Pasqualone’s Ristorante, the 48-seat Italian restaurant at 5766 Emporium Square on the northeast side, is listed for sale with an asking price of $1.2 million. It’s open. The listing is for a buyer to take over the restaurant as it runs, the dining room serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday, and reservations are by phone at 614-890-2070.
David and Lori Pasqualone run the place. David cooks every entree to order, and the Pasqualones and their staff answer the phone to take reservations, which are required. The room has 13 tables, and once you have one it’s yours for the evening. Private parties can book the dining room for up to 50 people.
What’s On The Table
The restaurant used to be called La Plaia. Its own site calls it “the best kept secret in Columbus.” Many of the dishes are inspired by Abruzzo, where David’s father, Otello Pasqualone, was born in the village of Collecorvino, and the family still has relatives there. David runs three to five specials a night, and the kitchen shops the local markets daily. With two days’ notice, a caller can ask him to have a particular dish or ingredient waiting. Most dishes can be made gluten free, and the kitchen has gluten-free pasta and flour. Pasta dishes can be made with fresh vegetables for vegetarians, a fettuccini primavera for one. Family-style dinners arrive in courses. An antipasto of meats and cheeses comes first. Two pastas follow, and then the meat course, usually two meats, sometimes three. There’s a wine list and a full liquor license.
The Sale
The listing is on BizQuest, and the $1.2 million is the asking price. Anyone who has been meaning to go and never got around to it can still call for a reservation. More of the city’s Italian restaurants are in Columbus Navigator’s guide.
