On September 30, a KXAN crew filmed Northline, the development next to the CapMetro Leander Station, and showed it still under construction. The same report described a 30,000-square-foot Asian marketplace planned for the site, with construction expected to start in 2027 and businesses expected to open in 2028. Northline's renderings show a town square and a pedestrian plaza.
Those renderings describe a future downtown. The new places that have actually opened in Leander this year are a few miles south, along US 183 near Hero Way. For now, that strip of shopping centers and pad sites is Leander's new dining district, and the calendar suggests it will stay that way through at least 2027.
Southbrook Station Filled In First
Southbrook Station sits at 4615 US 183. Its developer, Endeavor Real Estate Group, places it northwest of US 183 and Metro Drive, one traffic light north of H-E-B Plus. The City of Leander places it at US 183 and South Brook Drive, just north of the Hero Way intersection. Community Impact describes it as a three-building retail and office development.
Most of its first wave arrived in 2025:
- Einstein Bros. Bagels and Smoothie King opened March 11.
- CAVA opened April 11, and Firehouse Subs followed April 30.
- Crust Pizza Co. opened September 20, and Shipley Do-Nuts opened September 26.
In 2026 the center added two restaurants with menus that are harder to find in this part of Williamson County. Atomic Wings opened July 15 at 144 South Brook Drive, Ste. 130. It serves wings, fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, tenders, loaded fries and fried Oreos, and the menu is halal-friendly. The chain started in Buffalo, New York, in 1989.
Limegreen Southeast Asian Grill soft-opened August 13 across the street at 145 South Brook Drive, Ste. 120. The family-owned restaurant builds customizable banh mi and bowls and offers dine-in, mobile ordering, takeout and catering.
Endeavor's property page says it is leasing the final spaces, so Southbrook is close to full. The next round of growth is moving one road over.
Hero Way Is Adding Places to Spend an Evening
Southbrook's tenants are mostly quick lunch and breakfast stops. Hero Way's newest arrivals are a different kind of business.
The corridor's first named strip center, Hero Way Crossing off Hero Way West, opened over the winter. Advance Auto Parts opened December 4, 2025, Jersey Mike's opened December 31, and Layne's Chicken Fingers held its grand opening January 24, 2026. Little Beijing opened April 23 at 12621 W. Hero Way, Ste. B, No. 106. Vanta Beauty Lounge, a salon run by James Parker, who specializes in blond and vivid color, opened August 21 at 11620 Hero Way W.
In late July, a Tim Hortons representative said the location at 1561 Hero Way, Ste. 100, planned an August 15 soft opening and a September grand opening. We could not find a later report confirming that either one took place. A second Leander Tim Hortons is planned on Ronald Reagan Boulevard and has no set date.
The projects still on the calendar between now and early 2027 lean toward evenings and weekends:
- Crunch Fitness, 1060 Hero Way, Bldg. 4. The planned 45,000-square-foot gym near the H-E-B Plus intersection includes childcare and is targeting fall 2026. As of today, Crunch's own Leander page still describes the location as under construction.
- Wren's Landing, 1561 Hero Way, Ste. 120. This board game café and bar, at the same address as the Hero Way Tim Hortons, plans to open in December. Co-founders Charles and Mindy Carlson named it after Wren's Cafe, where they had their first date in 1996. Charles describes it as a place "for people to unplug and connect over something besides just drinking."
- Back Nine Golf, 11700 Hero Way W., Ste. 160. This indoor golf franchise will be open 24 hours a day, sells individual memberships and corporate packages, and is targeting winter 2026.
- Wingstop, 1060 Hero Way, Ste. 220. State filings show construction starting November 28 and finishing in March 2027. The opening date is still to be determined.
A 24-hour golf simulator, a board game bar and a large gym with childcare are the kinds of businesses a planned town square usually draws. On the current schedule, all three are going to Hero Way.
Ronald Reagan and Chitalpa Are Filling In Too
The US 183 corridor has the densest cluster of openings, but not all of them. Several of this year's more personal, owner-driven restaurant openings are on the west side along Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
The Pulao Company opened July 8 at 13920 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Ste. 100, serving South Indian food. The restaurant's own site lists the Leander location as now open.
Dough It Up is expected to open its second location at 15609 Ronald Reagan Blvd. later this fall. Owner Mimoza Hajmeli makes the meatballs, focaccia, sauces, dressings and pasta in-house, and the lasagna follows the Emilia-Romagna style of her home region, with béchamel and no ricotta. The wines all come from Italy. The Cedar Park location holds a wine dinner on the third Wednesday of each month, with four wines and four dishes for $55 per person. Hajmeli's summary of the Leander plan is "Same thing, same price, same concept." The Cedar Park restaurant marks its first anniversary October 25.
Near Bryson, 401 S. Chitalpa St. now has two new strength gyms. Liberty Bells, a kettlebell-focused gym in Unit 720, opened in mid-September. Broken Walls CrossFit opened September 21 in Unit 350.
The Fall Scorecard
| Place | Location | Status as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Wings | 144 South Brook Dr., Southbrook Station | Open since July 15 |
| Limegreen Southeast Asian Grill | 145 South Brook Dr., Southbrook Station | Open since Aug. 13 |
| Little Beijing | 12621 W. Hero Way | Open since April 23 |
| Vanta Beauty Lounge | 11620 Hero Way W. | Open since Aug. 21 |
| The Pulao Company | 13920 Ronald Reagan Blvd. | Open since July 8 |
| Liberty Bells | 401 S. Chitalpa St. | Open since mid-September |
| Broken Walls CrossFit | 401 Chitalpa St. | Open since Sept. 21 |
| Tim Hortons | 1561 Hero Way | August soft opening planned, not confirmed |
| Crunch Fitness | 1060 Hero Way | Targeting fall 2026 |
| Dough It Up | 15609 Ronald Reagan Blvd. | Later this fall |
| Wren's Landing | 1561 Hero Way | December 2026 |
| Back Nine Golf | 11700 Hero Way W. | Winter 2026 |
| Wingstop | 1060 Hero Way | Construction through March 2027 |
What Northline's Own Timeline Says
Northline is meant to become Leander's town square, with civic space, retail anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market, apartments, townhomes, offices and healthcare. The development's website describes a future park, stage, promenade, fitness lawn and play areas, and its first apartments and townhomes are already finished. In February, the City of Leander said the first retail phase was under construction.
None of the announced restaurants has a confirmed opening yet. Their filings give construction milestones:
- Piada Italian Street Food, 516 E. San Gabriel Pkwy., Ste. 110. The city projected construction from July through September 2026 and said opening details would come later.
- Pepper Lunch, 516 E. San Gabriel Pkwy., Ste. 130. The company is aiming for late 2026.
- Tacodeli, 408 E. San Gabriel Pkwy., Ste. 110. Construction completion is anticipated in November 2026.
- 7 Brew, Leander's second location, near Northline at 10281 183A Toll Frontage Road. Construction runs September through November, and the opening date is to be determined.
- Ike's Love & Sandwiches, 10209 183A Toll Frontage Road, Ste. 130. Construction is expected to finish December 30.
- Shake Shack, 10209 183A Toll Frontage Road. The city listed a September 7, 2026 start and a February 8, 2027 completion.
- Aubergine Kitchen, 508 E. San Gabriel Pkwy., Ste. 110. The restaurant cooks without seed oils or added sugar and is targeting spring 2027.
- Sprouts Farmers Market, a 25,000-square-foot store, was reported in May 2025 as expected in 2027.
- The Asian marketplace. Construction is expected in 2027 and businesses in 2028. Developers say the original Koreatown concept has grown to include Korean, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian businesses. Partners' Chris Price listed sushi, dumplings, Korean barbecue, Korean fried chicken and bao as possibilities.
That timeline means Northline's first restaurants could start opening over the winter, its grocery anchor is a 2027 story, and its signature marketplace is a 2028 story. Over the same period, Hero Way should add a board game bar, an indoor golf venue, a large gym and another wing restaurant. For anyone choosing a weeknight dinner or planning a weekend between now and spring, most of the new options are near the US 183 and Hero Way intersection.
Brian and Marianne Schaffer follow new openings like these closely, because when you're thinking about a move, where you'll eat and spend your free time matters as much as the house itself. If you'd like to know what a new restaurant, gym or town square could mean for your corner of Leander, the team at Brian & Marianne Schaffer is happy to talk it through. Contact Us.
