Lamination Station

New bakery brings artful croissants and more to downtown Austin

Austin is about to be a flakier town.

Photo by Richard Casteel, Dandelion Gatherings

A new bakery from the hospitality group behind ATX Cocina, Bulevar Mexican Kitchen, and Salty Sow is all about technique. Sugarwolf, which also includes a coffee bar and kitchen, will open May 5 at 401 W. 4th St. #120, adjacent to the south side of Republic Square.

A press release positions Sugarwolf as a place for "doing simple things well." Baker Conor Smith, an expert with laminated dough, will lead the bakery program, where guests can expect croissants, sourdough loaves, cookies, and seasonal pastries. In addition to the baked goods, there will also be sandwiches and salads.

Photo previews from Smith and Sugarwolf show off creative bakes like pinwheel-shaped chocolate croissants — not pain au chocolat, which is also on the menu, but a much harder-to-find chocolate dough — and a lemon poppy cake croissant with diplomat cream and mango. Other options include morning buns, cinnamon rolls, French onion danishes, egg tarts, Kouign-amanns, and more.

Sugarwolf pastries Sugarwolf will serve both savory and sweet bakes.Photo by Richard Casteel, Dandelion Gatherings

The full menu is not yet available, but the release emphasizes that it will revolve around organic flours, whole ingredients, and natural fermentation with no seed oils. It also promises "thoughtful sourcing" in both the bakery and coffee programs.

“Everything comes back to ingredients and technique,” said chef-partner Kevin Taylor, also of ATX Cocina and Bulevar, in the release. “If you start there, you don’t have to do too much. The goal is to make food that feels familiar, but noticeably better.”

Sugarwolf has been in the works for three years, with input from hospitality group Guy + Larry Restaurants and Sugarwolf owner and operator Staton Jobe. It was initially meant to be a smaller café, but the team was inspired by other bakeries and restaurants around the country. The result is a space full of natural materials, where guests can either stop by quickly or stick around. They'll be able to see into the kitchen and order from a central pastry counter.

“Ultimately, we wanted to create a place that we would want to come to on a daily basis as consumers,” said owner and operator Staton Jobe. “A place that exudes both warmth and energy and has incredible food and coffee made with real ingredients."

Sugarwolf will be open daily from 7 am to 4 pm.

openings croissants pastry pastry chefs bakery breakfast lunch

Leaving the Neighborhood

Italian café Uncle Nicky's to close Hyde Park location after 8 years

Uncle Nicky's/Instagram

Uncle Nicky's is one of the only restaurants in Austin for a proper aperitivo, and soon there will be two.

A popular Italian café in Austin has gotten a little too high-maintenance for its team's liking. Uncle Nicky's Italian Specialties, which started in Hyde Park and has another location at South Lamar Boulevard, is downsizing. The original location at 4222 Duval St. will close on Sunday, April 26, but the 2121 S. Lamar Blvd. location isn't going anywhere.

"Somewhere along the way, things got a little… bigger than we meant them to," reads the post announcing the closure. "And we keep coming back to the version we love most - a little tighter, a little simpler, a little more like the cafés we’ve been chasing all along."

Even if the closure comes as a surprise, fans of the restaurant shouldn't be shocked to hear it was always meant to be small. Uncle Nicky's is a project by Chef Nic Yanes of the upscale Italian restaurant Juniper, Travis Tober of the neighborhood bar Nickel City, and Brandon and Zane Hunt of pizzeria Via313. Yanes and Travis Tober also later opened Murray's Tavern, a Northeast-style pub. Uncle Nicky's is the bright and airy cousin in this extended restaurant family, known largely for happy hour and brunch.

Casual pasta dishes and big sandwiches make up most of the menu, with some antipasti, salads, desserts, and to-go items in the cold case rounding it out. Uncle Nicky's has one of the most unique happy hours in Austin; Italians would recognize it as aperitivo, a post-work snack. Guests who order a cocktail can enjoy a variety of small dishes set out for self-service, including marinated mozzarella, Marcona almonds, and tiny mortadella sandwiches.

"This isn’t the end of Uncle Nicky’s - it’s a return," the post says. "Just refocused, with our South Lamar location carrying that vision forward."

The closing message also hints that something else is "to come soon."

In the meantime, folks who want to see the Hyde Park location out can stop by for special deals from Friday to Sunday, April 24-26. There will be discounts on classic cocktails ($5), wines ($7), and well cocktails ($7), plus half-off all sandwiches.

closings italian cuisine sandwiches cocktails happy hour