A new pizza-focused Italian restaurant called Capris Trattoria Pizzeria is set to open in mid-September at 140 W. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 117, in Thousand Oaks, taking over the space long occupied by Marcello Ristorante. The move closes the book on a restaurant that had served the Conejo Valley for more than 35 years after launching in 1989 under founding chef Ramon Ramirez.
According to WhatNow, Capris will be located in Lincoln Oaks Village near the Village at Moorpark and Janss Marketplace, and it's owned by veteran restaurateur Nando Silvestri, who currently operates Prima Cantina locations in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu. Capris will mark the third concept under Silvestri's Tutto Bene Restaurant Group, joining Spumoni and Prima Cantina, and per Silvestri, the new spot will replace Marcello's with an Italian menu built around pizza as a central component. No additional menu details have been released, the outlet notes.
Marcello's itself had only recently changed hands. Brothers Edwin and Anthony Khaziran purchased the restaurant in July 2024, introducing updated recipes, a new happy hour, and refreshed decor, according to the Thousand Oaks Acorn. Anthony Khaziran managed back-of-house operations while Edwin ran the front of the house, and Marcello's had long been considered a strip-mall staple in the Conejo Valley before its rebranding into Capris.
A Restaurateur With Decades of Reach
Silvestri has operated restaurants for more than 30 years across Malibu, Southern California, and Texas, the WhatNow report states. He began his career in Los Angeles in 1992 at age 21 with his first concept, Spumoni, in Westwood, before expanding into Florida with Matteo Trattoria & Pizzeria locations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, which he launched starting in September 2020, as reported by St. Pete Foodies. Those Florida restaurants were named after Silvestri's son, Matteo.
Silvestri's momentum has continued into 2026. In January, he opened a new Prima Cantina & Tacos location along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, taking over a storefront that had been destroyed in a prior fire and previously housed Tramonto Bistro and JUJU Asian Kitchen, according to The Malibu Times. Silvestri hosted local first responders for a thank-you dinner ahead of that grand opening, the same account notes.
A Prime Commercial Corner Along Hillcrest
Lincoln Oaks Village, the 63,000-square-foot shopping center where Capris will open, is co-anchored by Petco, Goodwill, Chuck E. Cheese, and Chase Bank, according to a commercial listing on LoopNet. The center sits directly across Hillcrest Drive from Janss Marketplace and adjacent to The Oaks, a 1-million-square-foot regional mall, placing the future pizzeria in one of Thousand Oaks' busiest retail corridors.
Demographic data from the same listing show that within a 3-mile radius of the site, Thousand Oaks has a population of 70,373 residents across 25,186 households, with an average household income of $105,288 in 2026. Within a tighter 1-mile radius, the center draws from 11,293 residents, according to the listing.
More Dining Investment Along the Same Stretch
Capris arrives amid a broader wave of dining development along Hillcrest Drive. Just across the street at Janss Marketplace, national craft beer and dining chain Yard House filed permit plans in mid-2026 to open next to Dave & Buster's, as Hoodline previously reported. That proposal includes outdoor dining and a beer garden area.
The opening also fits into a wider pattern of Italian restaurant growth across the Conejo Valley. New Italian concepts that entered the market in 2026 include Sette Sorelle in Newbury Park in January and Osteria de Buca at The Shoppes at Westlake Village in April, according to the Conejo Valley Guide. Whether Capris can carve out its own niche in that increasingly crowded field, and exactly what will land on its pizza-focused menu, remains to be seen ahead of its planned mid-September debut.
