St. Philip Farewell
Popular Austin restaurant from Uchi group closes without warning

In a surprise announcement on Monday, Uchi Restaurant Group revealed that its South Austin pizza concept, St. Philip, has shuttered. Sunday, November 1, was the last day for the Sunset Valley pizza joint.
The sudden closure comes a little more than a year after the eatery's anticipated opening. St. Philip underwent a concept change in September, ditching the bakery portion of the restaurant in order to focus on pizza and dinner offerings.
The kitchen has also seen its fair share of shuffles. Former Uchiko chef de cuisine Page Presley took over as head chef in February, following the resignation of director of culinary operations, Philip Speer. Presley has since departed to join the team at Emmer & Rye, opening soon on Rainey Street.
"We learned many lessons with St. Philip, made some mistakes, but also realized where our strengths lie," Uchi Restaurant Group President John Baydale said in a press release. "As much as we would like to continue, we believe that our guests and our staff are better served if we close St. Philip and focus on current projects as well as those we have in the pipeline."
Uchi and Uchiko continue to garner national accolades. The restaurant group also recently announced a playful new concept slated for Dallas.