Pazzo Ristorante Is (Sort of) Closing After 25 Years in Downtown

After nearly 25 years in downtown, old-school Italian spot Pazzo Ristorante will soon serve its last noodle. Operating on the ground floor of Kimpton Hotel Vintage, at 627 SW Washington, Pazzo will close after New Year’s Day brunch, when construction will begin on a yet-to-be-named restaurant to open in its place later in 2018.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same: According to the press release, the new restaurant will be helmed by current Pazzo executive chef, Kenny Giambalvo, and serve “old school New York Italian food.” Giambalvo’s first tenure at Pazzo was in the early ‘90s, before he went on to cook at the upscale Bluehour. Just how the new spot will differentiate itself from Pazzo will be something to watch.

This is the second restaurant revamp by Kimpton in the past month: Three Degrees will also close this winter to make way for a new concept, inside Kimpton Riverplace Hotel. Eater reached out to the hotel group to see whether there’s a larger plan at work. Kimpton representative Allison Ferré says it was just a matter of timing, as the two restaurants operate independently.

During the months Pazzo is under construction, its neighboring Bacchus bar and lounge will beef up its food program for all meals, including grab-and-go breakfast items.

Dina Avila/Pazzo

• Pazzo Risterante [Official]
• Pazzo Restaurant Will Shutter to Make Way for Unnamed Kenny Giambalvo Project [Merc]
• All Previous Pazzo Coverage [EPDX]