North Italia, 'a chain restaurant that doesn't feel like a chain restaurant,' is coming to the Bay Area

"For restaurant No. 49, North Italia will plant its flag in downtown Walnut Creek, with a March 25 opening scheduled. Next up this spring will be a Brea restaurant, the ninth for SoCal. Here, on Locust Street at Plaza Escuela, the 8,500-square-foot dining room and alfresco bar will offer seating for 200."

"Merrill Shindler, a longtime Los Angeles area dining critic, calls North Italia 'a chain restaurant that doesn't feel like a chain restaurant.' There's an open-view scratch kitchen, with pasta made fresh daily in-house and a menu that changes seasonally."

"Dishes with roots in northern Italy include the house specialty, Pasta Bolognese, along with Cacio e Pepe Arancini, White Truffle Garlic Bread and, for brunch, Breakfast Carbonara Pasta and Tuscan Hash. Tomato-based southern Italian dishes and regional specialties make up the bulk of the menu."

North Italia, an Italian restaurant group established 23 years ago in Arizona, is expanding to the Bay Area with its 49th restaurant opening in downtown Walnut Creek on March 25. The 8,500-square-foot location at Plaza Escuela will seat 200 guests and offer an 8,500-square-foot dining room with an alfresco bar. The restaurant operates from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for brunch and lunch, transitioning to dinner service afterward. Known as a chain that doesn't feel like one, North Italia features an open-view scratch kitchen with fresh daily pasta and seasonal menus. Dishes include northern Italian specialties like Pasta Bolognese, Cacio e Pepe Arancini, and Breakfast Carbonara Pasta, alongside southern Italian options. Owned by the Cheesecake Factory since 2019, the dessert menu features Hazelnut Torta, Tiramisu, and Bombolini instead of cheesecake.

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