Tower Bridge Dinner chef to open his East Sacramento Italian restaurant next week

Bocce, a casual Italian restaurant located in the East Sacramento space that formerly housed V. Miller Meats is set to officially open Tuesday.

Chef-owner Joe Pruner, who has been tapped as one of the lead chefs for this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner, has been doing pop-ups since June to drive buzz about the restaurant while he ushered the restaurant through inspections and permitting.

The pop-ups featured items that will be on the final menu, including pizzas, sandwiches and pastas, plus takeaway items in the restaurant’s cold case. He will do one final weekend of pop-ups this weekend, Aug. 29 and 30.

Pruner expected to be able to open in mid-July, but inspections dragged for the restaurant at 4801 Folsom Blvd.

“We finally passed our electrical inspection and got the greenlight to open,” he said.

Bocce will serve the same menu as its pop-ups for the first month, plus a few additional items. Pruner wants to be sure the restaurant is fully up and running with the current menu before he heads to Italy for Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. The Slow Food event runs from September 24 to 27 in Turin.

Starting Tuesday, Sept. 1, the restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the first month. Pruner may expand to Sunday service after that.