Risata Cucina Opens in Robbinsdale, Bringing Italian Pasta to Historic 1906 Building

Brendan Denne and Bryan Gooding spent years helping other people open restaurants across the Twin Cities. On March 9, they finally opened their own.

Risata Cucina took over the century-old brick building at 4168 W. Broadway Ave. in Robbinsdale, the same space that last housed Nonna Rosa's. The circa-1906 structure came with tin ceilings, vintage framed family photos, and layers upon layers of old wallpaper to strip away. Denne and Gooding put in months of renovation work, retiling the kitchen floor and the floor of the small eight-seat bar, buying new tables and chairs, and upgrading the electrical in a building that's more than 100 years old. A loan covered the essentials. The rest they handled themselves, and the plumber became a regular. "Our plumber kind of hates us now because every time he comes into the building, it's just like, hey, there's three more things we need done," Gooding said.

The motivation was straightforward. "It was always the end goal, to open our own place," Denne said. Between the two of them, Gooding has worked at more than 40 restaurants over three decades, starting at a southern-suburbs pizza spot at age 14. Denne's résumé isn't far behind. Their combined credits include Travail Kitchen and Amusements, Lake and Irving, Martina, Bar Mara, and Daniel del Prado, which puts them in the thick of the Twin Cities' most talked-about restaurant history of the last 15 years. Gooding framed the shift to ownership simply: "It's easier to work 80 hours for yourself than 50 for somebody else. You don't mind. Because you're building something."

The menu at Risata centers on pasta, all of it handmade with Italian flour and priced around $20. Fusilli with beef cheek ragù, carrot agnolotti in a brown butter sauce, and fettuccine scampi with smoked bay scallop are among the options, alongside pork shoulder all'Amatriciana. Beyond pasta, the menu covers chicken parmesan, swordfish piccata, and brick chicken scarpariello. The most expensive item is a 9-ounce ribeye at $35, which tells you most of what you need to know about the pricing philosophy here.

Desserts are kept tight: cannoli, tiramisu, affogato, and ice cream. Flip the dessert menu over and you'll find a list of nearly 50 different amaros alongside a few limoncellos, a reflection of Gooding's well-documented passion for the Italian digestif category. The bar program rounds out with wine by the glass at $9 to $13, beer and cider capped at $8, and cocktails running $12 to $14. A Negroni and an Aperol spritz are available on tap.

Risata seats 99 across two dining rooms, with a tree-shaded cobblestone patio planned for spring. The restaurant joins a stretch of West Broadway that already includes Travail Kitchen and Amusements, Marna's Eatery and Lounge, and Wicked Wort Brewing Co. Hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The phone number is 763-703-4889 and the website is risatacucina.com.