Walnut Creek is about to get a big twirl of fresh pasta. North Italia, the fast-growing scratch-kitchen Italian chain, is set to open its first San Francisco Bay Area restaurant at Plaza Escuela on March 25. The new spot will cover about 8,500 square feet, seat roughly 200 guests, and feature an al fresco bar plus an open kitchen where pasta will be made fresh every day. The debut brings weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and a full dinner lineup to downtown Walnut Creek.
What To Expect On The Menu
The Walnut Creek location will showcase North Italia's signature hand-made pastas, pizzas, and shareable small plates, with weekend brunch in the mix as well, according to North Italia. Brunch options will include dishes like Breakfast Carbonara and Tuscan Hash, while the broader menu features items such as cacio e pepe arancini, white truffle garlic bread, pappardelle bolognese, strozzapreti, and desserts like bombolini and hazelnut torta. The company lists weekday lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinner service starting after 4 p.m., and weekend brunch service in place.
Space, Design And Hiring
The build-out at 1179 Locust St. converts a former retail space into an 8,500-square-foot dining room with seating for more than 200 guests and an alfresco bar, according to Patch. North Italia partnered with Local Edition Creative on interior artwork inspired by Northern California landscapes, and the restaurant will feature an open-view scratch kitchen so diners can watch the pasta-making in real time. Ahead of opening day, the company has been staffing up through on-site hiring events, local reports show.
A Chain With Scratch-Kitchen Roots
Founded in Arizona in 2002, North Italia is part of Fox Restaurant Concepts and has been owned by The Cheesecake Factory since 2019, per a company press release. The Walnut Creek restaurant follows another planned Southern California opening in Brea as the brand closes in on its 50th location, the company and local outlets note. Local developers and diners have praised the concept for feeling less like a typical chain and more like a neighborhood kitchen, described as "a chain restaurant that doesn't feel like a chain restaurant," according to The Mercury News.
City officials flagged the Plaza Escuela site for North Italia last year, and the opening adds to downtown Walnut Creek's growing roster of Italian and family-style restaurants, according to the City of Walnut Creek and local reporting. The expansion has also sparked routine discussions about parking and pedestrian access in the downtown core, coverage shows. North Italia's location page lists March 25 as opening day, and reservation information along with the full launch menu is expected to appear on the chain's site as the date approaches.
Walnut Creek's new, larger-format Italian option aims to serve both date-night diners and bigger groups when it opens next month. We will have opening-day coverage and early impressions once the restaurant starts welcoming guests.
