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.

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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.

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