8 | Greenstone dining
Pizza, pasta and a
whole lot more
Del Forno Pizza Pasta Grill, which opened at the Stoneridge Centre at the beginning
of November, is waiting to welcome you with the traditional tastes of Italy. Yet there is
more to this successful restaurant than meets the eye…
H
aving become synonymous with authentic, handmade Italian pizzas
and pastas down the years, the recently renamed Del Forno Pizza Pasta
Grill (previously Pizza Del Forno) are out to prove that there is more to
them than just the pizza, and the new branch at Stoneridge Centre is the
flagship branch in this new direction.
“When I started with Del Forno, I was also one of those who related
the brand to pizza,” says owner of the Stoneridge branch, Sotiri Mortakis
as we sit down over a delicious cup of Bello coffee in the immaculately
decorated new restaurant. “But then I started trying the other dishes on the menu,
and the food was really good.” The Chicago-born restaurateur of Greek origin knows
his food, having worked in the restaurant industry for the last 13 years and running a
number or restaurants. “The pastas were amazing, the burgers fantastic, and the grill
menu was great. We are not just a pizza place, I thought to myself. We are so much
more.”
Pizza is their game, but over the years they have become very good at doing other
dishes too, so the decision was made to move the brand in a new direction and it is
already paying dividend. “In the
first few weeks of trading at the
Stoneridge branch, we have sold
more steak, rib and pasta dishes
than pizzas,” notes Sotiri.
Having moved to the country
five years ago with his South
African wife, Sotiri wanted to do
something big when he joined the
Del Forno family. “We wanted
to go large, and when I drove
into Stoneridge while looking
at potential sites, I immediately
had a good feeling and liked the
vibe of the centre,” he says. As
he walked towards the food court
and saw the possible space for
the restaurant, he just knew that it
was right. “So far we couldn’t be
happier,” he says. “The feedback
has been great and we have
already have regular customers.”
The 190 seat restaurant opened
for lunch on November 4th after
a whirlwind design and build
Manager, Anastasios Theodoropoulos and
which took just over a month to
owner, Sotiri Mortakis
complete, and on the opening
night extra tables and chairs were brought in and they were able to cater for
over 200 guests comfortably. It is a large, spacious restaurant with a variety of
comfortable seating options available, both inside and on the 100m 2 balcony with
its stunning views over the suburb of Greenstone, a section which is incredibly
popular, especially on warm summer evenings when you enjoy sundowners on
the couches or can dine by candlelight and watch the moon rise over the horizon.
The restaurant is a fancier take on the brand’s previous offerings, featuring
a mix of wooden and tiled floors, a distinctive copper clad bar, and large open
WHERE: Shop 44B, Stoneridge Centre
ng the week and
TIMES: Opens at 9am, kitchen closes at 10pm duri
10:30pm on weekends
TEL: 011-609-0322
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.pizzadelforno.co.za
Grill
FACEBOOK: Del Forno Stoneridege – Pizza, Pasta,
2
SIZE: 400m 2 including a 100m outside section