Geppetto debuts at Cambridge Crossing on Thursday with takeout and delivery

Chef Will Gilson’s three-section cafe sophisticated at Cambridge Crossing will lastly be complete on Thursday with the introduction of Geppetto. But like a handful of other openings that have debuted through the coronavirus pandemic, the newcomer will kick things off with takeout and delivery only.

Gilson’s Italian restaurant joins Cafe Beatrice and The Lexington, his two ideas that introduced past year in East Cambridge. Cafe Beatrice, an all-day place, opened in mid-Oct and highlights pastry chef Brian Mercury’s baked goods, sandwiches, and salads. The Lexington debuted in November as a cocktail bar and restaurant with a rooftop terrace.

On Geppetto’s opening menu, diners will discover Sicilian-fashion pizza (offered by the quarter or fifty percent pan), tortellini soup, and “kitchen sink” meat lasagna, together with plates of burrata that can be dressed up with prosciutto di Parma, roasted beets, and basil. Braised pork sugo is accompanied by cavatelli, chili breadcrumbs, and fried rosemary, though more informal fare can take on the kind of a meatball sub and a braised pork and broccoli rabe sandwich.

Even though Geppetto is starting up out as a to-go only cafe, it programs to transition into a dine-in location in the spring with a 74-seat dining area.

“We comprehend that in today’s present local weather, the takeout and shipping options will give friends a sneak peek of what we are doing, foods-sensible, although we look to open up our eating place at Geppetto up in the spring,” Gilson, who is also the chef-owner at Puritan & Co., claimed in a press launch.

Orders can be positioned on the web in progress or the working day of by means of Geppetto’s internet site. Pickup is out there for takeout at 100 N. First St.