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Fine Dining on Madison St.
TNT Restaurant Adds to Community Transformation in Austin
TNT Rooftop Restaurant is a whole vibe. Located at 5405 W. Madison St, the establishment provides much needed upscale dining in the Austin community. A place to enjoy a cozy, intimate atmosphere while smooth jazzy tunes play in the background. It has a very modern but classy décor that feels very West Loopish.
Shakela has served as the manager of the restaurant since its opening in December. “I’ve been in the service industry for over 25 years, so just to work with people who are really passionate, they are really hands-on people, were not a big corporation everything is self-owned, but they care. They don’t mind doing dishes or waiting tables you know what I’m saying?”
The restaurant has a bar area, a dining area and additional private dining room that is also used for seating when it’s not reserved. As the name implies it also includes a rooftop area with a separate a bar and grill that will officially open in June.
The Owners Vision
Anthony Anderson is a lifelong Austin resident. He and his wife Tanika purchased and renovated the property, which was previously a cleaners, with the purpose of opening a clothing boutique. They ended up creating three separate businesses in
the space that include TNT Restaurant, an event space and a clothing boutique, Dressed 1213. They are both very hands-on and involved in every aspect of the renovation and running the businesses. The waitstaff is very professional and attentive and they help to create a overall pleasant environment. Shakela added, “This is a
really good staff. They’re fun to be around It’s very rare when you enjoy going to work, but I actually don’t mind coming to work because these 6-7 hours that I’m here they fly by. We’ve created an atmosphere here where everyone is like family. We
have Venezuelan migrants who work here, and they are just as much family as everyone else.”
Creating Positive Change
Being from the area, Anthony and Tanika wanted to create a business that allowed them to connect with the community. The couple had lived in Miami for a while, so they developed the idea to create a rooftop venue. Tony mentioned, “We wanted to put something in the community that would be impactful and sort of
give back to the community to the teenagers and young kids and what not. It’s a lot of people who don’t get to travel outside the neighborhood which means they don’t get to experience some of these other environments and upscale restaurants. I’ve been in the Austin community my whole life for the most part you know
what I mean, and nothing has really changed around here so we wanted to do something that would help provide more exposure.”
As a person very familiar with the area, I couldn’t help but notice the current transformation taking place. There’s a nice tranquil garden/park next door, the construction of the Aspire center at Madison and Laramie and I’m enjoying a sit-down meal in an upscale restaurant looking out onto Madison St. in the Austin community. A win for TNT Restaurant equals a win for the community!!
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The Food Tho
As far as the food, the main courses include Filet Mignon, Bone n Ribeye, Lamb Chops, Blackened Salmon, and more. They also offer a great choice of appetizers and sides from Buffalo shrimp, TNT wings, asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. I ordered the Seafood Bites (fried lobster, salmon, shrimp) and Buffalo Shrimp and it was all fire!!
For safety purposes the restaurant’s policy is that everyone must be wanned before allowed to enter so be prepared. Also, for weekends it may be a good idea to make reservations in advance because it may get crowded.