North Italia

by South Florida Eats · October 14, 2023

North Italia: 3393 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326

North Italia is a chain restaurant with locations throughout the US. On a few work trips, I had the opportunity to visit their locations in Atlanta, GA, and Plano, TX. I also noticed a location when I was in San Diego, but I did not have the chance to try that one. The menu is a mix of traditional Italian dishes, and some have an American spin.

The Restaurant:

Each location of North Italia is slightly different, but you will generally find outdoor seating with an indoor section at most of their locations. A Mix of hightop style tables, booths, tables, and bar seating are available in most locations. Every location I have been to is usually pretty busy, so I recommend making a reservation to ensure you have a table.

The Pizzas and Appetizers:

The menu at North Italia is very robust, with a mix of appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. We started each meal with a hearty helping of grilled bread and olive oil. This was one of the most flavorful appetizers, and if you need carbs, it will fit the bill perfectly. We also tried the Italian meatballs, which were perfectly seasoned. They could have been an entree alone and come served with a robust sauce.

My colleague Kevin went with the Funghi pizza. He’s a somewhat healthier eater than the rest of us and enjoyed this pizza, which looked more like focaccia bread. They serve it with roasted mushrooms, cipollini (onions), and smoked mozzarella. He said it was delicious and recommended it to anyone looking to avoid meats.

We also ordered “The Pig”. North Italia’s meat-lover pizza is topped with soppressata, salumi, spicy pepperoni, and Italian sausage. If you love your smoked and aged meats, then you will be happy with this pizza. I would highly recommend it. But be sure to share as there is so much food you will need to take some home if you don’t.

Pastas and Mains:

Rochelle had the bolognese (house specialty) served with a traditional meat sauce, tagliatelle, grana padano, and extra virgin olive oil. North Italia knows how to make fresh pasta, and this dish did not disappoint. The generous amount of grated cheese added to the flavor and ensured she was one happy eater.

I decided to try the wild shrimp scampi. North Italia makes it with blistered tomato, grana padano, garlic confit, herb butter (lots of butter), charred lemon, and a serving of grilled bread. Let’s say you can not get enough of this bread. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and exploded with flavors as you bit into them. I highly recommend this dish to anyone and will have it on my next visit.

While Noth Italia is known for its pasta dishes, it has one of the best grilled Branzino. They make it with roasted fennel, broccolini, piquillo pepper, cipollini, white polenta, and roasted chicken jus. Shelly ordered this dish and is someone who has to eat gluten-free meals. This one was perfectly cooked to order, and she said the taste was terrific. It did not take her long to devour this dish in a very lady-like way.

The spicy rigatoni vodka dish is yet another main that we tried. Instead of the regular pasta that comes with it, we decided to try North Italia’s rotini. The Italian sausage was accompanied by crispy pancetta, shaved garlic, torn basil, and grana padano. Everything melted in your mouth, and the flavors carried throughout every bite. You can’t go wrong with this dish and should try it out.

The chicken pesto was the last and final dish we tried from North Italia, served with sweet basil, shaved garlic, toasted pine nuts, crispy caper, and Gigli. This dish was probably the only one that we were disappointed with. Not a lot of flavor, and we would not recommend it. But there are plenty of other dishes to choose from that you will fall in love with.