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Rao's: Hollywood Is Getting Location of Popular NYC and Vegas Italian Restaurant
Rao's in NYC (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
It's no surprise that a New York-based restaurant with a kind of Hollywood pedigree is finally making it all the way out west and opening up right in the heart of--where else?--Hollywood. Rao's, which is co-owned by actor Frank Pellegrino of GoodFellas and The Sopranos fame, is expanding its reach from NYC and Las Vegas to the site of The Hollywood Canteen, with an anticipated late spring/early summer debut, according to their reps.
The restaurant is best known for their Southern Neapolitan Italian cuisine, including their lauded meatballs, as well as dishes that will be created just for the Hollywood outpost. Details about the chef and their menu will be announced later.
But Rao's isn't just a flash-in-the-pan kind of star-fueled eatery (though they are known for their celeb clientele in Vegas and NYC) since their history reaches back to 1896, when it was founded by Italian immigrant Charles Rao. Pellegrino took over the restaurant in 1999. The Vegas location opened in 2006, under the guidance of chef Carla Pellegrino, who appeared as a contestant on the most recent season of Top Chef.
Rao's Hollywood will serve dinner six days a week with indoor and outdoor seating.
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