Q: What happened to The Bevy? Went there in early June for their “Summer Dining Deals” and the place was closed up. Thanks. – Rich P., Naples
A: It turns out that The Bevy, as we’ve known it since 2017, permanently closed this summer in Old Naples. The same restaurant owner plans to launch another dining concept — La Salière Naples — in its place this fall.
“I had this idea to change The Bevy because it was really not my style when I took it over from Mr. Hoffmann,” said Stefano Frittella, a prolific restaurateur who owns Bice, Caffe Milano, La Trattoria and Vergina restaurants on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples, in addition to The Bevy.
Frittella had planned to change The Bevy concept when he acquired the restaurant from the Hoffmann Family of Companies in 2020, but the pandemic made it difficult to get a visa for his Italian chef, so he shelved the idea. “Now, finally we were able to get a visa for the chef and it’s going to be very good,” Frittella said.
La Salière Naples will be modeled after Frittella’s first restaurant, which the Italy native opened more than 40 years ago in Monaco. Still operating in Monte Carlo on the French Riviera, Frittella hopes to replicate La Salière’s success in Naples.
“I opened in 1982. It’s an Italian family-style concept,” he said. “It’s going to be exactly the same thing we have in Monaco. We’re doing very, very well all day with people who come from sports, Formula 1, tennis. I think it’s going to be amazing.”
Frittella, 63, moved to Monaco from Tivoli, Italy, where his family owns Ristorante Sibilla, the oldest restaurant in Italy, he said. Founded in 1720, the historic landmark has been in the Frittella family for five generations. Frittella also has a home in Miami Beach, where he has owned and operated many restaurants for years.
The Bevy originally was launched in 2017 near Third Street South at 360 12th Ave. S. by the late developer Adam Smith and Executive Chef Michael Voorhis. Then, the Hoffmann Family of Companies owned the gastropub for about two years before selling the business to Frittella five years ago and the real estate to Aspen-based M Development in 2023.
The open indoor-outdoor physical structure of The Bevy will not be altered to create La Salière, but the restaurant-bar’s décor will change, Frittella said. Diners can expect new tables, chairs, sofas, plants and awnings. “We went to the city to get a permit to change the sign outside,” he said.
The plan is to launch La Salière Naples at the end of October or beginning of November. Frittella looks forward to the launch of the family-style restaurant and pizzeria, which will feature traditional Italian dishes, pasta, Neapolitan pizzas and a variety of meat and fish options.
“When you arrive we’re going to have a lot of sharing dishes such as the appetizer antipasti,” he said. “You can share also the pasta and main course.”
Beyond Bice
Q: Do you know anything about the future of Bice on 5th Avenue? I have been going to their great “happy hours” for 20 years. It’s one of the best in Naples. When I first started going there, they included a free buffet with their happy hour. It’s still one of the best in town and I hope they don’t change their format. – Diane Manchester, Naples
A: After operating for 20 years on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, Bice Ristorante temporarily shuttered June 1 for a summer makeover. The longtime Italian restaurant is targeted to reopen this fall after extensive interior renovations, said owner Stefano Frittella.
Frittella just got the demolition permit on the last day of July, so interior renovation work is underway at Bice with plans to reopen the fine-dining restaurant by Thanksgiving. The city permit allows “selective interior demolition of cosmetic finishes, miscellaneous mechanical items and interior light fixtures, in preparation for renovations.”
The work this summer is more than simply a refresh of Bice; it’s considered a rebirth of the restaurant concept born in Milan, Italy, in 1926, Frittella said.
“So we want to make the 100th year anniversary spectacular,” he said. “We have a great chef, a little different menu, but what we are doing we’re very, very happy [with]. We hope to improve it. We opened 20 years ago, so it was time to change it. I think it’s going to be a big plus for Naples.”
Frittella is not yet ready to announce Bice’s new chef, and regarding continuing Bice’s happy hour specials, he hasn’t decided.
“I don’t know. I don’t know yet,” he said. “This is something we’re going to decide in the future.”
The Tim Aten Knows weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com.
