Writing a new chapter

West Sixth Italian restaurant adds mini outpost in trendy downtown food hall

Italic Austin restaurant exterior Sixth Street

The Fareground Italic emphasizes approachable Italian fare.

The speculation is over about what will replace the shuttered Antonelli’s Cheese Shop at downtown Austin’s Fareground food hall. On January 9, ELM Restaurant Group announced it was filling the vacancy in-house with a second location of its Italian eatery Italic.

Opening on January 12, the Fareground outpost will be a mini version of the original restaurant. The menu is arranged similarly to the flagship’s lunch menu, with small sections divided by primi (the Italian “first dish” traditionally served after antipasti), pasta, sandwiches, and contorni (sides).

The primi list features the two salads from the group's West Sixth Street outpost, a kale version with Calabrian chiles and sunflower vinaigrette and a chopped with bitter greens, olives, soppressata, and mozzarella. The ever-popular burrata is coming too, along with a new dish of peppers stuffed with yellowfin tuna, red onion, celery, and capers served with aioli.

Those wanting something more substantial can order a sandwiches or a hearty pasta like penne rigate bolognese or lasagna made with Italian sausage and salami. Sides include two more salads, a simple arugula toss with Parmigiano and lemon and fusilli with pepperoncini, cherry tomatoes, and mixed herbs.

The opening of Italic's Fareground stall marks a busy year for ELM. After opening the food hall in January 2018, the group split with Easy Tiger in February. Then in June, it debuted Cookbook Bar & Cafe inside the Austin Central Library with dishes inspired by recipes from acclaimed culinary figures.

And it seems like there won’t soon be a moment to take a deep breath. Among the projects coming in 2019 are locations of 24 Diner at Rock Rose in Domain Northside and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The group also isn’t quite done putting the finishing touches on Fareground. A street level bar designed by Michael Hsu, appropriately named Level Up, is currently under construction in anticipation of a spring opening.

downtown openings

Genuine Surprise

Austin coffee shop announces return immediately after sudden closure

Genuine Joe Coffeehouse/Instagram

Genuine Joe Coffeehouse is now under and optimistic spell.

An Austin coffee shop has experienced a roller coaster over the past week. On October 31, Genuine Joe Coffeehouse announced it would close, but after some community help, it's back on track to stay open with some changes to make the business more stable going forward. One of those seems to be a new location that hasn't been announced yet, according to a social media post.

The original message announcing the closure was posted on Instagram: "Genuine Joe is closed for the foreseeable future," it said. "Yesterday was our last day of business. We are sorry to the community for the short notice- it surprised all of us too."

As Genuine Joe owner Josh Brown explained to KVUE, the property he rented had been sold to build condos in 2021. After that, the coffee shop only had a lease for up to six months at a time. Finally, KVUE reported, a hard demolition date has been set for February.

In the shop's next Instagram post, management thanked fans for their comments and established a GoFundMe page, which they explicitly said would not go toward reopening. "Donations will not go towards reopening, relocating, or any debt incurred by Genuine Joe Coffeehouse. Everything will go to the staff," wrote Leann Tipton, who is listed as the organizer of the fundraiser.

Just days later, another post went up announcing that Genuine Joe would reopen and continue business at the original location — meaning 2001 W. Anderson Ln. According to the post, what was raised from the now-disabled GoFundMe ($7,762) went entirely to staff in limbo.

The most explanation the post offers is that "a few special members of the GJ family" stepped up to help. It does not mention whether the help was financial or otherwise. It also announced some changes: an increase in prices, reduced hours, and fewer non-core offerings — namely, breakfast tacos.

This is, of course, not the whole story. The post promises to share more news later, specifically detailing the demolition and a new location.

Genuine Joe's current hours according to the post at 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and 8 am to 7 pm on weekends. Customers had strong reactions, and it looks like none bemoaned the reasonable changes.

"Crying tears of joy….. my family and friends are going to be so relieved they don’t have to hear me mourn genuine joe on the daily anymore," wrote one commenter. They weren't the only one in tears, if the rest of the comments were any indication.

coffee openings closings