Nestled amongst the leafy oaks and Hyde Parks homes sits Tiny Grocer and its

adjacent outdoor restaurant, Bureau de Post. With a nod and wink to the United

States Post Office that formerly occupied the space, owner and founder Steph

Steele reminisces, “I named the restaurant post office (‘in French since I love French

bistro food and that’s what is served here’). She moved to Austin from the Bay Area

and began Tiny Grocer on Congress about four years ago but quickly realized that

what was missing was an outdoor space for the community to gather and say hi to

neighbors and people one knows.”

“When the opportunity arose to get this space, I took a leap of faith and dove head

in, just like years ago when I left Whole Foods after growing up and learning

​everything there was to know about being a buyer in the grocery business for over

twenty years,” admits the fearless Steele. She started in 1995 when Whole Foods

had 70 stores, which felt like a fantastic amount, but it offered opportunities to

grow. She loves delis. She started in the deli department and loved making

sandwiches. {Pastrami is her favorite deli meat}.

She admits, “Austin doesn’t understand a deli. New York does, and S.F. does, but I

want to help them understand it, which is why I do this.” The menu is her favorite

things, and “if I’m going to be in a place most of the day, it should have my favorite

items, such as pastrami, french dip, ham and cheese croissants out of our day old

croissants that puff up beautifully when reheated.” Their deli counter has East

Coast favorites you won’t typically find, such as shrimp salad, smoked trout salad, a

Waldorf salad, egg salad, multi-colored beet salad with chevré, macaroni salad, and

breakfast bacon, egg, and cheese made with homemade buttermilk biscuits, plus

some outrageously delicious empanadas.

Like typical delis on the East Coast, you’ll find warm food such as breakfast omelets,

lunch soups, and sandwiches.

Everything goes beyond food procurement. Steele eventually rose in position at

Whole Foods to become the food buyer for HQ in Austin and opened up Whole

Foods near the Arboretum. The company was growing far more prominent than its

original mission, with Amazon purchasing heading its way. Fortuitously, Steele saw

the writing on the wall and left before the merger happened. She wanted to get

back to what she loved most about her original job, “to find local purveyors and

help promote their brands at the initial stages of their development before they go

​statewide or national. Working closely with the CPG community is a labor of love,

and it’s my joy to help them get their products on our tiny shelves.”

A typical grocery store has nine departments. Steele made all those departments in

Tiny Grocer’s small setting. She used the example of mustard. In a supermarket,

‘there are four feet of mustard, but who needs that? She curates one brand per

type of mustard: Dijon, yellow, whole grain, and horseradish, which we sell.’

In addition to canned and frozen food products, Tiny Grocer sells fresh perishables

like arugula (all fresh products are from local purveyors). Another section features

high-end housewares, tableware, kitchenware, beauty, and home products, which

sets Tiny Grocer apart.

She explained one of the significant differences between being an employee and an

entrepreneur, which is to be eternally curious. This is why her concept for a French

bistro restaurant works very well. Although Austin has seen a couple of good

French restaurants, The Bureau de Post Dinner stands out for its quality and

ambiance. It serves classic bistro favorites like beef tartare, French onion soup,

escargot for starters, steak frites, moules et frites, ratatouille, and duck leg

cassoulet for main. They have an extensive French wine list and serve dinner

indoors adjacent to the coffee bar, deli counter and outdoors under the covered

white canvas tarp.

Reserve your table at

Open Monday – Sunday from 5:00 – 9:00 pm

Open for brunch on weekends from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

By Elise Krentzel

Elise Krentzel is the author of the bestselling memoir Under My Skin - Drama, Trauma & Rock 'n' Roll, a ghostwriter, book coach to professionals who want to write their memoir, how-to or management book or fiction, and contributing author to several travel books and series. Elise has written about art, food, culture, music, and travel in magazines and blogs worldwide for most of her life, and was formerly the Tokyo Bureau Chief of Billboard Magazine. For 25 years, she lived overseas in five countries and now calls Austin, TX, her home. Find her at https://elisekrentzel.com, FB: @OfficiallyElise, Instagram: @elisekrentzel, LI: linkedin.com/in/elisekrentzel.