The 7,000-square-foot building is taking shape within GreenGate in Short Pump. (Mike Platania photos)
The newest concept from EAT Restaurant Partners is nearing completion in Short Pump ahead of its planned opening in the coming months.
The locally based restaurant group is set to open Civita Italia Ristorante & Bar at the GreenGate development in June.
Civita will occupy a new 7,000-square-foot building under construction at 3401 Haydenpark Lane. EAT has been working on the new Italian spot since the fall of 2024 and began work at the site last year after buying the 0.2-acre plot for $1.2 million, according to Henrico County records.
While Civita is the name of a small town in Italy’s Calabria region, EAT President Chris Tsui said Civita Italia’s menu will be driven not by a regional style of Italian food, but rather by EAT chef Kevin LaCivita.
“He’s a classically French-trained chef. I’ve loved his cooking for 20-some years and now have the opportunity to open a restaurant with him,” Tsui said. “There’s a broad choice of food. We’re not specifically narrowing into one region.”
Details around specific menu items aren’t yet available, but Tsui said Civita will serve fresh pasta and include a bar, lounge area and outdoor patio. Tsui said it’ll be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Civita is the company’s first new concept since it introduced Wong’s Tacos in 2019 and will add to EAT’s long-standing presence in GreenGate, which was developed about a decade ago by Markel | Eagle. EAT’s Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi was among GreenGate’s first tenants in 2017, and in 2019 EAT added a Wong’s Tacos at the mixed-use development.
Civita is expected to open around the same time as another new EAT location nearby: its Lucky AF sushi concept in the former Baker’s Crust space in Short Pump Town Center.
In addition to the Short Pump restaurants, EAT is also finishing up work on a new-construction restaurant for Wong’s Tacos in Hanover, and on Forest Hill it’s working on another Lucky AF in The Evelyn, a mixed-use building across from Little Nickel.
Once all the new spots are open, the group will have 16 restaurants in the Richmond region, plus a Wong’s spot in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Dining and Cooking