Osteria Ester, from Good Salt Restaurant Group, opens November in Thornton Park

When Soco, the contemporary Southern restaurant fronted by chef Greg Richie, closed last May after 11 years in Thornton Park, owner Craig Ustler promised to bring “something exciting to the space this fall.”

That something is Osteria Ester, an Italian-American concept from Good Salt Restaurant Group founders, and 2025 James Beard Award finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur, Jason and Sue Chin. It’s not the first time that the Chins and Ustler have joined forces — the trio brought Reyes Mezcaleria to the North Quarter and The Monroe to Creative Village.

Osteria Ester, interior rendering Credit: Good Salt Restaurant Group

And like those two downtown Orlando stalwarts, Osteria Ester will be a true neighborhood gathering place taking on a casual and communal feel when it opens mid-November. Michael Cooper, executive chef-partner of The Osprey (another Good Salt operation) will oversee kitchen operations at this restaurant named after his grandmother, and he has a very specific vision in mind.

“My grandmother adopted my mother, who was Italian, so I’ve always had an affection for Italian food,” Cooper says. “But throughout my career, I started out like other young chefs wanting to make lots of tweezered, Michelin-driven dishes. El Bulli was the thing when I was starting out, but now I appreciate a less-is-more, ingredient-driven approach, and Italian cooking speaks to me in that way. I want to do less to ingredients in order to make them shine.”

Chef Michael Cooper, Jason Chin and Sue Chin inside Osteria Ester Credit: Sue Chin

But Osteria Ester’s menu will be decidedly more Italian-American than Italian, as Cooper felt he wouldn’t give Italy’s highly regionalized cuisine the respect it deserves.

“I feel doing pan-Italian is like doing pan-Asian — you’re not doing justice to it correctly. I’d rather take the dishes I know and grew up eating and perfect the wheel, not reinvent it.”

“The current trend is all these omakase joints and high-end tasting places and Osteria Ester will be counter-culture to that. It’ll be a lot of bread, pasta, comfort and generosity.”

Chef Michael Cooper

So don’t expect a lot of super flashy dishes coming out of the kitchen but, rather, riffs on Italian-American comfort fare. Think spaghetti alla vongole, pappardelle bolognese, chicken parm meatballs and, yes, mozzarella sticks.

Focaccia will also be heavily featured as Cooper plans to implement a pretty serious bread program.

Chef Michael Cooper and Jason Chin in the kitchen of Osteria Ester Credit: Sue Chin

On the libationary front, Good Salt’s beverage director, Lorena Castro, will curate a wine list exploring the incredible depth and range of Italian varietals, while the bar program will root itself in Italian cocktail culture. Aperol spritzes and and cicchetti, anyone?

“I want Osteria Ester to be like Il Giardinello in Toms River, New Jersey,” Cooper says. “That’s where families took you for your birthday or graduation, and I haven’t found a restaurant like that in Orlando. The current trend is all these omakase joints and high-end tasting places and Osteria Ester will be counter-culture to that. It’ll be a lot of bread, pasta, comfort and generosity. I feel it’s a thing that people need.”

Whatever you do, don’t fuhgeddabout the restaurant. Follow @osteria_ester for all the latest updates.

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