New Italian Restaurant Opens in Downtown Cambridge

March 10, 2010

CAMBRIDGE, MD

Gigi’s Trattoria, a casual Italian restaurant and wine bar, opened in mid-March in downtown Cambridge. With an emphasis on comfort food at reasonable prices, the restaurant offers everything from pizza, pasta, and paninis to burgers and salads, as well as a range of wines by the glass or the bottle.

Like the traditional trattorias of Italy, Gigi’s is designed as a place where neighbors, friends, and family can gather for fun and satisfying, flavorful food. The restaurant is located where Bella Luna restaurant was at 305 High Street in downtown Cambridge.

“In this economy, we thought it best to open a more affordable, more casual, everyday kind of restaurant. Gigi’s is much more down-home style with lower prices,” said Barbara Helish, chef and owner of both Gigi’s and Bella Luna. “We’re responding to what’s going on in the world. It’s the right time to do something more comforting for everyone.”

The name Gigi’s honors the man who introduced Helish to authentic Italian food. After growing up eating German food, Helish enjoyed her first taste of Italian cuisine when a family friend named Luigi prepared some meals—and sparked her lifelong passion for Italian food.

In 2003, Helish opened a deli in Royal Oak where she prepared Italian specialties. People soon began making more and more requests, so the deli evolved into Bella Luna, a popular restaurant featuring freshly made pastas, mozzarella from scratch, and a focus on local ingredients. She opened the second location in Cambridge in early 2009.

With Gigi’s, Chef Helish takes her passion for Italian food in a new direction, creating familiar favorites with her own touch. “I’m excited about Gigi’s becoming a neighborhood favorite for people in and around Cambridge looking to enjoy fresh Italian food and good wine,” Helish said.

Gigi’s is open for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. To reserve your table, call 410.221.0110. Gigi’s is located at 305 High Street in downtown Cambridge.