Williamsburg can Say ‘Ciao!’ to Another Lella Alimentari

Lella Alimentari is opening a second location in Williamsburg.

What Now NY connected with Lella Alimentari’s owner Massimiliano Nanni over the phone and via an email Q&A to learn more about the new location.

“Basically our concept is based on simplicity,” said Nanni. “We built a business that we want to work in every day. The ambiance is very comfortable, full of knick knacks that we have collected over the years at various garage sales upstate.”

Nanni mentioned going to antique shows all over the Northeast to pick up furniture and design elements for the business. His wife Paola Citterio , a set designer and artist, leads the design plans of Lella Alimentari.

Hailed by Bon Appétit for its welcoming environment, Lella Alimentari has become very popular in the Williamsburg area. Its growing demand has led to the opening of a second location.

“The place is small and cozy, we can seat about thirty people at the bar,” Nanni wrote. “The kitchen will be located upstairs with three small bistro tables and one community table. The floor upstairs will be utilized as pop classes (Monday-Wednesday). Downstairs we will have corner booths with tables, and seven bar stools surrounding the bar where you can eat as well.”

While Lella Alimentari will focus primarily on lunch, the menu will look different day-to-day. There will be no fixed menu, so menu offerings will be at the discretion of whatever the team chooses to create that day. Nanni mentioned that comfort foods like lasagna and cannelloni will be frequent offerings.

The speciality of the place is the “piadina”, an italian flat bread. Over the phone, Nanni mentioned that he expects Lella Alimentari to make upwards of 1,400 piadina a week.

Nanni shared plans to apply for a full liquor license application in the future to serve aperitifs.

This location of Lella Alimentari will be open seven days a week as a cafeteria from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Thursday through Sunday it will serve dinner from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. On the nights when dinner is not available, the upstairs area will be used to prepare for the week’s services. Sometimes, the space will be available for pop-ups including cooking and mixology classes.

Nanni has been behind other restaurants across the city including Celestino, Saraghina and Union Pizza Works . Lella Alimentari’s currently opened location is also in Williamsburg at 325 Manhattan Ave. Nanni is thinks this new location has a promising location in a high-foot-traffic area.

As a family business, Nanni wants guests to come in and feel like they know where to find him. Hospitality is something he cares a great deal about.

“I am excited for what we are going to do at this location,” Nanni said. “This is a really great opportunity, and we want to turn it into a place for everybody. We won’t be in competition with any neighbors because what we are doing is so specific to us and our heritage.”

Lella Alimentari on Havemeyer St. is aiming to open at the end of September.

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