Giovanni’s, a family-owned Italian restaurant located along Pacific Coast Highway in eastern Malibu, will be closing at the end of the month, according to restaurant owner Giovanni “John” Mazzola.
Mazzola, who has owned and operated the restaurant for nearly a decade, will be retiring in February and last week sold the restaurant’s fixtures and equipment, goodwill and liquor license to Tramonto-Malibu, LLC, a corporation owned by his nephew, Nando Silvestri.
Silvestri, who currently owns Spumoni in Santa Monica and Il Piccolo Ritrovo in Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, says he plans to have a new restaurant open in Giovanni’s location before summer.
“It will remain Italian, and it will open hopefully by the end of March or the beginning of April,” Silvestri told The Malibu Times.
Silvestri pointed out that this will not be his first time he’s owned a restaurant at that location.
“This will be the third time it’s mine again,” Silvestri said, “now it’s time for [my uncle] to retire, so now I’m going to come back for the third time and put in another Italian restaurant.”
Mazzola indicated that it’s not clear whether Silvestri will be operating the restaurant alone or with a partner, and Silvestri himself said a lot of the details are yet to be ironed out.
“We’re not sure the exact menu or what the menu will be like,” Silvestri said, but he said fans of his Palisades eatery could have something to look forward to when the new restaurant opens its doors in a few weeks.
“It will be closer to the concept of Ritrovo in Pacific Palisades; it’s going to be geared more towards that concept,” Silvestri said.
According to information available online, Ritrovo offers a variety of Italian fare including salads, pasta and a wide range of specialty pizzas at mid-range prices averaging $11-$30.
Ritrovo has also earned three and a half stars on the customer-driven restaurant review website Yelp, with reviewers describing the atmosphere as “cozy” and “casual.”
Notwithstanding the comparison to his other restaurant, Ritrovo, Silvestri said he could not offer more details about the new establishment, mainly because he does not know himself. “It’s happening so fast. I don’t even know what I’m doing myself, to be honest with you,” Silvestri said.
“I wish I knew myself,” Silvestri joked. “If you find out, will you let me know?”
Theodore Beach also closing
Theodore Beach, the boutique Malibu location for the L.A.-based regional clothing chain Theodore, has announced it will be closing its doors.
A store manager confirmed the closure, and signs on the store, located at the Malibu Colony Plaza Shopping Center, indicate that a closing sale is ongoing.
Corporate staff for Theodore, including Women’s Buyer Lisa Davis, declined multiple requests for comment.
Theodore opened its Malibu location in 1990 and has other locations around Southern California including Beverly Hills, Palm Desert and in The Grove.