Uptown restaurant reopens after two-year shutdown

CHARLOTTE — Cicchetti is back in business in uptown Charlotte.

The Venetian-inspired wine bar reopened this month after being shuttered for nearly two years by Covid.

“It’s now or never. It’s long overdue,” says Pierre Bader, veteran restaurateur behind Sonoma Restaurant Group. “We cannot keep waiting.”

Cicchetti had been open just five months when Covid-19 shuttered North Carolina’s restaurants in March 2020. It closed — and then never reopened at corner of East Trade and North College streets, in the Bank of America Corporate Center.

Sister concept Aria Tuscan Grill reopened as soon as possible when Covid restrictions eased and has seen business continue to build. Bader says Cicchetti hosted private gatherings during its closure to offset rent costs.

He’s revamped the restaurant to deal with hiring challenges.

Read more here.

(WATCH BELOW: Uptown property home to neighborhood staple hits market for $1.5M)

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