The storefront of Terún on California Avenue in Palo Alto.
Franco Campilongo planted the roots for his Italian restaurant group on Palo Alto's California Avenue, starting with Terún in 2013, which he opened with his brother Maico and cousin Kristyan d'Angelo. iTalico followed in 2016 just a few blocks away. Next year, Impasto in San Carlos will join the lineup.
Terún and iTalico both serve pizza, pasta and small plates, and guests flock to Terún for pizza napoletana cooked in its signature oven decorated with black tiles. Meanwhile, iTalico earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its platters of salumi and cheese and pastas like wide, flat paccheri served with braised ribeye.
At Impasto, which means dough in Italian, Campilongo looks forward to experimenting with new pizza doughs (although still in the Neapolitan style). He's especially interested in trying out domestic and whole wheat flours in addition to the imported flours that form the base of his other restaurants' offerings.
Impasto will be located at 661 El Camino Real in San Carlos, a few steps from the Caltrain station and Laurel Street. Since the space is being built up from an empty frame, Campilongo doesn't expect to open until the middle of 2023. "We feel excited and lucky to have such amazing support from the community … we're sure we'll have the same support from the San Carlos area," says Campilongo, a Redwood City resident.
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