North Italia opened in the former Bravo! Italian Kitchen space at Village Pointe this past November. The concept was created by Sam Fox under Fox Restaurant Concepts in 2002. Fox focuses on high-quality, accessible concepts often described as “polished casual.” In 2021, with 17 locations at the time, both North Italia and Fox Restaurant Concepts were acquired by The Cheesecake Factory. Today, there are 48 North Italia locations across the United States.
Despite the name, the menu isn’t limited to Northern Italian cuisine, pulling from both northern and southern traditions. For example, the squid ink tonarelli is a southern Italian dish. The “North” in the name came about simply because the original Arizona location was north of Tucson.
North Italia exterior at dusk
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Tanner Moses is the general manager. He’s worked in restaurants nearly his entire working life, starting as a host at Olive Garden at 16 with a goal of becoming a server. At the time, he hadn’t considered a career in the industry beyond that. But while in college, he worked at a fine dining steakhouse.
“That’s where my passion for the industry really grew,” he said.
Moses joined North Italia in 2018 in Houston, and in 2021, helped open The Woodlands, Texas location. After supporting multiple openings across the country, he eventually relocated to Omaha for his first general manager position.
Dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
North Italia’s aesthetic is warm, polished and casual, matching the elevated-but-approachable feel Fox intended. The dining room is anchored by natural materials, most notably the slatted wood ceiling that runs its length. The tables are warm walnut-toned with striped upholstered booths.
“We put golden rods all over the restaurant to lean into that Nebraska culture and mix it up with an Italian vibe,” Moses explained.
Moses emphasized that the kitchen is 100 percent from scratch.
“Pasta is made fresh daily,” he said. “Pizza dough is made fresh daily, as are our sauces, and we try to be as local as possible.”
Ciao, Bella!
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Let’s start with the cocktails. The Ciao, Bella! is a mixture of vanilla infused Vulcanica vodka, white peach and brut rose. Light and refreshing, the vanilla notes play a delicate balance with the white peach. The brut adds a dry, boozy finish. It’s slightly herbaceous and dangerously drinkable.
Roman Holiday
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Roman Holiday is a blend of coconut infused rums, aperol, pineapple, lemon and black walnut. It’s sweet and tropical with slight bitter notes from the Aperol. The coconut and pineapple play against the citrus, while the black walnut adds an unexpected depth.
Italian Meatballs
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Italian meatballs come with creamy polenta, a rustic marinara and grana padano cheese. The meatballs are tender, properly seasoned and deeply satisfying. The polenta is creamy and cheesy with a refreshing mix of herbs. The rustic marinara is simple but adds the welcome tomato acidity. Together, it all works.
Hot honey and smoked prosciutto pizza
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The pizzas are all 12-inches. We ordered the hot honey and smoked prosciutto. This pizza is topped with camorza (a soft Italian cheese, similar to mozzarella), prosciutto, Calabrian honey, arugula and pecorino toscano cheese. The crust is simple and delicate with a gentle crunch that gives way to soft dough underneath – very similar to Neapolitan style. The toppings are thoughtfully balanced. The saltiness of the prosciutto and the sweet heat from the honey keep the pie in perfect balance.
Squid ink tonnarelli
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The squid ink tonnarelli comes with tiger shrimp, calamari, wild fennel pollen, mint and a spicy tomato sauce. The sauce is vibrant and bursting with tomato flavor. The tonnarelli arrived a touch past al dente, and the shrimp could have done with about 30 seconds less cooking. Even so, the calamari were cooked perfectly, and it’s a smartly composed seafood pasta.
Braised short rib Marsala
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The braised short rib Marsala comes with beech mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, heirloom carrots, black truffle risotto and affinato (a prestigious designation for traditional balsamic vinegar that’s been aged for at least 12 years). The short ribs came fork-tender. The Marsala brought out the beef flavor with its sweet notes. The Brussels sprouts and heirloom carrots were properly cooked as were the mushrooms. The mushrooms themselves were heavily salted and overpowered the dish. But the risotto was creamy, just slightly underseasoned, and the garlic notes from the truffle helped tie the flavors together.
Salted caramel budino
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The salted caramel budino comes with espresso fudge, bananas, chantilly crème and toasted pecan toffee. The toasted pecan toffee isn’t an afterthought. It’s a crunchy addition that deserves to be noted, adding a welcome nutty texture. The Chantilly crème is silky and smooth and gives way to the fudge and salted caramel beneath. It’s a thoughtfully constructed, decadent dessert. It satisfies without sugar overload—especially for fans of sweet and salty.
Our server Samantha was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. She was particularly patient with us as we asked lots of questions on her menu recommendations. She never missed a step, even as the dining room filled.
I mentioned her efficiency to Moses, who said that they have a very rigorous training program.
Meet me at the door
Photo by Jennifer Corey
It’s become common for Jennifer and me to take leftovers home. Here, there’s a system where they hold on to your leftovers at the front counter while you finish other dishes or dessert, or sip that final cocktail. They give you a card with a number for you to pick up on your way out. Like a coat check but for your food.
Even though Moses’ prime motivation to move to Nebraska was the general manager gig, he quickly found himself happy to be here.
“There’s really nothing like Nebraska nice,” he said. “The food scene is incredible. If I end up staging longer than two years, I’d be okay with it.”
North Italia patio dining
Photo by Jennifer Corey
While North Italia had previously opened in Kansas City, Omaha represents the brand’s first real push into the Midwest. After seeing strong success in Kansas City, the company saw Omaha as a deliberate next step to expand further into the region. It signals that North Italia sees the Midwest—and Omaha specifically—as a market worth investing in.
At the moment, there are no current plans for additional Omaha restaurants, but given how consistently packed the dining room has been, it’s hard to imagine it won’t be long before we see another location here soon.
Dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
To that end, a different Fox Restaurant Concepts brand is already in development at the former Local Beer Patio and Kitchen in Village Pointe Shopping Center’s west end. The space was originally home to Cheeseburger in Paradise and will soon be home to Culinary Dropout, offering scratch-made comfort food.
From the meatballs to the fork-tender short rib, North Italia delivers exactly what a polished casual spot should.
“You’re reaching all types of markets,” Moses said. “You have individuals coming in workout clothes and in business suits meeting for their dinners and a glass of wine.”
They’re replicating something that already works—and in Omaha, it clearly does.
