There’s always money in pizza, pasta, and wine; just ask the folks behind Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana. That longstanding restaurant group, known for its blistered pies and fine-casual ambiance, is branching out next week with a stunner of a new space at Laguna Niguel’s Ocean Ranch Village called simply Bottega Angelina.
Owners Shokoufeh and Filippo Fusco have completely overhauled this 10,000 square foot space (3,000 of which is outdoors) with guidance from Kelly Architects (Tatel, Soulmate, Gucci Osteria) and Shawmut Design and Construction . Together they’ve opened up the possibilities of what a restaurant can and should feel like in 2021, peeling back walls to showcase ocean views and dousing the main dining room in gold-tinted, blue-tinged opulence. The entire tan and taupe-toned property offers some 350 seats, including an on-site cafe and marketplace for retail items, coffee drinks, and takeaway goods and pastries.
The menu is still being pulled together for the formal opening next week, but expect options from across the Italian spectrum. There will be pizzas, of course, some with touches of truffle on top, plus pastas, simple starters like prosciutto and pickled figs, and plenty of desserts and cocktails to go around.