Osteria Novella, a new Italian restaurant from Bar Corallini chef Giovanni Novella and Evan Ackers, is set to open on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The restaurant, which will specialize in handmade pasta, brick oven-fired pizza and limoncello cocktails, will hold its grand opening four months after taking over the space formerly occupied by Novanta, a Neapolitan pizzeria, at The Quarry Apartments, 2903 University Ave.
Hours will be Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. The dining room and the bar seats about 70, with plans to open patio seating in the warmer months.
For Osteria Novella, chef Novella takes many of the specials from Bar Corallini, where he still has an ownership stake. He’s also adding family recipes like eggplant fritters, an antipasti dish made with ricotta, breadcrumbs and sundried tomato pesto. The recipe comes from Novella’s mom.
Osteria Novella owners Evan Ackers, left, and Giovanni Novella met while working at Bar Corallini, a popular Italian restaurant on Atwood Avenue.
ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
Novella and Ackers met at Bar Corallini, 2004 Atwood Ave., an Italian restaurant concept from the Food Fight group. Prior to this Novella was the executive chef at Cento, another Italian restaurant from Food Fight, then Fresco at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
He opened Bar Corallini with Food Fight in 2019. Ackers, who managed that restaurant, will run the bar and front of house. Bar Corallini will remain open and Novella intends to stay involved there.
On University, Ackers and Novella kept the brick oven from Novanta, replacing the restaurant name with their own on the oven’s face. The interior — meant to evoke tiles and colors from Novella’s grandmother’s house and childhood in Sorrento, just south of Naples in Italy — was designed by Madison creative agency Art + Sons.
Art + Sons designed the interior of Bar Corallini and created the logo for Novella’s eponymous limoncello brand. The restaurant logo — along with artwork in the bathrooms — was inspired by an Italian card game called Scopa.
One of the most distinct features lives high above the bar area in a small inlet, where there’s a sculpture of a hand holding a lemon. Novella said that’s intended to be his grandmother’s hand.
Above the bar is a little secret: a hand holding a lemon. The hand was sculpted to look like chef and owner Giovanni Novella’s grandmother’s hand.
ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
Osteria Novella
2903 University Ave.
(608) 230-6877
osterianovella.com
HOURS: Monday-Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 4-10 p.m.
Novella’s mom, a tailor, sewed the cushion covers for the chairs in Italy. “She sent them over because I wanted a piece of something she made in my restaurant,” he said.
On the Thursday before opening, the staff surprised Novella with dozens of photos of his family, from his relatives back in Italy to his wife and three kids in Madison, to be hung around the restaurant.
Novella aims for his restaurant to be both family-friendly and worthy of special occasions. The restaurant has an open kitchen and Novella plans to be a prominent figure in the dining room, getting to know his new west side patrons.
“It’s not all about food — it’s about the whole experience,” said Novella. “You can come with your nice suit, sit at the bar and have a meeting, or the family across the street can come here and just enjoy, enjoy the restaurant.”
Chef Giovanni Novella cut pasta at his new restaurant, Osteria Novella. Fresh pasta is one of the cornerstones of the menu.
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Chef Giovanni Novella portioned out servings of chocolate budino, one of the dessert offerings at Osteria Novella.
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Tanner Gattenby pulls down a decal for the door at Osteria Novella, a new Italian restuarant on University Avenue.
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Chef Giovanni Novella cut pasta while a sous chef arranged nests of individual servings at Osteria Novella.
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Osteria Novella has photos past and present of chef and owner Giovanni Novella’s family.
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Chef Giovanni Novella rolled out pasta dough to be cut in the kitchen at Osteria Novella.
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Chef and Osteria Novella owner Giovanni Novella owns an eponymously named limoncello brand. Limoncello will be featured in the cocktails at the new rstaurant.
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Osteria Novella is a new Italian restaurant at 2903 University Ave.
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Chef Giovanni Novella held a nest of freshly cut pasta made at Osteria Novella.
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One of the photos of chef and owner Giovanni Novella’s family that’ll be hung at Osteria Novella.
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Two large pots of meatballs get the low and slow treatment at Osteria Novella.
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Staff surprised chef and owner Giovanni Novella by hanging photos of his family throughout his new restaurant, Osteria Novella. Pictured is a photo of his grandmother hanging in the dining room.
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Chef and owner Giovanni Novella said he wants the restaurant to feel warm and inviting for families, but still occasion-worthy for special nights.
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A stamp with the logo for Osteria Novella, a new Italian restuarant on Madison’s west side.
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The blue and green tiles used throughout the restaurant are reminiscent of patterns and colors chef and owner Giovanni Novella grew up around in Italy.
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The interior of Osteria Novella was designed by Art & Sons, a creative agency based in Madison.
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The chocolate budino at Osteria Novella is served with sea salt, caramel, and homemade whipped cream.
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Ashley Rodriguez is a features reporter for the Cap Times. Ashley writes about food and culture in the Madison region. Email story ideas and tips to Ashley at adrodriguez@captimes.com.
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Dining and Cooking