Buona Forchetta Moving Forward With Encinitas Expansion

The anticipated North County expansion of Buona Forchetta that was announced last spring is finally moving along again. On hold because of the launch of its spin-off restaurant Officine Buona Forchetta in Liberty Station this past March, the new location on North Coast Highway 101 is aiming to open by late 2017. While the Liberty Station eatery was a partnership between Buona Forchetta owner Matteo Cattaneo and Mario Cassineri of BICE Ristorante, Cattaneo will be sole proprietor of the Encinitas outpost.

Cattaneo recently got his liquor license approved and is currently building out the 1,100-square-foot space, which was formerly a Turkish restaurant called Bird House Grill. It will reportedly have the similar look and feel of the original Buona Forchetta, which opened in South Park in 2013, and offer much of the same menu. It will also feature Buona Forchetta’s now-signature gleaming gold-tiled Neapolitan wood fired pizza oven.