Ripieno's has big plans for its Italian restaurant coming to north Salisbury. All to know.

Construction is underway on Ripieno's Ristorante Italiano, coming soon to Salisbury, Maryland.

The authentic Italian restaurant, a spinoff from Ripieno's Italian Bistro on 32nd Street in Ocean City, Md., is aiming for a potential grand opening date of Jan. 1, 2025. Owner Kirby DiSeveria said his new restaurant and bar has been a long time coming.

DiSeveria and his father, Michael, purchased the land near Panera Bread and Aldi in north Salisbury prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, which was detrimental to many small businesses across the United States, threw a wrench in their plans.

"The restaurant actually would've been built probably two or three years ago. But, COVID slowed down our construction," he said.

Now, DiSeveria hopes to have construction completed by November or December 2024.

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An elegant Italian dining experience with, maybe, gondolas

The full concept Italian restaurant is being designed to offer an elevated dining experience. It will feature a full-service dining area and bar with 200-plus indoor and outdoor seats, as well as a chef's table, Sicilian room, wine room and private rooms.

The overall aesthetic was what made this particular location stand out above all others to DiSeveria.

"So many people want ambiance, they want an experience. It's not just about the food anymore," he said.

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Ripieno's Ristorante Italiano will be located on the waterfront of Leonard's Mill Pond. DiSeveria said, if permitted, he plans to build a bigger dock that extends into the pond and offer tranquil gondola rides to patrons.

"There's a lot of different aspects of Italy that we can put a little twist on and bring to the states, and give people something to experience that they may not have had a chance to do yet," he said.

Ripieno's has another Salisbury spot open now, a sweet one

In addition to its original Ocean City location, Ripieno's also operates a gelato shop, Bella's Italian Bistro, at 1203 Mount Hermon Road in Salisbury. Bella's offers fresh, homemade gelato and an array of authentic Italian desserts, all of which is outsourced to Ripieno's Italian Bistro.

"Once you have gelato, you kind of want it every day," DiSeveria admitted.

The local business owner shared the fun meaning behind the name Ripieno's.

"It means 'full' or 'stuffed,' " he said. "A lot of our portion sizes are big. So, it lives up to its name."

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Ripieno's in Ocean City was a 'test kitchen' for coming Salisbury venture

Ripieno's Italian Bistro in Ocean City was constructed as a test kitchen, so to speak. If the business did well, then DiSeveria planned to pursue the full concept Italian restaurant further inland in Salisbury.

"You have so many people who come into Ocean City. You're not just getting one demographic. You're getting multiple demographics, multiple critics," he said. "The concept that we have (for Salisbury) is a $6,000,000 project. But, you don't want to invest $6,000,000 on a 'what if.' If (Ripieno's Italian Bistro) failed, it wouldn't have been a huge loss."

Fortunately, the test kitchen succeeded beyond DeSeveria's wildest dreams, drawing in countless customers year-round since 2017. He plans to keep the bistro open as much as possible as construction progresses in Salisbury.

"If we have to, we'll close it for a little bit in the wintertime. But, we're open year-round as of right now. We've always been open year-round," DiSeveria said. "So, our plan is to keep this place up and running in Ocean City."

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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com .

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Ripieno's has big plans for its Italian restaurant coming to north Salisbury. All to know.