The Bar
Moderna Bar & Pizzeria. 1717 W 6th St Suite 140R, Austin, TX 78703
Visited 12/19/2025 @ 7pm.
The Drink
Sophia Loren. Voga vodka, amaretto, lime juice, "Italian cherry soda" (grenadine and luxardo cherry), lemon. $12.
Somewhat surprisingly, this appears to be the very first rendition of a vodka soda I have been served on this whole Sixth Street sojourn so far, although with this many accoutrements it might as well be a different drink entirely than the humble well classic we know and love. Voga is an Italian brand which seems to have been recently discontinued, as despite a few good reviews (and a cool-looking bottle), the product website is only accessible via archive.org, but I imagine you could sub in another vodka without too great a change. The main highlight for me besides the amaretto was the "Italian cherry soda", which when I asked for more information was described as simply grenadine and luxardo cherry. I am a confirmed fiend for black cherry flavor in general, and even this sweeter take on it was well-received, and I ordered several more as the night went on.
The Crew
Lars, Ashley, Mike, Aaron.
Notes
I was excited to visit this establishment, as it used to be Cover 3, where this project kicked off almost 9 (!) years ago. Back to where it all began! If I gave awards for Most Changed Bar then this would be a clear #1 selection, as the transition from the bright beer-drinking bonhomie of Cover 3 to the swanky dinner cocktail ambience of Moderna could not have been more dramatic, particularly given the installation of a gigantic glittering oven in the middle of the dining area like a disco ball dispensing Neapolitan pizzas. Moderna opened about 2 weeks before our visit, after the former Cover 3 location had sat vacant for quite some time. I saw its attitude towards Italian food described as a "neo-traditional", a neologism that made me smile although it is perfectly apt, since Moderna does the expected local sourcing to produce a trained chef's take on the familiar dishes you know and love. Italian is one of those cuisines which has developed an enveloping armature of very particular attitudes towards innovation and progress vs heritage and tradition and all that, which can be either comforting or confining, depending on the situation.
Well, our situation was that we were starving, so we ordered a bunch of items, including:- Sausage and peppers
- Eggplant
- Meatballs
- Hell's Kitchen pizza
- Diavola pizza
- Mushroom truffle pizza
And it was all super legit, especially followed by a round of house-made limoncello shots afterwards. I have already ruminated in the review of Sammie's on how the inevitable rising tides of affluence in Austin have affected the creation of new Italian spots and it all remains relevant; while at this rate Sixth Street will most likely never get the kind of cozy neighborhood red-sauce joint that is economical elsewhere in town, there are obviously worse establishments to patronize than high-end Italian restaurants.
- Sausage and peppers
- Eggplant
- Meatballs
- Hell's Kitchen pizza
- Diavola pizza
- Mushroom truffle pizza
And it was all super legit, especially followed by a round of house-made limoncello shots afterwards. I have already ruminated in the review of Sammie's on how the inevitable rising tides of affluence in Austin have affected the creation of new Italian spots and it all remains relevant; while at this rate Sixth Street will most likely never get the kind of cozy neighborhood red-sauce joint that is economical elsewhere in town, there are obviously worse establishments to patronize than high-end Italian restaurants.
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