A California-based Italian restaurant is making plans to expand to downtown Austin. Scopa Italian Roots, a restaurant owned by celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso alongside Mario Guddemi and Salvatore Aurora, is planning a new location at 401 W. Fourth St., on the ground floor of The Republic tower.
The information was first reported by The Business Journal. Scopa Italian Roots has operated for approximately 13 years and currently has one location in Venice, California.
The restaurant’s California menu features a range of Italian-inspired dishes, including amberjack crudo, steak tartare, octopus, fried cauliflower, fried calamari, house-made pastas, whole branzino, T-bone steak and veal chop Milanese. Dessert options include panna cotta, an affogato sundae, a gelato flight and tiramisu.
According to Russ Howard of Caswell Commercial, the broker who represented Scopa in the lease deal, the restaurant is coming to Austin in part because Guddemi lives in the city. Howard also said the restaurant was seeking a premier downtown location, leading to its selection of The Republic.
The planned Austin restaurant will span approximately 8,300 square feet and include a mezzanine. The Republic is an 800,987-square-foot high-rise co-developed by Lincoln Property Co., DivcoWest and Phoenix Property Co. Lincoln Property represented the landlord in the lease transaction.
The tower is also home to Sugarwolf Bakery, which opened earlier this year.
A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation indicates that construction work on Scopa Italian Roots is scheduled to begin in January 2027, with completion expected by Oct. 31, 2027. The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million. These dates and costs are preliminary and subject to change, and the filing does not establish an official restaurant opening date.
Austin-based Designtrait Architects has been selected as the design firm for the project. The firm’s portfolio includes Yard Bar, Flo’s Wine Bar, AFS Cinema, and Torchy’s Tacos in Conroe.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
