Bye Bye Bakeshop
Popular South Austin eatery ditches bakery, narrows concept, and changes name
Big changes are coming to St. Philip. The Uchi Restaurant Group's south side eatery is getting rid of its bakery to focus solely on pizza, restaurant officials revealed in a press release on Monday.
The bakeshop will be renovated and folded into the rest of the space beginning Tuesday, September 15. The restaurant has also ditched the "Bakeshop" from its name — from here on out it will simply be known as St. Philip Pizza Parlor.
"We've recognized over the past few months at St. Philip that when we narrow our focus, we do our best work," Uchi Restaurant Group President John Baydale said in the press release. "The bakeshop, while delicious and inventive, diverted our attention from our menu in the restaurant and now we can really devote our full energies to the pizza and small plate offerings for lunch, dinner, and brunch."
The shift in focus comes just one year since the Sunset Valley restaurant opened, although that year has been an eventful one. Former Uchiko chef de cuisine Page Presley took over the St. Philip head chef position in February following the resignation of Philip Speer after a much-reported car accident and DWI arrest. Presley has since departed for the upcoming Emmer & Rye restaurant on Rainey Street, while pastry chef Kerstin Bellah has left for Juniper.
St. Philip regulars may have noticed the shift back in August when the restaurant began streamlining its options. The menu originally featured four sections: shared plates, sandwiches, pizza, and meatballs. Now pizza, plates, and salads are the main attractions. Dessert will stick around, but there's no word yet on which of the bakeshop offerings the team will keep on the menu.
