South Central Austin Edition | May 2022

DINING FEATURE Juliet Italian Kitchen Barton Springs restaurant maintains neighborly vibe as it expands W ith 265 made- from-scratch menu items, no plans to change that,” said Cromwell, who was rst hired with the company as the executive chef of the Barton Springs location. Because the restaurant saw BY CLAIRE SHOOP

17 LAYER LASAGNA The dish is $19 for a single serving, or $35 for a family- sized portion. 9

layers of pasta layers of ricotta layers of mozzarella layers of bolognese

3 2 2 1

Juliet Italian Kitchen strives to separate itself from other big-name Italian restaurants in Austin, Chief Operations Ocer Bryan Cromwell said. Juliet opened its rst location, on Barton Springs Road, in 2015. The name Juliet is a homage to the Barton Springs location—a 70-year-old build- ing that rst housed another Italian restaurant, Romeo’s Italian Grill and Bar. Crom- well described the atmo- sphere of Juliet as romantic yet casual, with people often celebrating anniversaries and engagements, but also stopping by for a business lunch or weekend brunch. Juliet’s menu features Italian favorites made fresh every day including gluten free pasta and pizza options, Cromwell said. He said the trick to making each menu item to the highest quality is to make everything from scratch using the best ingre- dients and solid recipes, and to teach employees how to do it right every time. “As long as I’m where I’m at in the company, there’s no plans to cut corners; there’s

layer of sausage

continued business during the rst wave of the pan- demic, when the chance to expand came up in mid-2020, Juliet leadership considered whether to open second location. Cromwell said they were sold on the expansive patio at The Arboretum restaurant, which formerly housed a BRIO Tuscan Grille and perfectly melded with the aesthetics of the original location. Construction on renovating the restaurant began in October 2020, and it opened April 1, 2021. Over the course of the past year, Cromwell said the restaurant has been well-re- ceived, and customers have been excited that a local Aus- tin establishment expanded outside of downtown. “It helps our customers because they don’t have to drive as far to get what they love,” Cromwell said. “And, we were hitting the point at the Barton Springs location where it’s a nightmare to get reservations at times.”

CLAIRE SHOOPCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Juliet Italian Kitchen is known for its expansive patios and made-from-scratch menu.

Chief Operations Ocer Bryan Cromwell joined Juliet in 2019.

CLAIRE SHOOPCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Juliet Italian Kitchen 1500 Barton Springs Road, Austin 512-479-1800 www.juliet-austin.com Hours: Mon.-Tue. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Wed.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

BUTLER PITCH & PUTT

The restaurant’s original location is on Barton Springs Road. It opened in 2015.

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SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • MAY 2022