East County’s Italian Options Set to Grow This Fall

A new Italian restaurant is coming to Lemon Grove this September. Giardino Neighborhood Cucina is the first solo restaurant from a couple who are veterans of the industry. Executive chef/owner Marco Provino, who most recently cooked at the Gaslamp’s Osteria Panevino and Osetra, is launching the restaurant with his wife, Karina Kravalis, who will manage the front of the house and daily operations.

Giardino Neighborhood Cucina should be welcome addition to the neighborhood, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, as well as weekend brunch in a relaxing garden-inspired setting which will include a white marble, iron and rustic wood dining room decorated with vintage-style floral prints and two greenery-filled outdoor patio. patios. The Sicilian-born chef is creating a menu of Italian classics ranging from wood fired pizza and local seafood to handmade pasta and cured meats and cheeses. Kravalis will oversee the beverage program, which feature Italian wine and local and Italian beer on draft and in bottles.