"G had a baby G."
That's how Susan Carnes described g's Southside Italian Cafe to Community Impact. The cafe is the south College Station offshoot of Mr. G's Pizzeria, which has been in Historic Downtown Bryan since July 1996. A few miles away on Mills Park Circle, Rosie's Pasta Bar and Catering opened on Sept. 17. Its name comes from a dish at Cafe Eccell, a College Station restaurant that is now closed.
So the two Italian openings closest to Pebble Creek this year are both second chapters. Each comes from a family that has fed Bryan-College Station for decades, and each serves food tied to a local restaurant that no longer exists. For a household on the south side of town, these menus already have a local history.
A Downtown Bryan Pizzeria Grows a South Side Branch
Mr. G's opened in a former furniture gallery downtown, according to Community Impact's 30th-anniversary story. Founder Giovanni "Mr. G" Cerone was known for sitting at a dining room table with paperwork spread out, greeting regulars and newcomers. The same story reports that his recipes and many of the restaurant's traditions are still in place.
Carnes and her family took over the restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, she and Mr. G had become close friends. In the same Community Impact piece, she described it as "friendship at first sight." The downtown pizzeria keeps going. Carnes calls the new cafe "a nod and a tribute" to Mr. G, not a replacement.
The cafe borrows from a second family restaurant too. Houda Cerone, Mr. G's wife, once ran Cenare in College Station, and she has shared recipes from it for the new menu. The cafe's own website says some of its dishes draw on recipes once served at Cenare, "creating a connection to local restaurant history."
That makes the g's menu a blend of two family kitchens, the 30-year-old pizzeria downtown and the Cenare recipes Houda Cerone brought with her.
What the Fitch Parkway Kitchen Is Built For
g's is at 910 William D. Fitch Parkway, Suite 100, in Caprock Crossing. The center sits at the southwest corner of Highway 40 and Highway 6, a short drive from Pebble Creek. Longtime south-side residents may remember the space as Howdy's Texas Grill'd Pizza, which closed in December 2021. Uptown Brunch came after it.
The hours shape the place. The website lists 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. That covers an early coffee run, a weekday lunch and a late dinner, all from the same counter. The featured menu leans toward breakfast and cafe food:
- Ricotta pancakes
- The Aggie Bagel
- Bacon and egg on toast
- Yogurt and granola
- Pesto caprese panini
Past those, the website lists pastries, desserts, Italian dishes and select pizzas. Mr. G's own specialties hint at what the pizza side can draw from. The downtown menu includes the Lu Pizza, with mozzarella, feta, caramelized onions and prosciutto, along with tiramisu and cannoli.
The June announcement in Community Impact listed more plans: a full coffee bar, a full-service bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and an ice cream counter. The same report said the bigger kitchen would let the business move much of its food preparation and production to the new location. Under that plan, the Caprock Crossing kitchen becomes the working center of a restaurant family that started in downtown Bryan. Much of the prep for the original would happen on Fitch Parkway.
Rosie's Takes Its Name From Cafe Eccell
The second opening follows the same pattern through a different family. Rosie's Pasta Bar and Catering belongs to Peter Madden, who also runs Madden's Casual Gourmet with his friends Andreas and Costa Dallis. Community Impact reported that Rosie's is named after one of Madden's favorite dishes from Cafe Eccell, which the outlet called "a former staple of College Station."
Madden's Casual Gourmet first opened in 2004, according to KBTX. Today it operates at 1929 Country Club Drive in Bryan. Rosie's takes that kitchen's background in a simpler direction. The menu covers pasta, sandwiches, salad and soup, with all bread made in-house. It has gluten-free options and free soft serve ice cream.
Rosie's is at 4501 Mills Park Circle, Suite 100. Visit College Station's directory lists it as open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. As the name says, it caters too, and updates go out on the Rosie's Pasta Bar and Catering Facebook page.
Side by Side
Both places are Italian, but they fit different parts of the day.
| g's Southside Italian Cafe | Rosie's Pasta Bar and Catering | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 910 William D. Fitch Pkwy., Ste. 100, Caprock Crossing | 4501 Mills Park Circle, Ste. 100 |
| Family roots | Mr. G's Pizzeria, Downtown Bryan since 1996 | Madden's Casual Gourmet, opened 2004 |
| Closed restaurant it draws from | Cenare, through Houda Cerone's recipes | Cafe Eccell, source of the Rosie's name |
| Listed hours | 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Sun | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily |
| Best fit | Breakfast, coffee, pastries, pizza | Pasta lunch or dinner, catering |
| Extras | Planned coffee bar, full bar, ice cream counter | House bread, gluten-free options, free soft serve |
Both are open through lunch and dinner, but mornings belong to g's alone. It opens five hours before Rosie's Monday through Saturday and three hours earlier on Sunday, so breakfast and the early coffee run happen only on Fitch Parkway. Rosie's is built around pasta at lunch and dinner.
Where the Lineage Goes Next
This kind of move south has happened before. Downtown Uncorked, where Carnes and her husband celebrated their 10th anniversary, was in downtown Bryan until 2021, when it moved to south College Station. Community Impact's September coverage put the two Italian openings in a wider trend: "south College Station has seen many restaurant openings over the last few months." Teriyaki Madness, a Seattle-based chain, is one example. It opened Sept. 11 at Jones Crossing, 11667 Wellborn Road.
The family connections keep going. Madden has announced on Instagram that another of his restaurants will open at Pickleball Junction in Bryan next year. At Mr. G's, the next generation is already at work. Community Impact reported that Carnes' teenage son would bus tables at the new cafe, and that one longtime pizza cook has worked at Mr. G's since she was 15.
For anyone who wants the full story, the original pizzeria is still in Downtown Bryan. You can try a pizza on Fitch Parkway and then order the Lu Pizza at the downtown restaurant where these recipes started. If you're also tracking the restaurant changes on the Castlegate side of Highway 40, we covered the Greens Prairie corner earlier this year.
At Life On The Brazos, we keep up with places like these because they're part of daily life on the south side of town. If you're weighing a move around Pebble Creek and want an idea of the morning coffee run and Friday dinner options before you decide, schedule a free consultation and home valuation with Laura Lea Smith.
