Nicoletto's Pasta Co., the Nashville-born pasta maker known for its bronze-cut noodles and family recipes, is bringing its largest restaurant yet to Mt. Juliet. The new 3,000-square-foot space at 11324 Lebanon Road will mark the brothers' first restaurant in Wilson County, with construction beginning immediately and an opening targeted for fall 2026.
The announcement, first reported by the Lebanon Democrat, details a menu built around fresh small-batch bronze-cut pastas, house-made sauces, Italian beef and sausage-and-pepper heroes, and a curated market stocked with Italian and specialty products. The location will also pour beer and wine and run a coffee and espresso bar, rounding out what the brand describes as its most ambitious footprint since launching in 2012. Co-founder Danny Nicoletto said the company felt Mt. Juliet's community energy and connection, and that Nicoletto's found the right moment and location in the city, per the same report.
The Mt. Juliet build-out came together with help from local developer Mark Lineberry, who worked closely with the brothers to secure and build out the space, according to the Lebanon Democrat. Construction will be led by Jacob Keiser, who works with KSR Group. Lineberry Properties, the firm Lineberry leads, was incorporated more than 40 years ago in Mt. Juliet and now manages roughly 100 commercial properties across seven states, according to commercial real estate database LoopNet.
From a Family Loss to a Growing Regional Brand
Nicoletto's Pasta Company traces its roots to 2012, when brothers Ryan and Danny Nicoletto — raised in a close-knit Italian family in Indiana before settling in Nashville in 2010 — started the business from a desire to honor their late father, Tony Nicoletto, and the Italian traditions he passed down. Tony Nicoletto died in 2012, the same year the company was born. Ryan and Danny converted a small warehouse in East Nashville into a pasta-making operation, laying the groundwork for what would become a family-owned pasta maker and fast-casual restaurant brand.
Their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Nicoletto's Italian Kitchen, opened in 2016 in a 700-square-foot space at 2905A Gallatin Pike in East Nashville, according to Nashville Guru, which reported the original spot had just 16 seats and offered late-night dining. That East Nashville storefront remains the company's flagship location today. The brand later opened and then closed a Hillsboro Village restaurant near Vanderbilt University, which shut down in June 2023 after a three-year run once its lease concluded, as reported by The Vanderbilt Hustler.
A Steady Push Eastward Toward Wilson County
Nicoletto's expansion toward Mt. Juliet did not happen overnight. The company opened a Donelson storefront at 2619 Lebanon Pike in 2023, featuring outdoor patio dining, an Italian market counter, and delivery reaching as far as Hermitage and the Mt. Juliet border. Planning for a Mt. Juliet presence surfaced even earlier: in February 2024, the Mt. Juliet Planning Commission approved a site plan for a much smaller, 1,185-square-foot Nicoletto's location next to Beniki Nailspa, according to WhatNow.
That original proposal has since given way to a far larger vision. The 11324 Lebanon Road site previously housed an AT&T retail facility before being designated for redevelopment, sitting along the main commercial stretch of Lebanon Road across from major retail anchors. The new restaurant will bring an estimated 15 to 20 full- and part-time jobs to the local area, and Nicoletto's Pasta Co. says it will share hiring and grand-opening updates through its social channels and at nicolettos.com.
Behind the Scenes: A Commissary and Multi-State Supply Chain
The Mt. Juliet expansion sits atop infrastructure most customers never see. Nicoletto's operates a central manufacturing and commissary facility at 1027 Elm Hill Pike in Nashville that supports its fast-casual stores and distribution network, according to the company's own account. That commissary anchors a supply chain that already reaches beyond the restaurant walls: distribution records show Nicoletto's supplies bronze-cut dried pasta and house marinara sauce to specialty grocers in Tennessee, New York and California, along with wholesale restaurant partners such as Lockeland Table in Nashville.
Ryan Nicoletto said the company remains committed to serving family-inspired meals, a sentiment consistent with a brand that still frames its growth around Tony Nicoletto's legacy. Danny Nicoletto's comments about the community energy in Mt. Juliet suggest the brothers see the suburb as more than just a convenient real estate opportunity.
Why Mt. Juliet, Why Now
The timing lines up with Mt. Juliet's rapid growth. The city's population climbed 14.9%, from 39,308 residents at the 2020 census to an estimated 45,172 by 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Mt. Juliet also carries a median household income of $107,068, positioning it among the most affluent communities in Wilson County, per data from the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce.
That combination of population growth and spending power has made the city an increasingly attractive target for Nashville-born hospitality brands looking to follow their customers into the suburbs. For Nicoletto's, the Lebanon Road project represents both a bet on that growth and the culmination of a expansion path that began with a 700-square-foot East Nashville storefront more than a decade ago. The exact fall 2026 opening date has not yet been set, with construction and permitting still underway.
