Hyde Park is about to trade takeout cartons for meatballs as New Jersey chef Mike Graffeo readies Umarell, a counter-service Italian spot coming to the longtime corner space at 4413 Guadalupe Street. The team is eyeing a Tuesday, Feb. 3 opening, with a lineup of comforting, fried-forward dishes served through a casual walk-up counter. They plan to start with a beer-and-wine permit and are hoping to build that into a full bar later on.
According to Austin CultureMap, Graffeo’s Austin résumé includes time at Emmer & Rye and Momofuku Ssäm, and Umarell’s greatest hits are set to include End Piece Lasagna, fontina-stuffed meatballs, buffalo chicken dip ravioli, chicken wings, and an Italian hot dog. The outlet notes that the priciest item will land around $26, and Graffeo told the publication there are “too many fried items to truly be a red-sauce place.”
From Wok ‘N Express To Umarell
Umarell will take over the former Wok ‘N Express at 4413 Guadalupe, a convenience-store-turned-Chinese takeout that has been a neighborhood standby for years. The Wok ‘N Express website still lists the Guadalupe address, and the Austin Chronicle highlighted the shop in its 2024 Best of Austin critics’ picks, underscoring how familiar this corner already is to locals.
Menu, Partners And The Vibe
Austin CultureMap also reports that Graffeo’s business partner is Mo Pittle and that Matthew Toader will step in as chef de cuisine; the outlet notes that former owners Tang and Cindy Tran retired in October 2025. The crew is aiming for an old-school Italian comfort look, with checkered tablecloths, big booths, and Tiffany-style lights, and they say the menu will lean hard into handhelds and fried plates alongside a few classic red-sauce-adjacent preparations…