Viron Rondo Osteria, the popular Cheshire restaurant, has won town approval for a major expansion that will add roughly 20,000 square feet to the property, including about 17,000 square feet of what owner Viron Rondo calls a secret garden. The Cheshire Planning and Zoning Commission approved the application unanimously in October.
As reported by the New Haven Register, the restaurant's team satisfied the concerns of the town engineer and the water pollution control authority, according to meeting minutes. Rondo said town approval has been received and one approval remains pending. Cheshire Town Planner Hiram Peck said the plan still requires approval from the Connecticut Department of Transportation before construction can begin. Rondo said he hopes to begin construction this winter once that approval comes through, with a goal of wrapping up the first phase by late summer or early fall.
What's Actually Being Built
The expansion site spans approximately 5.28 acres at 1704-1755 Highland Avenue, encompassing the existing 1.63-acre restaurant property at 1721 Highland Avenue and an adjacent 1.68 acres at 1755 Highland Avenue that Rondo bought last year. Rondo has called this round of work the first phase of a larger plan, and it will add about 20,000 square feet overall, including roughly 17,000 square feet of outdoor gardens, an additional outdoor bar, and landscaping meant to shield diners from road noise. The expanded gardens will include carefully selected native trees, and landscape designer George Anthony Jones, who previously designed the Plantsville Pines gardens in Southington, will design the new space.
The approved plan also calls for about 3,000 square feet of added kitchen space and roughly 70 new parking spaces, which would bring the restaurant's total to 262 spaces, including seven ADA-sized spots. The expansion was approved through a special permit modification, the same mechanism that governed the terrace work the commission weighed earlier this year.
An Earlier, Larger-Sounding Version Of The Plan
A June courant.com report described a secret garden expansion at the restaurant.
The timeline shifted in the months since. A Patch report noted that in late October the commission was still continuing a public hearing on the special-permit modification for the terrace expansion, with an extension requiring the hearing to close by Dec. 23. A Citizen Portal account reports that permits for a terrace expansion were approved on July 16, 2025.
Buying Up The Block
Rondo's appetite for Highland Avenue real estate predates this expansion. In June 2025, he bought two buildings totaling 18,000 square feet at 1755 Highland Avenue for $2.8 million, according to CoStar. Separately, VF Offices LLC purchased the 48,000-square-foot office building at 1781 Highland Avenue in February 2025 before also acquiring the 1755 Highland Avenue property.
The Restaurant
The osteria serves Italian food with Mediterranean influences and uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients. It employs 170 people.
The osteria serves Italian food with Mediterranean influences and uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients. It employs 170 people.
