Fusillo Italian Pasta Opens March 7 in St. Pete's EDGE District

Fusillo Italian Pasta opened its doors March 7 at 905 Central Avenue in St. Pete's EDGE District, filling a roughly 700-square-foot space that sat vacant for nearly two years after Nash's Hot Chicken closed. Co-owners Giangiacomo Greco and Alessandro Casali, lifelong friends originally from Rome, marked the occasion with 20% off all pasta on opening day.

The two arrived at this venture by an unconventional route. Before deciding last year to pursue the restaurant, the pair had settled into careers as a military officer and a civil engineer, according to 83 Degrees Media. The concept traces directly to their childhoods: Greco and Casali drew their inspiration from the family meals their nonnas cooked, with the goal of bringing, as they've described it, "the taste of home across the ocean."

Fusillo operates as a fast-casual scratch Italian kitchen built around pasta made fresh every day. "Fusillo is designed to be simple, authentic, and flexible," Casali told St. Pete Rising. "We'll have a main counter where people can order fresh pasta to eat inside or take back to the office or home. All of our pasta will be handmade every day." The name itself is a nod to the spiral-shaped pasta.

The menu leans on classic Italian preparations served al dente, with carbonara among the grab-and-go options. Desserts include affogato, espresso poured over ice cream, and Torta della Nonna, a lemony tart filled with Italian pastry cream and topped with toasted pine nuts. The format is designed to serve nearby residents, office workers, and late-night foot traffic along Central Avenue with equal ease.

The space underwent a full interior renovation before opening and the owners also obtained a beer and wine license as part of their pre-launch preparations. Reported hours place the kitchen open daily at 11 a.m., serving until 9 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends, though St. Pete Rising reported that Fridays and Saturdays could potentially stretch as late as 1 or 2 a.m. Verify current hours directly with Fusillo or through their Instagram before visiting.

"We want guests to feel like they're stepping into a real Italian experience," Casali said, "just on Central Avenue in St. Pete.