Courtesy of Marcello's
A family owned and operated Italian restaurant, Marcello’s Pizzeria & Trattoria has been serving brick oven pizzas and pastas in Buckhead for 32 years. Next month, owners and brothers Julian and Marcello Najm will open a second location—this one in the former La Tagliatella space at Emory Point. “I can see [the economy] is improving,” Julian says. “I found the right location and the right size, so it’s a good time to take advantage and create more jobs.”
The brothers learned the ins-and-outs of the restaurant business from their parents, who hail from Sicily and Lebanon, and have since opened Jules Deli, Buckhead Italian Market & Bakery, and Marcello’s Pizzas, Pasta and Subs. For the Emory Point location, they’ll be training Le Cordon Bleu graduates.
Marcello’s at Emory Point will be similar to the Buckhead location, Najm says, although at 4,400 square feet, it will be almost double the size, seat 190 people, and have two kitchens, and a covered patio.
There will be a full bar focused on Italian wines and cocktails. Menus will be similar, with the addition of some specialty pizzas, such as a breakfast pizza. “If you like the pizza in Buckhead, you’re going to like it at Emory,” Najm says.
Within a year, the brothers hope to open more locations in Atlanta. “The name Marcello’s is becoming well-known, so we’ll stick with that concept,” Julian Najm says.
