North Italia started in our home state of Arizona & has been one of our favorite Italian restaurants ever since. The atmosphere is the perfect mix of laid back, family-friendly & upscale. They used to have this amazing roasted red pepper butter to spread on bread that was incredible! It was literally the reason we went. Since then (and this was years ago!), they’ve switched to regular butter, but they also seem to have revamped the menu because it’s even better now than we ever thought it was before!

North Italia was recently sold by Fox Restaurant Concepts to The Cheesecake Factory, so we’re expecting them to start popping up everywhere. Even now, they have locations all over the country – including one location in Las Vegas + Nashville, three in Arizona, five locations in Southern California, five locations in Texas, as well as restaurants in Colorado, Washington D.C., Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. So if you’re located in any of those places & haven’t tried it yet, we highly recommend going!

Most locations have a great happy hour deal from 3-6pm on weekdays (it used to include Saturday, which was even better!) that includes a bottle of red or white wine & a charcuterie board or daily pizza for only $25! It doesn’t get much better than that. Add in an appetizer (or two or three) & you’re set! Their arancini is some of the best we’ve ever had – complete with garlic marinara & perfectly fried mushroom risotto. And if you’re a fan of garlic bread and cheese, you must try their version that’s made in a skillet with melted ricotta, mozzarella, herbs & topped with freshly shaved parmesan cheese that’s as light as air.

Be sure to stop by if you’re looking for a delicious & reasonably priced Italian meal, and check out their menu here. If you’re a first timer, definitely get the arancini & white truffle garlic bread to start. Let us know if you visited & please tell us what your favorite menu item was. We’d love to try it!

Extra hungry after reading this? Get even more hungry by checking out the 24 cookbooks we’re eyeing lately! Or better yet, curb your hunger with a shopping spree & check out all of the cozy pieces you’ll want for this winter season.