The Backspace

About The Backspace

"Hip" casual and affordable, The Backspace offers seven Neapolitan-style pizzas as well as a rotating selection of hot and cold antipasti and Italian favorites like Tiramisu and Budino for dessert. Easy and urban, the restaurant seats just 30 diners, half at tables and the rest around the convivial bar. Local designers Michael Hsu and Kasey McCarty restored the historic 130-year-old building to its original luster. The centerpiece of the backspace is a Forni Cirigliano wood-fired pizza oven, custom-made and shipped over from Naples, the only one like it in Austin.

Restaurateur & Chef Shawn Cirkiel’s creativity and innovation in the kitchen have made him one of Austin’s most coveted chefs and restaurateurs. His devotion to smart (sustainable) cooking and the community is evident by his involvement in many projects, including an initiative at Austin’s Highland Park Elementary, the Sustainable Food Center’s Farmers Market and the Sixth Street Austin Association, which has been fundamental in raising funds to restore the legendary district.