While you won’t find the punk and pop-culture driven art plastering the walls of other 84 Hospitality restaurants when you walk into the brand’s newest concept, Elisabetta, its still part of the same family, according to Rachel Cope.
“The one thing that is the constant is the vibe. Lights are down, the music is up, and it’s cool, it’s fun, it’s intentional. It has its own personality, kind of like Empire has its personality, Burger Punk has its punk rock music personality,” Cope said ahead of the restaurant’s soft opening Thursday.
The restaurant at 7300 N Western Ave. is inspired by the team’s love for the culinary scenes of New York and Chicago and knowing that the things that are possible there can take root in Oklahoma City as well.
“It feels like the perfect time. Not only because of our bones hurting from running around trying to kick out 3,000 slices, which we’ll still do too, but it’s going to be really fun to have a nicer pace and serve wine that’s not in a can and all that,” Cope said.
Elisabetta is set to open reservations Friday and will operate on a reservations-only basis in the beginning, Cope said. The restaurant will be open from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 4:30 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays with eventual plans to move to offering Sunday dinner service as well. To make reservations, go online to https://www.elisabettaokc.com/.
What can OKC expect when dining at Elisabetta?
The 84 Hospitality team took their own expertise and joined forces with notable culinarians in Austin-based Excelsior Hospitality’s Chef Nicolas Yanes and Chef Junior Borges, to create the Elisabetta concept.
Longtime 84 Director of Operations Britton Stewart joins as a partner in Elisabetta and the group’s Community Relations and Catering Director David Rackley will serve as General Manager.
The restaurant name itself is a nod to Cope’s middle name and her grandmother’s spirit also dwells in the restaurant, where she oversees the latest 84 Hospitality venture from a portrait hanging in the wine cooler.
With interior design work by Chris Pardo, who has worked on hospitality spaces from Palm Springs to St. Croix and beyond, the space is luxurious and inviting with low-backed booths Cope hope will encourage a spirit of conversation among guests.
Called “Italian-ish” by Cope, the cuisine will not just be pasta, though guests will definitely be able to find it on the menu.
“I think sometimes Italian food gets pigeonholed into the things that we grew up being familiar with, spaghetti and lasagna,” she said. “We are doing handcrafted pastas, but we’re also doing a crispy pork chop. We’re also doing a 20-ounce prime strip, roasted half chicken.”
The right time, even in the hard times
Cope said that having turned 40 in December, it was a natural progression for 84 Hospitality to mature as a brand with her and her partners as they continue to grow. Elisabetta is a chance to do something different, an outlet and opportunity for the team to express another side of themselves.
Cope said watching the team take on serving the first guests at the soft open reminded her of why she loves the industry. That, while it’s an industry prone to chaos and a need for problem solving on the fly, it’s also ultimately an industry built on community.
From Cope’s perspective, the city continues to be bolstered by chefs trying new things and advancing their skills, as well as by the return of Oklahoma natives who have spent time living and learning about food in other areas of the country and world. All of these are things the residents of the city want to see more of, Cope said.
And even after a series of difficult years, through the pains caused by the pandemic, and with ongoing concerns over rising costs due to inflation and proposed tariffs, owners like Cope press on, and hope OKC will continue to grow.
“That’s who I am,” Cope said. “I don’t know what else I would do. And we try to be very aware of those things so that we’re making smart decisions, you know, that we’re considering the risks of what we’re doing. But I believe that it’s possible, whether that’s naïve or not, we’ll find out.”
(This story has been updated to include additional information.)