Small restaurant, big impact

One of Austin's best pizzerias closing original location after 7 years

Bufalina is saying goodbye to the east side — for now.

One of Austin's best pizzerias is closing.

Bufalina, purveyor of the city's top Neapolitan pies, is closing its original East Austin location on Sunday, February 28. The restaurant, which is one of those rare spots that is both a neighborhood favorite and tourist destination, posted the news to social media.

"We've had an amazing seven and a half years (!!!) and would like to thank everyone who has helped make our little spot so special: the pizza nerds and wine geeks, our first-timers and regulars, our purveyors and distributors, all our industry friends, the awesome Austin-based food media, all of our employees..." the restaurant wrote. "We had no idea what to expect when we opened our doors in 2013... for many of us, we ended up finding both family and community."

Owner Steven Dilley first opened the East Cesar Chavez restaurant with a relatively no-fuss menu of starters, pizzas, and salads. Though housed in a tiny space, Bufalina quickly garnered big acclaim, including awards for its pizzas and its expertly curated wine list. It has since spawned a Burnet Road location and popular online wine shop, both of which will remain open.

In an interview with the Austin American-Statesman, Dilley confirmed that the building that houses Bufalina and neighboring Peacock, a hair salon, will be demolished to make way for a new development.

And though it's the end of this era of Bufalina, the eatery may not be done with East Austin. In its statement, Bufalina teases that it may be back — and soon.

Until then, fans of the pizzeria have a few more weeks to say goodbye. In anticipation of its final run, the restaurant is currently taking reservations for its outdoor "patio," which was created in its parking lot in reaction to the pandemic. Reservations are going fast and can be made via Tock.

closings pizza east-austin

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.