A pair of seasoned restaurateurs from notable Bay Area eateries, like AL’s Place and Rooster and Rice, is set to open a new modern Italian restaurant in the Mission District this spring. (Nonetheless: expect Hawaiian-style pies at the new restaurant.)
Nature is, in fact, healing — and San Francisco's beloved dining scene, too, is coming back from the brink.
New taprooms are opening. Additional, yet-menued Mexican restaurants are expected to grace the Castro. Watering holes are finding continued success in offering to-go cocktails. And sometime in the coming months, San Franciscans can expect a new Italian restaurant to make its way on the scene — pizza-centered Itria, which will take over the former space belonging to now-closed Obispo at 3266 24th Street.
As reported by Eater SF, Itria will initially open and serve five types of pan pizza — one among them being a roasted pineapple, bacon, and Fresno chili pepper pie… which reads like an upscale Hawaiian pizza — and is set to open this spring at the former address of Thad Vogler’s short-lived Caribbean-themed bar. However, if Damnfine's popular opening in the Outer Sunset this year is any evidence: Itria’s business model should prove successful.
Itria’s square-shaped pizzas are also likely to attract local curious foodies; Instagram uploads of the restaurant’s test Detroit-like pizzas prove that the square shape descriptor is more suggestive than anything.
“I wanted to make a dough that’s almost better after spending 20 minutes in a pizza box,” said Daniel Evers, whose cheffing career has seen him at the kitchen of AL's Place and the "pasta-obsessed" Cotogna, to the food media outlet. Evers has also partnered with Min Park — an industry expert whose experience sits in operations and marketing for restaurants like Rooster and Rice and Bonchon — to help see the concept to fruition and future success.
When it does open, Itria will start life like other pandemic-born eateries: The restaurant will only be open for takeout and delivery and, later in the summer, will open for indoor dining. In the warmer months, Itria plans to expand its menu to include, among other things, hand-selected wines, housemade pasta, and an ever-changing selection of crudo. (The pan pizzas aren't going anywhere and will probably include additional types, each meant to take full advantage of the style’s "crisp-on-bottom, bubbly-on-top" crust.)
To stay updated on Itria’s opening plans, sign up for the restaurant's newsletter on www.itriasf.com. Currently, Itria's only active social media handle is on Instagram.
Image: Courtesy of Instagram via @itriasf
