A pair of restaurants debuted in Chapel Hill and Carrboro over the weekend.

Autostrada Pizza & Panini welcomed its first customers on Friday at Carr Mill Mall. The restaurant, modeled after an auto grill one would find along an Italian highway, is in the mall space previously occupied by Pizza Factory. The menu features a variety of made-fresh paninis, salads and pizzas, which can be ordered in either 10-inch or 16-inch pies. It also opened a gelato and coffee shop across the hall were a candy shop used to operate.

The venture is owned and operated by Chef Drew Moore, who acquired Pizza Factory earlier this year and pivoted to the new concept. Moore said he and his partner took a road trip through Northern Italy and Southern France in recent years, and their frequent stops into Autostrada helped inspire the idea to do his own twist in Carrboro.

“For those unfamiliar, much of the food available when exiting the highway in Italy is prepared by the same company, and it’s consistently amazing,” he told Chapelboro. “They offer fresh and wholesome options like paninis, coffee, gelato, and chocolate.”

Moore is also behind two other businesses in the Carrboro mall, Venable and the B-Side Lounge, with the new venture furthering his investment into the site.

“Carr Mill Mall is a truly unique and beautiful space,” he said, “filled with great businesses and plenty of natural light. All the small business owners are great people who are very welcoming and friendly. It’s a very collaborative business community, and it’s also very convenient for foot traffic in Carrboro.”

While a grand opening event is in the works for August, the Autostrada restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and stay open an extra hour until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Autostrada Gelato & Coffee shop, meanwhile, will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Over in Chapel Hill, another business offering pizza options held its grand opening on Saturday. One40 Social is a new sports bar at 140 West Franklin Street in Suite 190 — a space long left vacant since Old Chicago Pizza permanently closed in 2017. After an extensive renovation, the space is redecorated with vibrant murals and a dozen televisions.

The business held soft opening events earlier this summer, including a limited window service during Chapel Hill and Carrboro’s Pride Promenade. Ownership is marketing it as a place to hang out for sports games, private events and beyond, with foosball, ping-pong and shuffleboard tables, offering bar favorites like pizza, burgers and sandwiches alongside some select Ukrainian street food.

Beyond its wide drink selection of more than 40 draft beers and craft cocktails, a unique feature of One40 Social is its milkshake stand called the Dead Milkman. Serving both classic and spiked milkshakes in five flavors, the booth sits in the middle of the space for people to directly order from.

Presently, One40 Social’s hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. On Fridays, it is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and on Saturdays it is open from 12 p.m. to midnight.

 

Featured photo via Autostrada/The Splinter Group.

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