Parkside Purchases Former El Arbol Space [Updated]

Shawn Cirkiel, chef and owner of parkside and Backspace, has purchased the space that housed El Arbol, which closed just about a month ago in late September.

Cirkiel tells Eater Austin that the new restaurant will open in the early spring. The menu will incorporate farm ingredients and fresh tastes, and will have a strong focus on embracing the flavors of ingredients from local Texas sources. Full details of the menu and pricing aren't yet hammered out, as the project is still too early in development.

"The deal just fell into place," says Cirkiel. "We had a deal for a space downtown last year that fell through, but this opportunity just arose and plans moved fast." He says he's really excited about the location, as he lives in the neighborhood and his kids go to school nearby.

On a redesign of the former El Arbol location, Cirkiel says he will be enlisting designer Michael Hsu. "It's already a great space, but we want to tell our own story with the space."

On adding a third restaurant to his portfolio, Cirkiel plans to work with his current parkside kitchen and management staff first on transitioning over into the new restaurant as he did with Backspace. He will work with his chef de cuisine Justin Rupp, and then building off that foundation.

Cirkiel ends by saying, "I'm really excited about the space and excited about the future."

As Eater Austin previously reported, former staff of El Arbol are already working on a new project together.

· Former El Arbol space sold to Parkside owner [ABJ]
· All Plywood Reports on Eater Austin [-EATX-]
· All Shawn Cirkiel Coverage on Eater Austin [-EATX-]