Justine’s owners will open a café at the Blanton Museum of Art on UT campus in spring 2025
One of Austin’s premier art institutions is partnering with a restaurant known for its celebration of art, culture and life.
Pierre Pelegrin and Justine Gilcrease, husband-and-wife owners of East Austin brasserie and late-night destination Justine’s, will open a cafe on the grounds of the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin next spring.
The name of the cafe, which will be situated next to the museum lobby and offer al fresco dining with views of the Texas State Capitol and “Austin” by Ellsworth Kelly, has not been released, nor has the menu. But diners can expect takes on French classics, baked goods and grab-and-go meals, in addition to Saturday evening dinners, along with a wine program that will invite guests to linger following their visits to the museum.
The cafe will be designed in partnership with Joel Mozersky, whose work includes interiors of Uchi, La Condesa and more.
This will be the first expansion of the brand that Pelegrin and Gilcrease introduced to Austinites when they opened their jubilant restaurant on East Fifth Street in 2009.
“We originally opened Justine’s to share our love of art and beautiful food in a space that welcomes everyone, and the Blanton has the same joyful, inclusive sensibility,” Justine Gilcrease said in a release. “That our new restaurant will look out onto Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin,” largely inspired by the Romanesque cathedrals and Cistercian chapels he visited when he lived in France, makes the partnership even dreamier, as does working with (Blanton director) Simone (Wicha) and this incredible museum staff. It will be a creative hub like the great unrushed Parisian cafés, only its magic will be enhanced by the Texas sunshine, distinct Austin energy, and location at one of the city’s most dynamic cultural institutions.”
More information on the name, menu, design, and pre-opening on-site pop-ups will be announced later via @justinesxblanton on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Justine’s owners will open café at the Blanton Museum of Art in 2025
