At DiMaggio’s, start with a lemony and herbaceous order of clams oreganata.
Sara Crocker
Mountains of pasta, gobs of gooey mozzarella and briny mussels fortified in butter are coming to The Grove. DiMaggio’s Italian Restaurant, a popular Scottsdale spot serving East Coast-style Italian-American dishes, is on the move.
Former New Yorkers Brandon and Michele Gioffre started their culinary careers in the Valley in 2021 with A Taste of Italy. They quickly became a farmers market staple thanks to their hand-pulled mozzarella, zeppole fried to order and pantry of Italian ingredients.
The next year, they took over The Blind Pig, a restaurant off Hayden and Osborn roads. There, they kept some menu staples and infused their style of Italian cooking. Over time, they changed the name and introduced their customers to DiMaggio’s.
The restaurant is among Phoenix New Times’ favorite Italian restaurants. Now, the family wants to expand.
“We grew out of that place real quick,” Brandon Gioffre says.
They closed the original location on Oct. 12 and will reopen on Saturday, just over four miles north at The Grove.
Adding a ‘Godfather table’ and Florentine steaks
DiMaggio’s will replace Fratelli la Bufala, a fellow Italian joint that closed in September. It joins a collection of dining options that includes Obon Sushi Bar Ramen and Luci’s at The Grove. This new space features more than twice as many seats inside and out, including what Gioffre calls “The Godfather table,” a 15-person booth that will host a chef’s table-like experience.
There’s more room in the kitchen, too, which includes a wood-fired oven. Gioffre plans to add “some really old-school, traditional Southern Italian dishes,” such as roast chicken and salt-encrusted whole fish, to the menu, along with fresh-baked bread and a few pizzas.
Originally, pastas took center stage at DiMaggio’s, with fat ribbons of pappardelle cloaked in a rich ragù and baked rigatoni packed with cheese and sausage, layered with the skill of a brick mason. Now, the kitchen will add more meats to the menu, like double-cut pork chops and shareable Florentine steak. In the future, DiMaggio’s will offer lunch service and revive its popular brunch.
Though the menu will evolve, DiMaggio’s moody, Little Italy-inspired trattoria feel will remain. Expect rich paint colors, cozy booths, dark woods and dim lighting to match. Those elements make the restaurant feel like “one of those little red sauce joints that’s been there for 100 years, “ Gioffre says.
“A lot of people say (if) the Rat Pack was still alive, this is the place that they would come,” he adds.
The decor and the restaurant’s name were both inspired by a regular who became a business partner. Frank DiMaggio is a former professional baseball player who is related to the Yankee great Joe DiMaggio. He and his wife, Lauren Wallace DiMaggio, run the custom construction and design company MDF Development. Their renovation of the dining room helped the restaurant level up.
“Now the restaurant and the appearance match that food that was coming out,” Gioffre says, and they’ll do the same at their new spot.
The owners have their sights set on further growth, with plans to open several locations around the Valley in the future. For now, they’re focused on opening what Gioffre calls their flagship location.
“We’re very grateful to everybody that comes in, and we treat everybody like family,” Gioffre says. “When everyone comes in, they feel like they’re coming to our house. It’s amazing.”
DiMaggio’s
Reopening Oct. 18
7300 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, Scottsdale
Dining and Cooking