Winflo Osteria Opens With Pasta, Cocktails And Hopes For VPN Certification

After a year and a half of delays, the Winflo Osteria has opened in Clarksville, serving wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas and Italian entrees out of a bright green 1922 bungalow. Co-owner Michael Ryan Dickson—he's teamed up with his sister, brother-in-law and best friend on the restaurant—told Eater Austin he hopes Winflo becomes an "Austin staple."

"I just looked at this house every day, and I wanted to put something in it," said Dickson, who grew up in Austin. Parking permit delays kept the group from opening as soon as they'd have liked, and they ran into obstacles with their original name, 22 Trattoria, eventually changing to Winflo, after the eponymous neighborhood street. As soon as they got their certificate of occupancy last week, Dickson said, he and his team jumped right in to open in a matter of days.

"Anyone else would have given up and declared bankruptcy," joked Dickson.

His sister and brother-in-law, Megan Dickson-Pennington and John Pennington, come from Southside Flying Pizza, and with this venture, they're aiming for a Verace Pizza Napoletana certification in the coming months, getting the official stamp of approval from the VPN trade organization for using "authentic" Neapolitan techniques and ingredients. That would make Winflo the first VPN-certified restaurant in Austin, and the fifth in Texas.

Dickson described the menu as "simple, comprehensible Italian food," complemented by an all-Italian wine list. They're also pouring craft cocktails, and Dickson says the big boozy hit over the soft weekend was their fernet branca cocktail. The restaurant is open for dinner only right now, but they're aiming to open lunch service in late February. Winflo also boasts a (bright green) 2,000-pound mobile oven for catering ventures. They'll eventually open a downstairs event space as well. But for now, dinner and cocktails are the focus.

"It's a family restaurant," said Dickson, "and we want it to be an Austin staple."

· Winflo Osteria [Official]
· All Winflo Osteria Coverage on Eater Austin [-EATX-]

. [Photo: Winflo/Facebook]