Downtown lunch spot Subito to add seating plus a second location

Subito moved to its present location, 34 N. Delaware St., in 2020. (IBJ photo/Dave Lindquist)

After nine years as a takeout restaurant, downtown’s Subito plans to expand its floor plan and add dine-in seating for its lunchtime customers.

The restaurant that specializes in soups and sandwiches also plans to add a satellite location at the AMP food hall in the 16 Tech innovation district.

Owner Chuck Brezina said July is a likely target for opening the new-look restaurant at Subito’s present location, 34 N. Delaware St., and the lunch counter at AMP, 1220 Waterway Blvd.

To expand from 1,200 square feet to 2,300 square feet at the Delaware Street address, Subito will take over a neighboring space previously occupied by a bail bonds company.

Seating for 20 to 25 customers will be added as part of renovations, Brezina said. The restaurant is expected to close for about a week, he said.

At AMP food hall near the intersection of 16th Street and Indiana Avenue, Subito will aim to serve a new audience and reconnect with former customers.

“We have only a bike delivery guy, so our delivery radius is very small,” Brezina said. “We don’t use any of the other apps, and we cut out a lot of people over the years as we’ve become busier and busier. … We’re going to be able to serve some of the people we’ve cut out of the radius by moving to 16 Tech.”

Brezina, a native of Seattle who’s worked in restaurants in cities such as Las Vegas and Rome, Italy, opened Subito at 44 Virginia Ave. in 2015. The shop that specializes in items such as chicken pot pie soup and Italian sausage with butternut squash soup moved to Delaware Street in 2020.

“I’ve always wanted to feed people a good, comforting lunch for a good price and not get too wild with stuff,” Brezina said of Subito’s menu. “If somebody has a bad lunch, they go back to their office and have to sit there for four more hours. It stinks. So we try to stay close to that comfort food zone.”