Greater Austin’s First Kids Empire, Piada Italian Street Food Coming to Stone Hill Town Center in Pflugerville
Stone Hill Town Center is preparing to fill in some of its last remaining open space, and the final phase will bring a new mix of family entertainment, restaurants and outdoor gathering space to one of Pflugerville’s busiest shopping destinations.
Houston-based NewQuest announced Aug. 24 that the final development phase of the roughly 1-million-square-foot Stone Hill Town Center will include Greater Austin’s first Kids Empire indoor playground, approximately 12,000 square feet of new restaurant and retail space, and a shaded pocket park near the shopping center’s Cinemark theater.
Kids Empire is tentatively expected to open in late 2027.
At the same time, three restaurants already under development at Stone Hill — Piada Italian Street Food, Hopdoddy and CAVA — are expected to open by the end of 2026, giving Pflugerville residents several additions to watch over the coming months.
Kids Empire plans first Austin-area indoor playground at Stone Hill
Kids Empire has leased space next to Stone Hill’s nine-screen Cinemark, positioning the indoor playground in the heart of an entertainment and retail cluster that already includes Taroko Sports, Lucky Claw Mania and numerous family-oriented restaurants and stores.
NewQuest’s current Stone Hill leasing plan identifies Kids Empire in the Cinemark section of the property, alongside additional space intended for future tenants.
“Young families are the driving force for Stone Hill’s trade area, which has a median age of 35,” NewQuest Leasing Director and Senior Vice President Josh Friedlander said. “Kids Empire is a good match for the demographic and our strong line-up of family-oriented attractions.”
Kids Empire was founded in California by Blandine and Haim Elbaz, who developed the concept with their three children after seeing a need for larger, modern indoor spaces where families could play together. The first location opened in South Gate, California, in 2016, and the company had expanded to more than 100 U.S. locations by 2025. NewQuest says the chain has since grown to more than 120 playgrounds in 30 states, including 14 in Texas.
The concept is built primarily for children ages 1 to 12, with attractions that can include multi-level mazes, slides, ball pits, climbing areas, obstacle-style play structures, dance floors and dedicated toddler areas. Admission at existing locations typically covers all-day play with same-day reentry.
Kids Empire is not a restaurant, but its locations do offer a snack bar and a selection of kid-friendly snacks and drinks. Outside food and beverages are generally restricted during regular visits, although families can leave for a meal and return under the company’s all-day reentry policy.
The company also specializes in birthday parties, school field trips and group outings, giving the future Pflugerville location a role beyond everyday indoor play.
Final Stone Hill phase will add restaurants, retail and green space
Kids Empire will be part of a broader build-out around Cinemark.
According to NewQuest, the company is targeting open areas beside the theater for the final expansion. Two additional buildings are planned on the opposite side of Kids Empire, with shaded green space connecting the new development.
The developer plans approximately 12,000 square feet of new restaurant and retail space in the phase.
“Restaurant sales are extremely strong at Stone Hill so we’re making room for more,” Friedlander said.
Concept renderings included with NewQuest’s Stone Hill materials show the new area taking on a more pedestrian-oriented appearance, with storefronts facing landscaped gathering areas, outdoor seating, decorative lighting and connections between the new buildings and Cinemark.
The approach represents something of a finishing touch for a center that has gradually evolved from a large-format retail destination into a broader dining, entertainment, service and shopping district.
Piada Italian Street Food will make its Austin-area debut
Before Kids Empire opens, another first for the Austin area is expected to arrive at Stone Hill.
Piada Italian Street Food has leased a 2,450-square-foot end-cap space near the FM 685 entrance and is expected to open by the end of 2026. NewQuest’s site plan places Piada in the restaurant-heavy portion of the center alongside businesses including CAVA, Hopdoddy, Wingstop, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Crumbl Cookies and Torchy’s Tacos.
Piada traces its beginnings to a trip to Rimini, Italy, where founder Chris Doody was inspired by street vendors serving thin Italian flatbreads filled with meats, cheeses and vegetables. The concept was reportedly first sketched on a napkin before the inaugural Piada restaurant opened in 2010.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the fast-casual company reported 62 locations across seven states as of June 2026, including a growing Texas presence.
The restaurant’s namesake piada is a thin flatbread made with wheat flour, sea salt, water and extra virgin olive oil, cooked on a stone grill and rolled around fillings. Guests can also order pasta bowls and chopped salads, with proteins such as grilled chicken, crispy chicken, Italian sausage, steak, grass-fed meatballs and salmon.
The menu ranges from an Avocado Piada with pancetta, arugula, mozzarella, avocado and basil aioli to pasta, grain bowls and salads that can be customized with vegetables, cheeses, sauces and dressings. Sides include Piada Sticks, garlic dough, lobster bisque, meatballs and cannoli chips, while the children’s menu includes chicken fingers, pasta and meatballs.
One feature that distinguishes the chain is its open-kitchen, chef-led format. Piada says each restaurant is run by a chef rather than a traditional restaurant manager, with meals assembled to order in front of customers.
The Pflugerville restaurant will occupy an end cap at Stone Hill’s FM 685 entrance, which NewQuest says handles traffic from roughly 30,000 vehicles per day entering the development.
CAVA and Hopdoddy are also on the way
Piada will not be arriving alone.
CAVA, the Mediterranean fast-casual chain, is developing a 2,625-square-foot restaurant, while Austin-born Hopdoddy Burger Bar is taking 3,375 square feet at Stone Hill. Both are planned along Limestone Commercial Drive. The Stone Hill site plan confirms the planned spaces for all three restaurants.
All three are expected to open by the end of 2026.
Together, they will add to an unusually large dining lineup already spread along the TX 130 side of the center. Current restaurants and food businesses include Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, Whataburger, MOD Pizza, Panera Bread, Gen Korean BBQ, Shogun Japanese Grill & Sushi, Chicken Salad Chick, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Andy’s Frozen Custard, Duck Donuts and others.
Stone Hill has grown into one of Texas’ most-visited shopping centers
Located at the southwest corner of SH 130 and SH 45 in Pflugerville, Stone Hill Town Center is anchored by Target and includes a broad mix of retail, dining, medical, fitness and entertainment businesses. NewQuest markets the property as one of the Austin area’s five largest shopping centers.
Among its major tenants are Target, Home Depot, At Home, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Ross, Havertys, Office Depot, Petco, Ulta Beauty, Daiso, Five Below, Cowboys Fit and Cinemark.
NewQuest says the center is now nearly 99% leased, helping explain why the developer is turning to undeveloped pockets of the property rather than relying on existing vacancies for expansion.
Stone Hill also sits in the middle of substantial residential growth. NewQuest’s market study identifies 3,624 future housing units in the trade area and more than 500 annual home starts, while the center draws from Pflugerville, Round Rock, Hutto and surrounding portions of northeast Greater Austin.
Placer.ai data cited by NewQuest ranks Stone Hill among the 15 most-visited shopping centers in Texas and No. 2 among shopping centers within 50 miles.
“We have more than a dozen anchors to help draw traffic,” Friedlander said. “New-to-market tenants, or even to Texas, want to be in Stone Hill, but we rarely have vacancies.”
That demand apparently extended to Kids Empire. Friedlander said multiple operators competed for the future playground space before Kids Empire secured it following about six months of negotiations.
What’s next for Stone Hill Town Center?
For residents, Stone Hill’s final development phase will unfold in two stages.
The more immediate changes will come from Piada, CAVA and Hopdoddy, all targeted for openings before the end of 2026.
Kids Empire and the surrounding final-phase construction will take longer, with the indoor playground tentatively scheduled for late 2027 and additional restaurants and retailers still to be announced.
Once complete, the project will close out much of the remaining developable space at a shopping center that has grown alongside Pflugerville itself — adding a family-focused indoor attraction, more places to eat and a shaded outdoor space designed to tie the final pieces of Stone Hill together.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.