The husband-and-wife team behind Pomodoro Italian Kitchen, recently named the Triangle's best Italian restaurant, is opening a second concept called Compa Pizza & Pasta in North Durham's Latta Park development. Carlo and Josephine Finazzo describe the new spot as a neighborhood restaurant built around handmade pasta, pizza and genuine hospitality.
According to The News & Observer, Compa takes its name from a Sicilian expression that Josephine Finazzo says means brotherhood or best friend. She described the new restaurant as founded on that same spirit of brotherhood and friendship, and said Latta Park felt like the perfect home for it because of its strong sense of community. The couple already runs Pomodoro, which serves Italian-American dishes including pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads, and which readers of The News & Observer voted the Triangle's best Italian restaurant earlier this year.
A 2,640-Square-Foot Spot Joins a Growing Retail Row
Compa's restaurant will occupy 2,640 square feet within Latta Park, where it will serve the surrounding North Durham community alongside tenants that include Publix and Chipotle, both already open, and Ideal Dental, which is still under construction, the same News & Observer report notes. The dossier's timing details for Compa conflict: one News & Observer report states the restaurant is aiming for a soft opening during the first week of December, while a separate WRAL report lists Compa among openings expected in early 2027.
Compa won't be the only new addition to the development's food lineup. WRAL reports that Bull City Burger Outpost, an expansion of Seth Gross's Bull City Burger and Brewery, has also signed a lease at Latta Park and is scheduled to open in early 2027 with beer-garden-style outdoor seating, a yard-game lawn, soft serve and an expanded breakfast menu featuring biscuit sandwiches and a coffee bar.
Latta Park's Larger Build-Out Continues
Latta Park itself is a mixed-use project on the north end of Durham being developed by Crosland Southeast, according to Shopping Center Business. The project's first phase spans 10 acres and includes a 42,240-square-foot Publix along with 12,580 square feet of additional retail space, the trade outlet reports. Per the development's own site, the broader plan envisions a walkable Northern Durham neighborhood with a 20-acre residential community and a 10-acre retail center, with the retail area integrating green space, multi-use trails, public art and a food truck terrace.
Future phases of the 30-acre community are planned to include 176 townhomes built by Tri Pointe Homes, Shopping Center Business notes. Crosland Southeast is also investing $2 million in infrastructure improvements at the intersection of Guess and Latta roads to support the growing development. As Compa and Bull City Burger Outpost prepare to join Publix and Chipotle on site, Latta Park is shaping up as one of North Durham's busiest new commercial corners.
