Here's Your First Glimpse Inside The Remodeled Rose Cafe in Venice

Here’s what may well be your first look inside The Rose, Venice’s longstanding breakfast and lunch space (formerly known as Rose Cafe), which went under the knife for a serious rehab earlier this year. The sleek new look comes courtesy of Bill Chait and his Sprout restaurant group, along with chef backing from Catch & Release’s Jason Neroni, and is one of Eater's most anticipated fall (re)openings.

Ultimately the place is still a month or so away, but construction has done wonders for the interior. Of course, this is a photo of a still-in-progress space not yet kitted out with tables and chairs, but already it looks brighter, cleaner, and more focused than the previous iteration.

Of course, that’s not all good news to some. There was a hearty dose of early backlash when it was first announced that the Rose Cafe would shutter for several months following the Sprout takeover, and even today a Facebook page monitors the goings-on of the cafe’s longtime former employees and whether or not they’ll all get their jobs back (assuming they haven’t found work elsewhere already). Others have simply become frustrated at Venice’s not-so-slow slide into a sea of change, lashing out particularly at nearby places like Gjusta.

But judging only by the photo above, Chait seems to be doing right by the place. It’s got all the rustic warehouse-y charms of the original, but with a more functional layout and modern aesthetic. Add on chef Neroni’s plan to rethink the menu and tack on dinner hours, and hopefully the place can make a safe, well-received landing back in Venice sometime later this fall.