Cookbook Cafe at Central Library Is Closed Forever

For a few months, a sign that read “Closed Until Further Notice” adorned the door of Cookbook Cafe at the Central Library in Downtown Austin. The restaurant’s social media has been inactive since February, and its website has expired. Not great evidence in the quest for proof of life.

The Chronicle learned over the weekend that Cookbook is no longer operating at the Central Library, a fact that was confirmed by APL’s Public Information and Marketing Manager, Baylor Johnson. “They officially left the premises at the end of June. The company is continuing to do catering services for events at the Central Library, but no longer have an exclusive arrangement,” he writes in an email.

Cookbook opened at Central in 2018, helmed by chef Andrew Curren and operated by the now-defunct ELM Restaurant Group. It was home to the collection of cookbooks accrued by the late Virginia B. Wood, who served as the longtime Food editor for the Chronicle. When asked about the status of that collection, Johnson said, “The used cookbooks that were donated are still inside the space at the Central Library, and belong to the City of Austin.”

The Library and the City of Austin Real Estate office are working together to find a new cafe to occupy the space. “We don’t have a specific timeline, but hope to complete the process quickly to be able to return to hosting café services for Library customers,” says Johnson. There will be an RFP as part of the process to find a new vendor.

Representatives for WIP Hospitality, Cookbook’s parent company, were unavailable for comment.