Work on Southside Cafe, a 24-hour restaurant at 5404 Manchaca Road, is slated to begin Oct. 1, said Shane Widner, president of South Austin Ventures LLC, which also owns Strange Brew Austin Coffee.

“It’s a complete overhaul of the space,” Widner said, adding that the existing building will be gutted and updated with new plumbing, a new roof, a patio and an exterior porch. South Austin Ventures hired Steve Simon, construction manager with Facilities Services of Austin, to spearhead the project, Widner said.

The restaurant will have a wood-fired pizza oven, a 24-hour breakfast menu, and lunch and dinner specials including dishes with Mediterranean influences and vegetarian options, Widner said.

The new cafe, located a few doors down from Strange Brew and Strange Brew Lounge Side, has been a work in progress since South Austin Ventures bought the former Bakehouse Restaurant and Bar property last year.

“Everybody has really been enthusiastic about it, and we know it is going to be a home run,” Widner said. “We wanted to put something in there that wasn’t some … trendy thing that was high-priced. We wanted to make sure to keep that neighborhood vibe that exists with Strange Brew, and that was there for 30-something years at the Bakehouse, and try to keep the pricing consistent with the Bakehouse’s pricing.”

Widner said he put the project on hold for a few months because of a death in his family, and work on the project resumed recently. With the updated timeline, South Austin Ventures aims to have the restaurant opened by March, he said. There is no website yet for the restaurant.