazz, Tin Pan Alley landscape. His powerful vocal ability, along with his mastery of numerous instruments, has earned him a spot as one of Austin's best.

Live Music: East End Arcadians

Friday, February 17, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Hot jazz lead by Weston from the White Ghost Shivers.

Pre Mardi Gras Party With Charles Thibodeaux and the Austin Cajun Aces

Saturday, February 18, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
The Austin Cajun Aces has that authentic Cajun dance sound. Their repertoire comprises many of the older songs of Iry LeJeune, Nathan Abshire, Dewey Balfa, Lawrence Walker, Amadee Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Andrew Cormier and many other Cajun and Creole masters. You are sure to “Pass a Good Time” when you come out and enjoy their music.

Live Music: Ava Arenella

Thursday, February 23, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Ava Arenella loves nothing more than singing jazz. Although the songs she sings are considered standards, her performances are anything but. Her singing is both nostalgic and sincere. She brings the music to life with a style that is reminiscent and refreshing.

Live Music: The Texas Eastside Kings

Friday, February 24, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
This band is a Central Market mainstay. The soul, heart-felt emotion and talent this group brings is why they have been the back-up band for T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Amos Milburn, Guitar Slim and Lightnin' Hopkins. They are a storybook of Texas African-American blues history.

Live Music: Alice Spencer and the Rubber Band

Saturday, February 25, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Alice Spencer is back! She's a songwriter, singer and pianist from Austin. Her past projects include Three Merry Widows (St. Louis), The Geyer Street Sheiks (St. Louis), The Barkers (Austin) and Victrola (Austin). The band perform jazz and blues from the 1920s and '30s as well as original material.