The Strega Nonna Italian restaurant and bar is open and is offering diners a fresh kind of sit-down experience.

NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WLUC) - Negaunee’s brand-new Italian restaurant Strega Nonna is officially open, and it hopes to offer diners a fresh kind of sit-down experience.

Owner Rachael Grossman said she hopes to bring not just Italian food but hospitality to Iron Town.

“I’m inspired by Italian food but not just the food but the whole hospitality of Italian dining,” said Grossman. “I liked the multicourse dinners that are always family style, so that’s kind of what we are doing here.”

The restaurant’s lead server Nehal Elramly stated that bringing this kind of relaxing casual dining to Negaunee is great because there’s something for everyone.

“Whether you want to come for family style with the Strega Nonna experience or if you want to order a la carte, I think it’s not too fine dining and not too fancy,” said Elramly.

Elramly said in addition to the Italian dining format, Grossman also found inspiration in a children’s story.

“[It’s] about a witch woman that had a magical pot that she could make an abundance of pasta,” said Elramly. “She could just have a spell and the pot creates pasta.”

Employees went on to say that they hope the restaurant becomes a popular spot in the community. According to Grossman, it may be on its way. She says since opening Thursday, the number of people coming in is constantly rising.

“We’ve had a large audience so far and It really has been pretty bustling and pretty busy,” said Elramly. “There’s a lot of excitement so we usually have about somewhere between 40-60 people in a night.”

Grossman also said that the restaurant will be doing monthly special event dinners and the month of May will feature an Egyptian-style menu.

Click here for hours and information on making a reservation. Strega Nonna is located at 432 Iron St., Negaunee, MI 49866.

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