A new Italian restaurant and retail pasta shop opens in San Diego's East Village this week. Monzù Fresh Pasta will serve authentic fresh pasta among other dishes and will offer a retail section featuring an assortment of raw fresh pastas to cook at home, imported Italian delicatessen products and San Diego made foods.
Six months after first announcing plans to enter San Diego’s East Village, new restaurant and retail concept Monzù Fresh Pasta will open on Tuesday, May 22, followed by a public Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, June 2. Monzù is the family-owned creation of European husband-wife team Aldo de Dominicis Rotondi and Serena Romano, who share a strong belief in the Slow Food movement. Having trained with Italy’s master pasta makers, de Dominicis Rotondi and Romano will lead the kitchen in creating Monzu’s all-day menu, which will follow centuries-old pasta making techniques and flavors inspired by regions including Sicily, Campania and Puglia.
"We are so excited to bring the flavors of Italy to San Diego," said Monzù co-owner Serena Romano. "We fell in love with this city when we visited years ago and we knew it would be the perfect place for our new adventure. San Diegans are conscious of their food choices and always willing to explore new flavors, which Monzu will serve plenty of."
Among a diverse pasta menu, staples like the fried Raviolo Fritto Cacio e Pepe and Signature Neapolitan Scarpiello are primed to become favorites. Monzù will also offer daily specials and weekly-changing regional recipes, and several dishes will cater to dairy-free, low-gluten and vegan diets. For diners who cannot decide, Monzù Fresh Pasta will serve pasta flights comprised of the guest’s choice of three items from the day’s menu.
For those hoping to bring the experience home, Monzù will offer "cotto" (cooked) and "crudo" (raw) fresh pastas for home preparation and a retail section wherein guests will find imported delicatessen items like extra virgin olive oil, panettone, taralli and more alongside San Diego products such as Farv’s Pickles. Monzù will also offer wholesale pasta to local restaurants and food service businesses.
To celebrate its opening, on Saturday, June 2, from 11am to 9pm, Monzù Fresh Pasta will host a Grand Opening party featuring complimentary tastes of chef's whim pasta creations - no purchase necessary. A sampling of this day's pop-up pastas are expected to span from crispy fried stuffed ravioli and chocolate-filled ravioli to novel pasta cupcakes and more. During its Grand Opening Monzù will also offer twenty percent off purchases of the restaurant’s retail selection of specialty foods.
During a short soft opening phase, the eatery and retail shop will be cash only. Monzù is located at 455 Tenth Avenue in the space that last housed Rustic Meatballs. For more information, visit monzufreshpasta.com and check out the menu below.
