New Italian restaurant to open in Arlington Heights

A new Italian restaurant is opening in a familiar location on the north side of Arlington Heights this fall.

Osteria Trulli, 1510 E. Hintz Road, received its liquor license from the village board on Monday, and owners Giovanni DeNigris and Salvatore Perricone said they hope to be open by late October or early November.

The location has housed Italian restaurants for years, including Bapi, which closed in the past few years, and Arenella's, which was there for 15 years before that.

DeNigris, a Park Ridge resident, will be the head chef and operator on the site. DeNigris was previously the executive chef at the Fairmont hotel in Chicago and later owned Trattoria Trullo, which had a location in Evanston, and then in Lincoln Square, which closed earlier this year.

“In March I decided to retire, but then I said, 'No, not yet,'” DeNigris said. “This is a family restaurant. Besides good food, we will bring a little bit of Italian culture into Arlington Heights.”

Trustee Thomas Glasgow said he ate at one of DeNigris' previous restaurants and enjoyed the food.

“I like your concept. We need something in that area,” Glasgow said. “I wish you great success. I think this is going to be a really great addition to Arlington Heights.”

The Trattoria Trullo menu included pizza, salads, traditional pasta dishes and other Italian entrees.

The new restaurant will employ six people, mainly members of DeNigris' family.

Osteria Trulli will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, owners said.

Trustees said they were happy to see something move into the empty storefront.

“It used to be a good restaurant, and now there's nothing,” said Trustee Bert Rosenberg.

Others said they were excited to get in and try the new food.

“I'm Italian. I love Italian food. I can't wait to try it,” said Trustee Jim Tinaglia.