This might come as a surprise to many people, but there have been quite a few notable restaurant openings in the past few months, with more planned for spring. It seems that a pandemic can’t stop all progress, and as a result, chefs have been busting out with stellar pizzas, mouthwatering pastas, and original Italian dishes galore.
Some of the most exciting openings have been happening on the left-hand side of the United States, which continues to disabuse the notion that great Italian food can only come from the Northeast — or, of course, Italy.
Here are some of the most enticing recent Italian restaurant openings in the Western United States.
Los Angeles
Ospi: Chef Jackson Kalb and Melissa Saka wowed hungry eaters in Venice when they opened a tonda-style pizza joint (round, Roman, thin, and crispy) for their second act. Known for pastas (which are also on the menu), Kalb expands his repertoire with crispy thin-crust pies topped with innovative ingredients in addition to drool-worthy sides like his Crispy Provolone.
Ospi Tonda Style Pizza. Credit: Marisa Lynch
San Diego
Gelati & Peccati: The team behind Buona Forchetta in San Diego continues their meteoric rise and takeover of the city’s pizza scene with a new Roman restaurant called Gelati & Peccati. Helmed by master pizzaiolo Luca Zamboni, the pizzas here are al taglio, or “by the cut,” where slices are squares and delicious. Also, don’t sleep on the insanely tasty gelato.
Roman Pizza. Credit: Buona Forchetta
South Bay
Pura Vita: Opening her third restaurant, Chef Tara Punzone continues to put her stamp on the plant-based Italian food world with her latest iteration in Redondo Beach. Vegan eaters will find standouts like her Caprese with cashew mozzarella or her carbonara with avocado egg and macadamia nut cream. You won’t believe it’s not dairy.
Plant-based pasta at Pura Vita. Credit: Pura Vita
San Francisco
Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine: Though technically not yet open, Shuggie’s is one of the most exciting spots on the horizon this spring. Having raised tens of thousands of dollars on Kickstarter, this up-and-comer upcycles discarded food waste (ugly food that doesn’t sell well) and turns it into pizza. They’re slated to open this spring and will take sustainability to a whole different level.
Northern California
Mentone: Would you be interested in pizza made by a three-Michelin-starred chef? David Kinch, of award-winning Manresa, opened a pizza shop called Mentone, which sits a bit east of Santa Cruz and north of Monterey. The pies are wood-fired and include everything from a classic Margherita to a guanciale-topped masterpiece.
Margherita pizza at Mentone. Credit: Alyssa Twelker
Portland, Oregon
Gumba: Following the trend of many a food truck and cart, Gumba has grown up and into a brick-and-mortar establishment. This Portland staple, known for handmade pastas, has finally made the move indoors where they serve low-cost, high-end dining experiences. The menu constantly changes, but if you follow their Instagram, you can see what’s on for the night. Expect everything from delicately shaped tortellini to vegan meatballs.
Seattle
Moto Seattle: Lee Kindell takes his dough very seriously. Incorporating a 100-year-old starter, Kindell goes through a three-day process to ferment things just right. He’s also hand-pulling cheese and sourcing local ingredients. The end result is a Detroit-style pizza that is light, crispy, and wonderful. Unique pies bring Kindell’s Filipino heritage into play with toppings like fried pork belly and pineapple chimichurri.
Mr. Pig Pizza at Moto Seattle. Credit: Lee Kindell
Mezzanote: Elegance is one way to describe the food at this new Italian joint in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. Mezzanote is all about pasta with classics like rigatoni carbonara and cacio e pepe, Tripoline with ragu, and pasta del giorno. Mezzanote is slated to reopen this spring.
Mezzanote Pastas. Credit: Jordan Nicholson
Denver
Restaurant Olivia: Denver has one of the fastest-growing food scenes in the country, and Restaurant Olivia simply elevates the proceedings to another level. Formally a French café, the space has been transformed into a pasta palace. Must-haves include the saffron tagliatelle and chicken marsala ravioli.
Las Vegas
Al Solito Posto: Chef James Trees is a James Beard award finalist taking his giant talents to an enormous Las Vegas restaurant. Opened in Tivoli Village, the menu is an Italian American dream with salivatory spaghetti and meatballs and eggplant parm, but also authentic Italian classics with cacio e pepe and rigatoni alla vodka, with pasta that's made by hand.
Phoenix
Osteria Mia: Handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and a great wine list. What else is there? Osteria Mia is a Phoenix, Arizona gem where everything is made in-house, including the freshly pulled mozzarella. Artichokes are braised and stuffed, hard-to-find coccoli take you back to Florence, and potato gnocchi with gorgonzola fonduta make you melt.