Pizzeria Libretto and Porchetta and Co. to open side-by-side restaurants along King West’s trattoria-thon strip
Remember when Pizzeria Libretto featured a delicious pizza inspired by Porchetta and Co.? Well, that moment of food nirvana is about to hit the city again, only in a much bigger way: Libretto and Porchetta are set to open new locations next door to each other on King West next year. Nick auf der Mauer (owner of Porchetta and Co.) and Max Rimaldi (co-owner of Pizzeria Libretto) have confirmed to us that they are expanding with separate restaurants that will be attached at the hip. The new restaurants will be located somewhere between Bathurst and Spadina, where there’s no shortage of competition—Buca, Buonanotte, Cibo Wine Bar, Gusto 101, Scarpetta and Tutti Matti are all within walking distance.
Neither expansion comes as a surprise: Rimaldi announced a series of new Librettos last year, and Porchetta has been perpetually packed since it first opened three years ago. Both proprietors admitted that they’re pretty pumped about the combo. “We both really love what the other does,” auf der Mauer said. “We feel that the cohesiveness of our brands would work really well beside each other.”
“I’m Nick’s biggest fan,” Rimaldi said.
The new Libretto and the new Porchetta will remain true to their respective brands, but auf der Mauer’s new shop will be a bit roomier, and it will be licensed to sell alcohol, too. It’s still too early to tell exactly when either restaurant will open, but the goal is for sometime in 2014.
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