Italian food is coming to revamped Midtown mixed-use development Colony Square next month by way of forthcoming restaurant Serena Pastificio.
Coming from the team behind Florida-based movie theater chain IPIC Theaters, Serena is set to debut July 13. The restaurant will be located next door to the theater, which opened in December 2020, but will serve as a standalone concept.
Christian Darcoli, who will serve as the restaurant’s executive chef, previously worked in the kitchens of restaurants in California, Puerto Rico, London and Maine, as well as his native Italy.
Inspired by Darcoli’s roots, the menu will offer old-school Italian dishes made with newer techniques. Anitpasti dishes will include polpo arrosto with octopus, smoked potato crème and tomato confit, while the pasta offerings will include fettuccine alla bolognese and a selection of stuffed pasta dishes including mezzelune di argosta with lobster, ricotta, and mozzarella filling.
Look for meat and seafood entrees like the cioppino with lobster, prawn, scallop, grouper and mussels and veal Milanese with a breaded veal chop and roasted fingerling potatoes.
Led by Devan Johnson, previously of Barcelona Wine Bar, the beverage program will include an extensive wine and list, a selection of beers with a local focus and cocktails with an emphasis on food pairings.
General manager Steven Ratner, who previously served as general manager of Kimpton Overlook Hotel, said Serena Pastificio strives to create an “unpretentious” environment “with a sense of belonging. We want it to be energetic and approachable.”
Credit: Angela Webb
Credit: Angela Webb
The 6,635 square-foot Serena Pastificio space will feature 230 interior seats with a 36-seat private dining room, as well as a 36-seat outdoor patio. A large open-concept focal bar will be situated in the main dining room, with semi-private dining tables around the restaurant’s perimeter. Guests will be able to observe Darcoli making pasta at an open pasta-making station.
Ratner said the plan is for Serena Pastificio to be able to serve as a prototype for future similar “Serena” concepts from IPIC.
“We want to be able to duplicate this and have the ability to grow it on a much larger scale,” he said.
Serena Pastificio will join several other food and beverage concepts in Colony Square including the vendors inside Politan Row food hall, slated to open this week, as well as Brown Bag Seafood Co., Sukoshi, 5Church Atlanta, Establishment, Freshii, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Moe’s Southwest Grill. Holeman and Finch Public House, King of Pops and Rumi’s Kitchen are also slated to open in Colony Square this year.
Located at 14th and Peachtree streets, the 50-year-old Colony Square development is undergoing a $400 million transformation overseen by North American Properties.
Serena Pastificio will open for dinner service at 4 p.m., with happy hour from 4-6 p.m. and brunch offered from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Soon after opening, the restaurant will offer lunch as well as takeout and delivery.
Scroll down to see the complete menu for Serena Pasataficio:
1197 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. serena-pastificio.com/
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