The Shops at Blackstone Valley has a new tenant.
The Millbury shopping plaza is set to open an Avvio Ristorante location this summer.
Avvio, a Rhode Island-based Italian-American eatery, will open doors at 70 Worcester-Providence Turnpike, its first Worcester County location, according to a Thursday press release from the restaurant.
Avvio serves lunch and dinner, with its menu featuring antipasti, such as arancini, burrata, and eggplant parmesan; pizzas; burgers and sandwiches such as tuna melts and Italians; pastas, including penne con pollo and gnocchi; and entrees like top sirloin and salmon, according to the restaurant’s website.
At 5,200 square feet and seating up to 180 guests, the restaurant will sit next to The Shoppes’ Creative Nails & Spa, where a former Uno Pizzeria & Grill used to occupy, according to Google Maps
Avvio, owned by Newport Restaurant Group, marks the parent company’s ninth Massachusetts restaurant, according to the release. The group owns fellow Italian spot Papa Razzi in Wellesley.
Avvio’s location announcement comes after an Apple location left the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough to join The Shops in December. The restaurant joins 13 other food and drink options at the shopping plaza, including 110 Grill, Applebee’s, and Panera Bread.
The mall is home to a 14-screen Showcase Cinema de Lux movie theater, and more than 40 shops, such as Target, Marshalls, Ulta Beauty, and PetSmart.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
