In a nutshell
Il Saporis will open at 800 Brazos St., Ste. 115, Austin, as Sapori Italian Roots. The new downtown restaurant will offer an expanded menu, including more pasta dishes, burrata, salads and desserts.
The background
DeStefano said his intent has always been to eventually move out of the food truck and into a brick-and-mortar restaurant to expand his brand.
“We started this concept with that in mind, and we have now accomplished that,” DeStefano said.
DeStefano, who grew up in the restaurant industry, said he works closely with his father and mentor, Giuseppe DeStefano. Giuseppe is an Italian-born and -raised chef and has experience running other Italian restaurants, such as San Antonio's DeStefano's Italian Cafe and Gianni's Italian Cuisine. Eventually, Giuseppe moved to the Dallas area, where he continued his work in the restaurant business. DeStefano then made his way to the Austin area and opened Il Saporis in the fall of 2019 with Giuseppe's mentorship.
Learn more
The downtown restaurant:
- Will feature a pasta-making station that will be visible to guests, in addition to a burrata station
- Will offer a beer and wine program for those who wish to imbibe
- Will dabble in the retail side of the industry by offering dried and packaged pastas and sauces that consumers can take home to cook
