An Italian Favorite Revamps in Wayne

Photo courtesy of Alessandro’s

Alessandro’s brings more outdoor dining to North Wayne Avenue.

The corner of North Wayne Ave and Station Road is once again alive with the sound of dining and cocktailing. Rebranded as Alessandro’s Wood Fired Italian & Bar, the former Ardé Osteria opened Aug. 29 with an updated menu and new outdoor seating.

Ardé closed on March 16 to comply with COVID-19 mitigation orders—and it remained closed while its new management team reworked parts of the concept. Executive chef Alex Fiorello still helms the kitchen and is the “Alessandro” in the restaurant’s name. A first-generation American born to Sicilian parents, he came up working at his family’s Fiorello Café in West Chester. And he’s still turning out pizza, whole fish and bread in the wood-fired oven. “I’m passionate about being creative with the food I serve people,” says Fiorello. “My vision is to create an experience [that] captures the energy and culture of Philadelphia and Wayne with the freshest and highest-quality local ingredients.”

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The 20 generously spaced outdoor seats wrap around one of the prime corners in Wayne’s business district. Alessandro’s also has 40 indoor seats. Per COVID protocols, it’s operating at 25 percent capacity. That puts seating at the swank new bar out of reach, but decisions about that are likely to change as regulations evolve. “To say that the situation is fluid is an understatement,” says Jerry Kosmin, a member of Alessandro’s management team. “We want to maximize our space and serve our customers the best food and beverages we have.”

To that end, Alessandro’s expanded its wine, beer and cocktail menu. Some drinks are available in house, others to go. Most are part of the restaurant’s new weekday happy hour, which offers half-priced appetizers and selected drinks. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, both for eat-in and takeout.

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