Bravo! Italian Kitchen in Livonia reopens nearly a year after damaging fire

After shuttering nearly a year ago because of damage from a fire, Bravo! Italian Kitchen in Livonia is marking its grand reopening on Thursday.

In July 2023, the Italian eatery at 17700 Haggerty closed after a fire, believed to have started around the restaurant's freezer and storage area, and smoke damaged the restaurant.

"The fire's origin remains unclear, but officials believe it started around BRAVO's freezer and storage areas," said Emily Bishop, senior vice president of Earl Enterprises, operators of the Bravo. "Fire damaged the restaurant's back area and caused smoke and soot damage in the dining room."

Bravo! Italian Kitchen, known for made-from-scratch modern Italian cuisine with a focus and inspiration from Mediterranean foods and ingredients and the Amalfi Coast, welcomes back guests in a newly remodeled and refurbished space.

“We cannot express how grateful we were for the support the Livonia community showed us. We’d like to especially thank the first responders who helped us when the accident took place, forcing us to close our doors,” Bishop said. "We are so excited to get back to doing what we do best, giving back to our community with our flavorful Italian staples and spectacular hospitality.”

Buca di Beppo, Chicken Guy! and Brio Italian Grille are a few other brands under the Earl Enterprises portfolio of restaurant operations.

Bravo! Italian Kitchen returns with a menu of fresh, homemade Italian specialties made in the restaurant's Italian brick ovens. Menu items include its crafted pasta dishes, premium steaks, fresh seafood and crispy flatbreads.

Many special offerings are returning to the restaurant, including its Sunday brunch. On the brunch menu, served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, are specialties such as its Tuscan sausage scrambler and berries and cream French toast. Brunch cocktails include Bravo’s Sangria Rosa, made with raspberry vodka, picco rosso, fresh pineapple and strawberries served on the rocks.

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Bravo! Italian Kitchen will also resume its happy hour, the company said. Available at the restaurant's wraparound bar, the happy hour menu is served from 3-7 p.m. on weekdays and includes a variety of drinks and small plates, all under $8, including chicken and bacon flatbread and crispy shrimp Napoli. Featured happy hour cocktails are an espresso martini, classic Bravo martini and White Peach Sangria, plus house wines and imported beers.

Also featured is the restaurant's $7 Martini Wednesdays and $7 Wine Thursdays offering a selection of cocktails and wines.

The newly renovated restaurant can accommodate 275 guests in a dining and bar area plus an outdoor patio with two terraces for up to 70 people for al fresco dining. Next to the patio is an area where guests can partake in games of cornhole. The restaurant, on Haggerty between Six Mile and Seven Mile roads, also features private dining rooms for up to 70 guests.

For information and reservations, go to bravoitalian.com or call 734-591-5600.

Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on X (formerly Twitter.) Support local journalism and become a digital subscriber to the Free Press .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bravo! Italian Kitchen in Livonia reopens nearly a year after damaging fire