Asheville’s Strada Italiano & Gemelli Restaurants Rebuild with a Local Approach
Featuring Happy Hours, 828 Burger Night, Brunch Revival & More
Chef/owner Anthony Cerrato of Strada Italiano and Gemelli is taking community-driven measures to rebuild after Helene. In what is normally the city’s most profitable quarter, according to the Buncombe County TDA, Asheville restaurants are down 70-80% in October and November. Chef Cerrato is committed to keeping his restaurants in business and growing the labor market by slowly rebuilding in stages and with a symbiotic approach focused on the local community.
“Now more than ever, we have to stay strong as a community and support each other,” says Chef Cerrato. “The efforts we are putting in place are sensitive to the economic ripple effect we are all experiencing. We hope taking these measures will also help stimulate business for the restaurants, so that we can continue contributing to the local economy – through employment and also charitable contributions, which are a pillar of our core values as a company.”
Here’s what’s in store for the remainder of December and into the New Year:
STRADA MENU REVIVIAL + HAPPY HOUR
Strada’s menu has returned, almost to the full extent and with a couple of new additions. The $10 Community Meal – Spaghetti and Meatballs or Vegan Pasta Primavera offered at an affordable price in light of the ongoing financial burden many face – will remain on the menu into the New Year.
Starting December 16, Strada is offering a Happy Hour
Sunday & Monday, 4-5 pm
50% off all house-made pastas and hand-tossed pizzas
Holiday Hours
We are open and taking reservations for New Year’s Eve, and closed New Year’s Day.
Current Operating Hours
Monday & Thursday, 4-9:30 pm, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 3-9:30 pm; we are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with the exception of New Year’s Eve.
BRUNCH RETURNS TO GEMELLI
Starting December 20, Gemelli will reopen for Brunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Brunch items, from top left: Egg Sandwich, Shrimp & Grits, All Star Breakfast, and French Toast Bread Pudding
The brunch menu, created by Gemelli Executive Chef Gabe Cerrato, takes a more American approach, featuring classics like an egg sandwich, shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, and an All Star Breakfast of eggs, potatoes, smoked or vegan sausage, and a biscuit. Shakshuka (eggs in a spiced tomato sauce with ciabatta and basil) is a popular item that is returning. A French Toast Bread Pudding with fire-roasted apple and creme anglaise hits a sweet note, while salads and a burger signal the lunch side of brunch.
GEMELLI’S NEW MENU + HAPPY HOUR
Also starting December 20, Gemelli is launching a menu expansion that will feature standard favorites like calamari and arancini, the signature Gemelli pasta and more. There will also be new additions, including a Panelle antipasti (chickpea cakes seared in evoo with arugula and lemon) and a Salmone entrée from the grill (salmon, squash risotto, and leafy greens).
December 20 also kicks off a new Happy Hour:
Half-off the entire menu, 4-5 p.m., every day we’re open. This is for dine-in only and on offer for a limited time, through the end of January. We will also offer an affordably priced drink menu.
Holiday Hours
We are open and taking reservations for New Year’s Eve, and closed Christmas Eve, Christmas
Day, and New Year’s Day.
Operating Hours Starting Dec. 20
Thursday & Monday, 3-8:30 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for brunch, 3-8:30 p.m. for dinner; we are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with the exception of New Year’s Eve.
828 BURGER NIGHT AT GEMELLI
When Chef Gabe isn’t cooking Italian food, he loves a good burger (especially pickles) and
wanted to create a night around it.
Every Monday (starting Dec. 30), 3-8:30 pm
$8.28 burger and rosemary fries special
The Gemelli Burger, normally $17, features two smashed patties, smoked cheddar, onion,
house-made pickle, and aioli on a sesame bun.
LOOKING AHEAD – Announcing Wine By the Vines 2025
In January, we will bring back our popular Wine By the Vines 5-course paired wine dinners. The dinners have traditionally focused on the food and wine of the different regions of Italy. In 2025, we’ll be exploring beyond the Italian border to offer diners a passport to other parts of the world. The dinners are $75 per person for a five-course meal that includes generous pours of paired wines. Wine By the Vines will take place the 3rd and 4th Thursdays of each month, giving diners two opportunities to attend each month’s themed dinner. Here are the themes for our first six months of 2025:
January: Argentina
February: Burgundy & Beaujolais
March: Americana
April: Sicily
May: Spain
June: Greece
More details to come.
ABOUT
Chef Cerrato is a longtime restaurateur in Asheville and has been a generous community
supporter for many years. A son of a big Italian family and graduate of AB-Tech’s esteemed
culinary program, Cerrato learned the ropes in independent and corporate restaurants in
Raleigh and Asheville, before striking out on his own in 2012, when he opened Strada Italiano and adjacent Social Lounge on Broadway Street downtown.
Strada’s menu represents many regions of Italy as well as Chef Cerrato’s Italian family recipes.
Hand-tossed pizzas, fresh, house-made pastas, grilled or sautéed meats and seafood,
house-made desserts, as well as gluten-free and vegan options are all made to order and
feature locally sourced ingredients. The menu is a creation of Corporate Chef Vladimir
Marto-Gonzales, in collaboration with Chef Cerrato. Strada adjoins Social Lounge, a craft
cocktail bar with a three-season rooftop patio, serving Strada’s full menu.
Strada Italiano & Social Lounge, 27 Broadway St., Asheville, NC 28801 | 828.348.8448
StradaAsheville.com | SocialLoungeAsheville.com
Monday & Thursday, 4-9:30 p.m.: Friday-Sunday, 3-9:30 p.m.; closed Tuesday & Wednesday
Gemelli, also a twisty pasta whose name is derived from the Italian word for “twins,” opened in September 2022, serving simple, authentic Italian food and scratch-made pastas in a casual European-inspired dining room. Like Strada, Gemelli offers many gluten-free, vegan, and diet sensitive options. The menu is the creation of Executive Chef Gabe Cerrato (Anthony’s son), who’s trained in restaurants in Asheville, Denver, and San Diego before stepping up to lead Gemelli’s kitchen and menu.
Gemelli, 70 Westgate Pkwy., Asheville, NC 28806 | 828.565.6111 | Gemelli.restaurant
New Hours as of Dec. 20. Monday & Thursday, 3-8:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; closed Tuesday & Wednesday
