Bow & Arrow, a South Texas-style smokehouse with Mexican influences, opened in Auburn, Alabama, in 2018. Chef and owner David Bancroft (who’s also behind Acre in the same city) is preparing to open a second location, this time going bigger in both footprint and scope.
The new location is slated to open in mid-Augustand will feature the adjacent Bluebonnet Market, a new concept that is designed to be a self-contained destination for grab-and-go items and also function as a waiting area for Bow & Arrow.
Bancroft grew up in the Texas Hill Country and brings some of those influences to the menu. Meats are slow-smoked or grilled over live fire using post oak and pecan wood, and there’s a balance of barbecue and Tex-Mex — Bancroft likes to call it “BBQ Mex.”
Appetizers include dishes like smoked and fried chicken wings, goat cheese guacamole, “cool ranch” tots, brisket nachos, and a Tejano crunchy tostada.
There’s an assortment of smoked meats, like brisket, ribs, turkey, pulled pork, and jalapeño-cheddar sausage, plus Southern and Tex-Mex-inspired sides, such as hash brown casserole, mac & cheese, collard greens, and borracho beans. The menu also includes enchiladas, fajitas, soft tacos, burritos, pulled pork sandwiches, and a smashed burger. Fresh flour tortillas are made to order, using a tortilla press visible from the main dining room.
The bar pours beer and cocktails, including more than a dozen Margarita variations, and stocks lots of whiskeys and agave spirits. A couple featured drinks are the Cucumber Mojito and Jalapeño Salty Dog, and guests can also customize their own Mule.
The new restaurant seats 240 guests across two floors, with spacious booths and banquettes designed for groups and families. The upstairs level has additional seats, its own bar, and dedicated event space.
David Bancroft is also behind Acre restaurant in Auburn. | Andrew Murray
The attached Bluebonnet Market is part grab-and-go venue, part cabana bar, and part lounge, where guests can relax while they wait for a seat at Bow & Arrow. There are snacks like chips and queso and freshly made jerky, plus cases of take-and-bake items like pimiento cheese, enchilada pans, taco kits, peanut butter pie, and banana pudding. Shelves are stocked with some merchandise, too, like hats, bottled spice rubs, and barbecue sauces, and other locally made products from regional farmers and purveyors, including honey, grits, and jam.
“When we renovated the building, we had the opportunity to activate an adjoining space, and it felt like the perfect place to blend several concepts into one,” Bancroft said. “It gave us a chance to bring together all the greatest hits from Acre and Bow & Arrow and make them even more accessible to our guests.”
Bancroft likes operating in Auburn and notes that international cuisines from Korean to German are shaping the city’s growing dining scene. He said that it’s “a much more vibrant culinary landscape than the traditional college-town food people might expect. What makes it even more special is that we’re surrounded by incredible regional resources — local farmers, shepherds, Gulf Coast fishermen, and oystermen — all providing an extraordinary abundance of ingredients right in our backyard.”
As the dual concept prepares to open, Bancroft is hard at work but still looking ahead at what’s next.
“If these two Bow & Arrow locations can thrive together in the same market, we’ll feel confident taking the concept beyond Auburn,” he said. “This is our ultimate proving ground, and we’re optimistic that Bow & Arrow has the potential to travel well beyond Alabama.”
Acre, which opened in 2013, is getting a refresh, with updated menus, dining room, and decor.
“We’re breathing new life into the restaurant as we transition into its next decade,” he said.
