Monday, February 12, 2024

[EXCLUSIVE] Local Restaurateur Lands in Soon-to-Lease Lumen Project

In a surprise move, a restaurant already successful OTP is coming ITP for its newest location.  According to a source familiar with the restaurant's plans, Novo Cucina, a popular restaurant from chef Ricardo Ullio, has leased the prized two-story restaurant space at the corner of Clairmont and Briarcliff Roads, developed as part of the new Lumen Briarcliff (3070 Briarcliff Road) multifamily project.  

The original Novo Cucina opened May 2015 in a onetime Pizza Hut in the Publix-anchored Dunwoody Hall shopping center along Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody.  Whereas the current restaurant is 2,900 square feet, leasing materials suggest the new Novo will be about 5,000 square feet over two levels including what promises to be a lively second floor patio.    

In addition to Novo Cucina, Ullio and his "U Restaurants" group also includes Fritti and Sotto Sotto, both along North Highland Avenue in Inman Park.  

Novo Cucina's menu focuses on Italian pizzas and pastas but the restaurant also offers assorted salads, seafood, and steaks as well as coffee options and a full bar.  According to the restaurant's website, Novo "offers the Atlanta area’s only gelato artigianale – handcrafted gelati and sorbetti made from scratch daily with fresh, wholesome milk and cream."  This claim may come as a surprise to some,  Meridith Ford among them, as she was Novo's original gelataia before launching her own gelato shop, Cremalosa, in early 2020 in Decatur.  

The opening of Novo in the Sagamore Hills/Oak Grove area will likely bring some friendly competition to EATaliano Kitchen, another upscale Italian restaurant that opened in late 2016 and is located less than two miles away in Brighten Park.  

ToNeTo Atlanta readers will recall that the Lumen project is coming to an assemblage of land that had been previously pitched as a RaceTrac, Wendy's, and Express Oil Change that was panned by neighbors and later withdrawn.  

In addition to Novo Cucinia, Sugar Polish Nail Bar is also opening in the center.  A site plan from The Shopping Center Group (TCSG), the firm handling the retail leasing of the center, suggests that a 2,810 square foot inline restaurant space remains available.  

The 264 unit Lumen Briarcliff apartment community is currently "pre-leasing" ahead of the complex's first move-ins this spring.  

A source close to the project tells ToNeTo Atlanta that the owners of Novo Cucina currently plan to open the new restaurant later this fall.  

Are you excited about the opening of Novo Cucina near Sagamore Hills?  What other kind of restaurant would you like to see open in Lumen Briarcliff?  What is your favorite Sagamore Hills area restaurant? 

Please share your thoughts below.  

30 comments:

Will Dempsey said...

I liked the restaurant up here in the burbs....enjoyed it a few times.

Anonymous said...

Very excited. The one in Dunwoody is very good. To compare it to Eataliano is way off base. That place is simple bad and far from being actual Italian.

Anonymous said...

That's about as good a restaurant as that area could have hoped for. Novo is excellent and that area has a shortage of good restaurants nearby. I hope they do well there and that the neighborhood supports it.

Riccardo Ullio said...

thank you for the welcome comments, looking forward to serving you

Riccardo Ullio said...

thank you for the welcoming comments, we are looking forward to opening

Anonymous said...

We are so excited for this! Looking forward to becoming a regular. No comparison to Eataliano at all. Eataliano isn’t good.

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to having a new restaurant in both locations since I live in the middle of each location.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful restaurant here in Dunwoody!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree on two points from the other people posting. 1. Novo Cucina in dunwoody is very good. If you have not been there, I would highly recommend checking it out. The place is immaculate in terms of cleanliness, and has real chefs and real ingredients and and they change things up a little bit, seasonally, I would say it is authentic Italian. 2. Eataliano is nothing like Novo Cucina. The Olive Garden is actually better than eataliano. I’ll definitely be checking out the Briarcliff location.

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who lives in Dunwoody and I always choose this as our dinner meeting spot, so since this is closer to me, I’m excited for this!

Anonymous said...

Agree, no comparison!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome. We live in the neighborhood close by and it’s great to see a local chef and quality restaurant coming to our area. Was worried this space would wind up a chain franchise and so glad to see that didn’t happen.

Also 100% agree with all the notes about EATaliano. That place is a disgrace to Italian food and the only thing that must be keeping it open are the heavy pours and the bar flies they attract.

Debbie Malone said...

This is the most amazing news!!! We love Novo so much and now to be able to walk to one of their restaurants ❤️ really looking forward to it!

bofdem said...

@ricardo - we absolutely love Novo.
Unfortunately for us (fortunately for your team) it's super busy and impossible to get tables now...

Anonymous said...

Very happy about this restaurant coming to our area. I went to their location in Dunwoody a few times and it was great!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, I can think of several good restaurants near there off the top of my head. Desta is next door. Upscale places like Sprig or Kindred. Napolean's, the Grove for pub food. Oak Grove Market.

Anonymous said...

Excited and hope for additional first class restaurants in our area!!!!!

Anonymous said...

so glad to hear a 'good', upscale restaurant is coming here. Really, we do not have any/many in this area. My opinion.

Unknown said...

Playa Bowls! Or good sushi!!

Anonymous said...

Happy about Novo. Would like to see a good upscale sushi restaurant. We do not have one nearby.

Anonymous said...

We live in the restaurant desert that is Northlake, so this sounds like an excellent addition to our extended neighborhood. I just hope parking is free and plentiful.

Anonymous said...

So excited to have Novo Cucina close to us. My daughter Lucia (Italian pronunciation) exclaimed with glee as soon as I told her- GELATO!!!!! Welcome to our area!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! Is Desta able to stay in the area?

Anonymous said...

I have been a huge fan of Fritti and Sotto sotto for over 20 years...so excited Ricardo is coming to Oakgrove. We need a fun atmosphere and good food. The roof top is potentially a hip and happening seen. Love it!

Matthew Kramer said...

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Anonymous said...

So excited about this location. Had holiday dinner at Dunwoody location and was as blown away once again. Fritti and Sotto Sotto are always first class

Anonymous said...

Well, it’s just a pizza joint!

Anonymous said...

No, your favorite Papa Johns is that.

Anonymous said...

Excited to have you opening a restaurant so near us!

Anonymous said...

I concur.

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