East Sixth Italian Restaurant Opens With Pasta and Pizza Soon

Il Brutto, East Austin’s Italian restaurant, is opening on Monday, March 12 at 1617 East 6th Street. Its Italian sandwich shop counterpart La Matta opened last December.

The menu from chef Erind Halilaj spans regional dishes like pastas (squid ink tagliolini, ravioli stuffed with sheep ricotta, cacio e pepe), meaty entrees (beef tenderloin paired with white polenta, baby octopus with olives and capers, chicken saltimbocca), vegetables (roasted eggplant, spiced sauteed broccolini), wood-fired pizzas topped with burrata, anchovies, mushrooms, and more.

Desserts are courtesy of Amanda Rockman, the corporate executive pastry chef of Il Brutto’s parent company New Waterloo. The curated list includes tiramisu (the same recipe she used when she won Bobby Flay’s television show last month), ricotta semifreddos, gelato, and more.

Drinks include cocktails like Negronis, spritzes, and limoncello, along with beer and wine.

At first, Il Brutto will only open for dinner. Initial hours are from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and then from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Lunch and brunch will be added later sometime in early April. The restaurant’s name is Italian for “the ugly” (La Matta refers to the nickname for the King of Gold card in Sicilian playing cards).

Both Il Brutto and La Matta were originally called Gatto Nero and Enoteca Gattino, but the names were changed last year. New Waterloo also oversees La Condesa, Sway, Goodall’s Kitchen, the restaurants within the South Congress Hotel, and Le Politique.

• Il Brutto [Official]
• Looming East Austin Italian Restaurant Changes Name and Adds Sandwich Shop [EATX]
• All Coverage of Il Brutto [EATX]