Neighborhood
1417 french bistro
About us
1417 French Bistro is a warm and friendly neighborhood restaurant that embraces the culture of dining at a true French bistro. Owner Allison Welsh curated the desirable restaurant space to feel inviting, yet elevated with modern artwork, mid-century furniture and a lush array of plants. Favorite dishes include our french onion soup, escargot vol au vent, poisson meunière and steak frites.
The cocktail program is a mix of classics like sidecars, sazeracs and daiquiris along with original cocktails that should not be overlooked.
1417 has been featured in Texas Monthly’s Dining Guide and as a top Austin restaurant in Tribeza, Austin American-Statesman, Local Palate, and Uproxx.
Our Team
Owner and Operator,
Allison Welsh
Allison Welsh has been in the hospitality industry for well over a decade. In 2011, she took the leap to move to Austin from Philadelphia because she was drawn to the unique people, the creative energy, the welcoming attitude and the sunshine. She had no game plan and no home lined up, but knew she wanted to start a life in this special city.
After living in a Motel6 for three weeks, she scored a hostess gig with a notable restaurant group in Austin where she worked her way from host, to general manager, to the corporate team within just three years. From there, Allison took a position as General Manager to successfully orchestrate the opening and operations of a fine dining omakase restaurant in downtown Austin. While managing the restaurant, she became increasingly interested in the branding, messaging, design and marketing aspects of the business and decided to take a turn in her career path.
She applied for an internship at Resplendent Hospitality, an Austin-based public relations firm with a focus on hospitality concepts, and she quickly made her way to an Account Executive position in less than two years. During her time at the agency, she had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of Austin’s brightest industry talent including Aviary Wine & Kitchen, Austin Still Whiskey, Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, drink.well and more. Additionally, she took the lead at Resplendent on all event contracts and helped produce TRIBEZA style week in 2017 and esby.apparel's annual “esbyfest” fashion show for three years in a row.
In 2020, an opportunity arose for Allison to join forces with her husband, co-founder of The Far Out Lounge, and she assisted with PR and event planning for the concept. In October of 2021, Far Out investor and friend purchased the original Sway restaurant that is now 1417 French Bistro and brought Allison on as a project manager to assist with the development of the new concept.
Allison has since progressed into part owner, and operator of the business at 1417. She has worked to curate a space for Austinites that is stylish, warm and welcoming from top to bottom - hand-selecting everything from the branding, signage, furniture, light fixtures, menu design, plants, glassware and more. She also collaborates with the team on top-tier service, curating impressive wine lists, and planning exciting events in the space.