EATalia Market Brings Italian Fare To Old Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Those looking to get their fix of Italian fare have a new option in the form of EATalia Market, which recently opened in Old Greenwich at 1345 E. Putnam Ave.

Owned by longtime restaurateur and Greenwich resident Sam Settembre, EATalia offers a special daily rotating hot food bar with family-style takeout that can serve up to four people, and a large menu with a variety of artisanal pizzas, pastas, classic Italian dishes, sandwiches, burgers, paninis, salads and more.

The eatery is located in the space formerly occupied by Boston Market, and opened right before Memorial Day weekend.

"I saw this concept and said, 'let's change Boston Market to an 'Italian Market' and give people variety,'" Settembre said Tuesday during a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening. "You can get a sandwich, you can get a burger, you can get an entree and have dinner. It's a nice environment."

There are plenty of seats inside along with a few out in front. Customers can dine-in or take out, either through delivery or pick-up.

A unique aspect of the menu is the rotating hot food bar with daily specials, perfect for feeding the whole family or getting a bite to eat for lunch or dinner.

Tuesday's bar featured Tuscan chicken, mac & cheese, chicken francese, calamari marinara, homemade meat cannelloni, eggplant parmesan, Mediterranean rice and sauteed mixed vegetables.

Customers can choose several items, and each plate comes with garlic knots or focaccia bread.

The regular menu features something for everyone, from classic Italian dishes like homemade lasagna and penne alla vodka to hand-rolled hamburgers, freshly-pressed paninis and fresh sandwiches.

Pizza comes by the slice or in a whole pie, and in regular crust, whole wheat crust or cauliflower crust.

Settembre has been working in and owning restaurants for decades.

His first pizzeria, Sabatiello's, opened in Cos Cob 24 years ago. He then owned and operated restaurants in Stamford, Westport and most recently in Croton on Hudson in Westchester, N.Y.

Settembre decided to sell his Westchester restaurant two years ago and come back to his Greenwich roots with EATalia Market.

"A lot of people remember me," Settembre said. "How sweet is that?"

First Selectman Fred Camillo and state Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-36) attended Tuesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"It's always nice to have a new business open up, especially where we were used to having a restaurant. This is terrific," Camillo said. "Sam's menu has all the favorites for people to choose from, it's also got a healthier component to it. If you look at the pizza, there's whole wheat, there's cauliflower and there is whole wheat pasta. Whatever you want, he's got it."

Fazio said the new business is a welcome addition to the community.

"This space was underutilized, and having a local business with a local guy like Sam and EATalia is a huge improvement for the eastern side of Greenwich," Fazio said."It's great to have local business with local business owners and we've got to, as a community, support them because that's part of what makes our community a great place."

EATalia Market also offers catering. For more information and to view the menu, visitEATalia Market's website.