An Italian restaurant from two seasoned metro Atlanta restaurateurs is expected to open on the Marietta Square by the end of the year.
Gianni & Mac’s Ristorante Piazza Nostra will debut at 85 Church St. in early December. The concept comes from Gianni Betti, the co-owner of Cibo e Beve in Sandy Springs and Toscano Ristorante Italiano in Atlanta Station, and Randy McCray, who owns Mac’s Chophouse and Mac’s Raw Bar on the Marietta Square and co-owns the Mill Kitchen and Bar in Roswell.
Betti is developing the menu, which will include a charcuterie and mozzarella bar where guests can make their own boards from a selection of imported meats, cheeses, mozzarella, olives, fruits and other accompaniments.
Also on offer will be pizzas made with a heritage dough recipe and cooked in an Italian-manufactured pizza oven.
The beverage program will feature craft cocktails made with Italian spirits, espresso martini flights and a selection of Mediterranean and domestic wines.
Credit: Courtesy of Gianni & Mac's
Credit: Courtesy of Gianni & Mac's
Many Gianni and Mac’s recipes will be inspired by Betti’s time growing up in Florence, Italy, including in the butcher shop his father owned and operated for nearly 50 years.
“The Square has an Italian feeling that reminds me of home,” Betti said in a prepared statement. “It reminds me of the places where I would meet friends and family in Italy.” The name “Piazza Nostra” translates to “Our Square.”
The interior, which will seat about 90, will use middle Tuscany colors such as mustard yellow and olive green, McCray said. Gianni & Mac’s will have patio space with seating for about 40 that will open to a park and courtyard area along the railroad tracks that run through downtown Marietta, as well as an attached private event space for about 60 guests.
“We want it to be family-oriented and inviting,” McCray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s not going to be white tablecloth, but it’s going to be elevated.”
McCray said that he and Betti struck up a friendship after dining at each other’s restaurants. “We have the same philosophy and thought process when it comes to running restaurants,” McCray said. “The two things you have to focus on are guest experience and the quality of the product you’re putting out there. We just hit it off.”
McCray, who has been in the restaurant industry for 25 years, said he wasn’t actively looking to open a third concept on the Marietta Square, but he was interested in partnering with Betti to bring an Italian restaurant to the area.
“I live a mile off of the Square, and while it has some decent restaurants, I wanted to elevate it a little but and bring in some other options,” he said. “I’m excited about it becoming a little bit more of a destination.”
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