Enoteca Vespaio closed after 17 years, but owners have big plans for the space
The home of one of Austin's longest-running Italian restaurants is undergoing a complete transformation. The casual Enoteca Vespaio, which has operated on South Congress Avenue since 2005, closed on July 9.
The owners took to Instagram two days before the closure to explain their intentions. However, neighboring sister restaurant Vespaio Ristorante will remain open.
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Longtime chef Ryan Samson and Daniel Brooks, who purchased both Enoteca Vespaio and Vespaio Ristorante from founders Alan Lazarus, Scott Bolin and Claude Benayoun in 2019, intend to open Oaxacan-inspired restaurant Chapulín Cantina in the coming months.
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The owners said on Instagram that they will update the Chapulín Cantina Instagram with more information on the concept, menu and opening date. Chapulín Cantina will be the only traditional Mexican restaurant on Austin's showcase avenue when it opens.
This won't be Brooks' first foray into Mexican cuisine. He opened the Mexico City-inspired Licha's, named after his mother, Alicia, in 2014. Brooks served as general manager at Vespaio for almost a decade before opening Licha's.
The owners did not immediately responded to a request from the Statesman for comment about Chapulín Cantina., Lazarus, Bolin and Benayoun opened Vespaio Ristorante in 1998, helping begin the transformation of South Congress Avenue into a trendy shopping and dining district.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Enoteca Vespaio closing in Austin; Chapulín Cantina will replace it
