Acclaimed restaurateurs Victor and Jake Rallo plan to open Rallo Alimentari & Focacceria at 187 Riverside Ave. in Red Bank early next year, transforming the former Bridge Avenue Gas Station into a Milanese-style café.
The all-day eatery will pay homage to Victor Rallo’s “deep love for Italian people, food, wine and culture,” according to Jake Rallo.”
Victor Rallo added, “Rallo is a passion project inspired by my many years of traveling to Italy and experiencing its way of life. I’ve always wanted to bring a piece of that experience home to New Jersey. Inspired by my favorite Italian cafés, Rallo will be simple and elegant — a place that captures the heart of Italian café culture and feels like home.”
The café will offer different culinary experiences throughout the day. Morning service will feature espressos, cappuccinos, americanos, lattes, pastries and sparkling waters. Jake Rallo will lead the pastry program, creating European laminated pastries.
The menu will transition to focaccia sandwiches for lunch, then shift to an evening program featuring wine, negronis and Campari-based beverages paired with seasonal small plates.
The menu will include quintessential Italian ingredients such as cured meats, mozzarella, pesto and ricotta, though specific sandwich offerings have not been finalized.
The 30-seat interior will feature a Milanese aesthetic with marble, wood and Italian tile, along with an open kitchen where guests can watch staff making mozzarella, baking pastries and preparing sandwiches.
Outdoor seating will include custom fire pits and a large garage door that opens to the exterior.
The restaurant will offer both full-service dining and takeout options. Exact operating hours have not been determined.
Architectural firm Mancini Duffy is handling the project. The opening timeline is not firm, but January is the projected target.
Rallo Alimentari & Focacceria is expected to open at 187 Riverside Ave. in Red Bank early next year.Mancini Duffy
The Rallos currently own Birravino in Red Bank, the French-inspired River Pointe Inn and Undici, both in Rumson, and Pastavino in Staten Island. The family restaurant business was established by Victor Rallo Sr. in 1963.
Jake Rallo said what brings him the most delight working side-by-side with his father is “being able to share our passion for food and hospitality together while carrying on the legacy my grandfather started.”
Chef Victor Rallo is also a celebrated wine critic and television personality who hosted the PBS series, Eat! Drink! Italy! with Vic Rallo.
Jake Rallo, a Cornell University Nolan School of Hotel Administration alumnus, won first place in a blind wine-tasting competition at École hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland while representing Cornell.
He manages the family’s River Pointe Inn on a daily basis while overseeing initiatives across the family business.
Victor Rallo’s daughter Eli Rallo is a viral TikTok creator, author and podcast host.
Victor Rallo (left) and his son Jake Rallo at their restaurant, River Pointe Inn in Rumson.
January 28, 2026Amanda Brown| For NJ Advance Media
Dining and Cooking