MERIDIAN, Idaho (CBS2) — Upscale casual restaurant North Italia is open and ready for your business! The Italian eatery has taken the spot of Twigs at The Village at Meridian. General Manager Brett Hummel shared his excitement for the community to try their scratch-made menu.
“It’s a whole other level, there’s a clear difference with food made from scratch. There are only three things on the menu that are not made here in-house. That is the gelato, the French fries, and the gluten-free crust,” said Hummel. “Even our bartenders come in two hours early and hand juice our juice for our cocktails and our kitchen recipes. We’ve found that all those little extra details really make a huge difference.”
While North Italia is a new concept to Idaho, it is far from new nationwide. The Italian restaurant has 45 other locations across the country.
“We’re just super excited to be here. Out of my four openings, this has probably been the easiest one to do, and that’s just because the people here are so great,” said Hummel. “Everybody in Boise has been really excited about us opening and been really receptive to us. At the end of the day, as much as we are a food business, we are a people business, and we really are big on taking care of people and creating that whole Italian family environment in our restaurant. “
The new spot seats more than 200 people and is equipped with a large outdoor patio. While you can expect homemade Italian food, Hummel says the ambiance deviates from a traditional Italian restaurant.
“A traditional Italian is more dark with the white tablecloth, with the service staff in a suit and tie. We want to be able to create that same experience, but in a little more modern, open, and inviting environment. We feel that the open concept really opens up that opportunity for guests to interact with each other, to see food coming out of the kitchen. Our patio opens up straight to the middle of the Village so whenever they do events, we have some of the best seats in the house. “
A staple of North Italia is their open kitchen, where customers can watch their food being made behind a glass window.
“It’s a really fun experience. We’ve got a lot of kids who go up in the window, and they watch the pizza getting tossed in the air and the pasta getting rolled out. We want to create that Italian feel of home, but with a little bit more of a modern scale.”
While North Italia has many locations, they are sure to tailor each restaurant to its surrounding location.
“Every single restaurant has different murals. This one,” said Hummel, pointing to the wall, “was done by a local artist. If you look at all three of them, the three different colors make the Italian flag and then the background is actually the Friendship Bridge, just to keep it native to Idaho.”
Executive Chef Edo Budijanto says he is excited for customers to experience their seasonal menu.
“With the glass window, there’s no secrets between us. You can see us make our pizza dough, our Bolognese sauce, marinara,’ said Budijanto. “A staple right now is the white truffle bread. That’s like the number one appetizer.”
North Italia is located at 3690 E Monarch Sky Ln STE 100 in Meridian.
“Just come in here and try us out. It’s very elevated dining,” said Budijanto. “You can come in here not just for the food, but the hospitality and our family brand experience with all our staff.”
Click here to view their menu!