Dining
BY SARAH HERNANDEZ
The vegetable pizza ($14) has bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, feta cheese and pesto sauce.
The butternut squash ravioli ($17) has fresh berries and dried cranberries in a light cream sauce with walnut garnishes.
PHOTOS BY SARAH HERNANDEZ COMMUNITY IMPACT
Milano Cafe o ering Italian family dishes to Austin When Italian restaurant Milano Cafe opened in 2009, owners Sami and Giki Demi set out to create something special in their neighborhood. Today, the husband-and-wife duo said everyone who comes to eat at their restaurant is treated like family, and their community of regulars is what has kept them going.
The artwork on the restaurant walls is created by owner Sami Demi. All of the paintings are for sale.
On the menu Milano Cafe serves pasta, paninis, pizza and other entrees, such as veal Marsala and eggplant Parme- san. Most of the menu is made with recipes passed down from Sami Demi’s Sicilian grandmother, such as the tortellini piementosa, an entree with shrimp, capers, dried cranberries and fresh berries in a light cream pesto sauce with a mint garnish. Another detail The walls are decorated with art for sale created by Sami Demi, who began painting during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a unique feeling,” Giki Demi said. “It’s just like a gallery.”
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“I’m rich, but not rich money-wise,” Giki Demi said. “I’m rich with being surrounded by people. … We came here in 1999, and we started with nothing, and then I look back [at] what we created. It’s something to be very proud of.” The Demis are at the restaurant every day from open to close. They’ve been able to greet every new customer, catch up with those who’ve become friends and watch families grow over the years.
BOSTON LN.
290
N
4601 Southwest Parkway, Austin www.milanoaustin.com
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