UPPER WEST SIDE — The West Village-based Italian restaurant and bakery Risotteria, which describes itself as a "gluten-free heaven," is opening a new outpost on Amsterdam Avenue this spring, the owner said.
The new restaurant is under construction on Amsterdam Avenue at West 78th Street, taking the space of Westway Food Market, the corner store which closed in late June. Risotteria hopes to open by early April, said owner Joseph Pace.
It will be "bigger and sleeker, but with the same quality handmade foods as Bleecker," he said in an email, referring to the restaurant's original location in the West Village.
As with the Bleecker Street spot, risotto will be the centerpiece of the menu at the new location, along with Neapolitan pizza and Paninis — all of which are gluten-free. The Amsterdam Avenue restaurant will also sell gluten-free baked goods, including homemade ciabatta, cupcakes, pound cake and bread sticks, among other items.
But the selections won't stop there, Pace noted.
"We are expanding the menu into grilled items and pastas — all gluten-free, many dairy and sugar-free and more strictly veggie-made [dishes]," he said.
The new Upper West Side outpost will seat about 50 people for lunch and dinner, but also have a fully stocked freezer full of homemade gluten-free Italian meals, Pace added. It will also offer takeout and delivery.
Pace opened the original Risotteria on Bleecker Street in 1999.
