Juliet opened its first location, on Barton Springs Road, in 2015. Because the restaurant saw continued business during the first wave of the pandemic, 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-received, and customers have been excited that a local Austin 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.”
The name Juliet is a homage to the Barton Springs location—a 70-year-old building that first housed another Italian restaurant, Romeo’s Italian Grill and Bar. Cromwell described the atmosphere 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 ingredients 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 no plans to change that,” said Cromwell, who was first hired with the company as the executive chef of the Barton Springs location.
The most-popular dishes are the shrimp capellini fresca, fettuccine funghi, chicken piccata, margherita pizza and lasagna—which includes 17 layers of pasta, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and bolognese.
Cromwell said some of the recipes have been passed down from previous executive chefs, but that they are occasionally tinkered with and reflect the culinary training of every chef and cook at the restaurant.
Juliet is housed under the restaurant group Veneto Hospitality, which supports two ghost kitchens at Kitchen United Mix: Benvolio’s and Little Juliet. Cromwell said these ghost kitchen restaurants give chefs the opportunity to be playful and try new things without some of the expenses of a brick and mortar.
However, Cromwell said Veneto has plans to expand and even envisions opening restaurants outside of Austin in the next few years. He sees Veneto as an umbrella for any Italian food and drink concept, mentioning a potential bakery or bar.
“The Italian world is unlimited and we are willing to do that.”
Juliet Italian Kitchen
10000 Research Blvd., Bldg. C, Austin
512-666-3067
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.
