Fresh off the opening of the company's first Northern California branch, global Italian food hall & market chain Eataly has all but confirmed they are searching for a space to open a branch in San Diego.
In early 2007, Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti converted a closed vermouth factory in the Northern Italian city of Turin into the first location of Eataly. There are now 41 Eataly locations with stores all around Italy, as well as in Istanbul, Arabia, Japan, Seoul, Stockholm, London, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas, and the recently-opened location at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Silicon Valley, CA.
Described as a "megastore", the Eataly concept combines elements of a European market, an upscale supermarket, and a high-end food court. Following rumors Eataly was actively searching for an ideal location to open a San Diego branch, we reached out to the company, which essentially confirmed the gossip.
Eataly's first New York City branch is over 50,000 square-feet in size, with Chicago's clocking in at over 63,000 square-feet of retail space, so the company does tend to require a substantial footprint. The new The Collection at UTC could have been an ideal suitor, but there is already an Italian marketplace and eatery dubbed Pazza Market & Cucina set to open as part of the under-development Westfield UTC-adjacent retail, entertainment, restaurant, and office compound.
Could Fashion Valley Mall be the ideal San Diego location for an Eataly? What about Liberty Station? Westfield Mission Valley? Only time will tell.
For more information about Eataly, visit eataly.com.
