M Italian to start construction this week, restaurant set to open in October

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- The new M Italianrestaurant will begin construction at 22 W. Orange St. this week.

The building, which has been vacant for six years, will get a complete overhaul, with new beams, exposed brick and soft lighting. Owner Bret Adams also plans to build a covered patio with an outdoor fire pit for the new restaurant, which will seat roughly 100 and is expected to open at the end of October.

"We really wanted to take the opportunity to give back to the village. This will be more a labor of love for us," Adams said. "We think we are going to bring a true Italian restaurant to Chagrin."

Adams, who also owns the Burntwood Tavern restaurants, plans to use the other spaces in the building for offices and a glass-blowing studio. The Glass Asylum,currently located in Bratenahl, will occupy part of the space, behind a glass wall.

The building has roughly 35 parking spots, but residents will be able to use the Step North parking garage on North Main Street for additional valet parking.

M Italian will be the first Italian restaurant to open in Chagrin Falls in nearly three years. The village has been without an Italian restaurant since 2011 when Joey's Restaurant burned down on North Main Street.

Owners of Joey's originally had their sights set on the building and had planned to open a new location there. They signed a five-year lease with developers for the building in 2012, but the restaurant never opened. Owners Michael, William and Joseph Leonetti are currently involved in a lawsuit with the developers over another building in Solon.

More here:
M Italian to start construction this week, restaurant set to open in October