Leaving the Neighborhood
Italian café Uncle Nicky's to close Hyde Park location after 8 years
Uncle Nicky's is downsizing.
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.
