With the sad news of El Arbol‘s closing, everyone wondered what would happen to the new Brykerwoods hotspot … well, wait no longer! Acclaimed Chef Shawn Cirkiel of parkside and backspace will open a Southern Italian restaurant called Olive & June next spring.
Olive & June is named for Chef Shawn Cirkiel’s grandmother and his wife’s grandmother and will offer dishes influenced by the fun-loving family dinners Chef Cirkiel enjoyed as a child in the Italian-American neighborhood of the South Bronx, where his father grew up. Olive & June will highlight local, seasonal ingredients and will feature handmade pasta dishes, an updated traditional meatball made with roasted eggplant and breadcrumbs, and a variety of piccoli piatti, small plates.
Sunday evenings at Olive & June are family nights, and the menu will solely feature piccoli piatti and family-style entrées. Saturday and Sunday brunch will come shortly after the opening.
Olive & June is located at 3411 Glenview Ave. in Central Austin (my nabe, Brykerwoods!).