Gennaro’s is bringing a fresh, new, authentic Italian concept to Austin. The family-owned and operated business has already brought to the community Gennaro’s Trattoria, Elio’s Osteria e Pizzeria, and is now rounding out its offerings with the opening of Gennaro’s Ristorante Italiano at 13900 Ranch Road 12 in Wimberly.
According to a recently filed permit, construction on the restaurant is expected to start this December and wrap in April 2026. What Now Austin spoke with co-owner Dino Taccogna about the family’s new offering.
“We’re essentially expanding the brand; this specific restaurant is going to be more of a combination of what Genaro’s and Ellio’s offers and some new concepts as well that we’re working on as we speak,” Taccogna said.
Taccogna confirmed with What Now Austin that it intends to open Gennaro’s Ristorante in Wimberly in April of 2026. He shared that construction is currently underway to expand the kitchen, making it more of an open feel concept.
“We’re going to focus on variety, serving the Wimberly community as a whole,” Taccogna said.
“Wimberly is a diverse sort of community, so we want to draw to families that may want to get an affordable carryout, all the way to if you want to do some fine dining, where you want a nice steak and sort of a surf and turf type of dinner, you can have that as well.”
The Gennaro family business was started by Gennaro Di Meo in 1988 in Deer Park, Texas, where the first restaurant was established and named Antonio’s Pizza & More, according to its website. After serving the community and expanding to three locations in La Porte, TX, and Baytown, TX, the authentic Italian food brand expanded to the Texas Hill Country.
The Di Meo family then opened Elio’s Osteria e Pizzeria in 2021 when Gennaro’s grandson was born. After the success of the two concepts Di Meo and Taccogna were looking to expand the Italian dining experience they’ve been offering.
“When people go out, it should be a treat for themselves. So we want to continue that concept where people feel welcomed, people feel appreciated. We want to extend our gratitude by serving good-quality food. We want to continue the same ingredients of success so far that we’ve had,” Taccogna said.
While the Trattoria is more of a rustic, quick service experience like Elio’s Pizzeria, Gennaro’s Ristorante will be a full dining experience.
“Another nice place where community members can come and have a nice dinner in a great environment, we felt there was a need for that in the area,” Di Meo said.
The Wimberly area, which has a plethora of working folks and families, will be able to experience a wide range from a price standpoint, but the menu will be simple and stick to Gennaro’s widely-celebrated core, which is authentic Italian.
“If you want to go for a romantic dinner, you can go to Gennaros. If you want to hang outside where we have a great outdoor pavilion set up where you can just hang out with friends and so forth, you can do that as well,” Taccogna said.
“We don’t want it to be a Genaro’s 2, we want to make sure the offerings are different, but the core is still Italian.”
You can expect pizza, pastas, wine, and more. But the exact details on what will be dished and served up are still being etched out. But you can expect the same home-made love in every bite.
“We grew up, and the food was the main deal of the day. Not a meal but a big deal. The Italian family is centered around food,” Taccogna said.
“It’s all been about quality of food, consistency of food, customer service, and we want people to come and just enjoy the dining experience.”
You can check out that dining experience for yourself when Gennaro’s Ristorante Italiano at 13900 Ranch Road 12 in Wimberly opens in April 2026.
