Popular Italian restaurant with New Jersey roots coming to downtown Delray Beach

The popular New Jersey restaurant, Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse, will soon be making its way down to South Florida. This fall, Gabriella’s Modern Italian will be bringing their extensive food and drink menu to downtown Delray Beach.

Slightly different in name and concept, the new restaurant is slated to open in October and will be located on NE Seventh Avenue about a block north of East Atlantic Avenue.

Owner Frankie Brusco said the South Florida iteration, while promising the same great ambience and lively atmosphere, will lean a little bit "more Italian, less steakhouse." He said he believes the "clientele down there will appreciate that."

Downtown Delray Beach felt like home for New Jersey-based owner

Settling on Delray Beach for the new Gabriella's wasn't a tough choice for Brusco. "It feels like home away from home," he said. Not only does he have family who have lived in the area for 30 years, he sees people flocking to South Florida from the north and others who come for winter.

"I feel like Delray Beach is an extension Monmouth County (where Gabriella's Italian Steakhouse is located in New Jersey)," Brusco said.

The restaurant is all new construction that will have both indoor dining and a covered patio with seating for 60 guests. And in a town that runs tight on parking, Gabriella's will have its own parking area.

The Celano Design Studio Co. out of Manhattan is behind the restaurant's look and Brusco promises "it will be one of the prettiest restaurants in the area."

As far as the menu goes, Brusco said that it will offer "the best of Gabriella's."

Popular dishes from the Red Bank, New Jersey location will be making their way to Delray Beach, he said.

That includes truffle ricotta, spicy rigatoni, firecracker shrimp and bistecca alla fiorentina (a 40-ounce, 45-day dry aged, porterhouse, served with steak fries, garlic confit, preserved lemon, bone marrow and parsley salad) for two.

In addition, expect to see seafood, pasta dishes, salads and much more.

Brusco said he wants to open ahead of season and is shooting for an October debut. He expects a soft opening first serving dinner only, but plans to eventually open for lunch as well.

The name "Gabriella's" references the New Jersey location's co-owner, Gabriella Varshavsky. When the two were starting the restaurant in 2019, he says he joked with Gabriella: "You pick the name as long as I can run it."

Brusco said they will be bringing down a chef, managers and servers to both work the Delray Beach restaurant and to train new employees. He laughed about getting servers from New Jersey to move to South Florida saying "you mention to a 25- or 30-year-old if they want to move to Florida and you can't find real estate fast enough."

Gabriella's Modern Italian coming to Delray Beach

What: Gabriella's Modern Italian

Where: 40 NE Seventh Ave., Delray Beach

When: opening fall 2024

Information: gabriellasfl.com

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New Jersey-based Italian restaurant to open in downtown Delray Beach