MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Like most things Italian, Nonno Carlo is all about family and tradition. That’s the inspiration behind the name of Morgantown’s newest Italian restaurant, located inside the Suncrest Towne Centre.
“Nonno Carlo in Italian means ‘Grandfather Carl.’ So it was named for my grandfather. There are four generations of Carlo in my family: So, he was Carlo, my father is Carl Lewis, I’m Nicolas Carl, my son is Michael Carlo. So, I brought the ‘O’ back on,” he said.
Nonno Carlo’s menu is concise — just a few signature sandwiches and wood-oven pizzas are options to order. DeMedici said the turkey sandwich had been described by one customer as “life-changing,” and the Margherita pizza was “as authentic as back home” according to Italian international students at West Virginia University.
One thing was consistent throughout the menu: it was all made as simple as possible with ingredients made in-house and imported from abroad.
“One thing that we sometimes do in our culture is we complicate things in food,” DeMedici said. And when you go to Italy, it’s very simple. They’re cooking with what they have — what’s local to the region.”
A unique feature of Nonno Carlo was the market section that was found immediately after walking into the restaurant. Shopping baskets greeted diners as they entered, with a few shelves on imported Italian goods. Different types of pasta, sauces, oils, and more line the aisle for customers to pick up and purchase, all brought in from Italy. DeMedici wanted to give customers the feeling that when they walked into Nonno Carlo, it would look and smell as it would in the heartland of Italy.
“I wanted to make sure we kept that in the presentation and knowing that everyone who comes in here knows this is the real deal,” he said.
Nonno Carlo opened its doors in July 2021 and, in just three months, saw lots of success. Walking around the restaurant, DeMedici took the time to greet familiar faces around the dining tables, building that tight-knit family atmosphere he envisioned Nonno Carlo to be.
You can find Nonno Carlo at 1016 Suncrest Towne Centre Drive in Morgantown. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
