Buca di Beppo plans restaurant in mall

WINCHESTER — Mamma mia!

An Italian restaurant that prides itself on serving “meatballs as big as your head” is coming to the Apple Blossom Mall.

Buca di Beppo — a chain with about 100 locations in the United States, Mexico and Europe — plans to open its first Virginia location at the mall’s west entrance next to the J.C. Penney store, according to a Friday news release from the company.

The restaurant chain — which will employ 85 people locally and have seating for 200 guests — features “quirky decor,” “irreverent photographs” and a “famous Pope table,” a large table in a room by itself with a bust of the pope as its centerpiece.

The food is the main attraction, including such dishes as lasagna, spicy chicken rigatoni and veal saltimbocca — along with plenty of cocktails and wine, according to the release.

“We’re really excited,” said Larry Nelson, the mall’s director of marketing and business development.

The restaurant is expected to open in the fall, said Nelson, who called it another milestone for the shopping center, which is seeing its fair share of milestones recently.

Carmike Cinemas is replacing its six-screen movie theater with a 12-screen cinema — on track to open in June.

The new theater will have stadium seating-style auditoriums with 3-D capability and a Coca-Cola machine capable of dispensing 125 flavor mixes.

The mall is also completing a renovation project — its first since opening in 1982 — that includes new entrances, seating, flooring, lighting, restrooms and a play area for children.

bucadibeppo.com.

— Contact Conor Gallagher at cgallagher@winchesterstar.com