‘Super-vibey’ Australian mini golf bar Holey Moley opening in old Native Hostel space

Matthew Odam, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

If you thought a boutique hostel was a wild idea for a warehouse-style space in East Austin six years ago, hold onto your sun visor.

Australian company Funlab, seemingly looking to capitalize on Austin’s wealth of bachelor(ette) parties and game-loving young boozers, is planning to open putt putt golf-bar wonderland Holey Moley in the former Native space at 807 E. Fourth St. in November, the company announced in a May release.

The company, which opened its first course Down Under in 2016, says that Holey Moley “will feature super-vibey, multi-sensory experiences and new, iconic pop-culture themes woven into the golf holes.”

“Holey Moley takes the familiar and beloved mini golf concept and transforms it into an immersive world of fun, delicious bites, specialty Instagrammable cocktails and real-life connections,” the release, which calls the employees Holey Moley “Motherfunners,” continues.

Funlab operates 42 other venues a fast-growing success in Australia and New Zealand and will be opening/taking over existing golftainment locations in Denver and San Francisco.

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Native, which at been much quieter in recent years as a bar and incubator space than in its pre-pandemic years as a hip hostel, closed recently and its restaurant tenants have either moved on or sit in limbo. The future of Native’s smallest but most notable tenant, intimate 8-seat omakase sushi restaurant Toshokan, is in flux. Co-owner C.K. Chin, who was a partner in Native and runs the restaurant with chef-owner Saine Wong, says Toshokan is booked for July and he hopes to continue operations ”for as long as possible.”

Toshokan is an intimate sushi bar located inside the former Native building on East Fourth Street.
Toshokan is an intimate sushi bar located inside the former Native building on East Fourth Street.

Tiny Diner, the Japanese breakfast counter from chef Dominic Candy that made our recent list of best breakfasts in Austin, closed earlier this month.

Candy, a veteran of Olamaie and Otoko, wrote in a June 5 Instagram post that he plans to reopen in another location and thanked the cooks and restaurants that had both helped out along the way and hosted pop-ups in the space.

Excellent taco truck La Santa Barbacha also closed in early June and soft opened at its new location at 2806 Manor Road last week.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ‘Super-vibey’ mini golf bar Holey Moley opening in East Austin