Orlando gets a new Italian resto when Grazie moves into the old Bem Bom space

It didn’t take long for the old Bem Bom space on Corrine Drive in Audubon Park to find a new tenant.

Grazie Modern Italian Kitchen, a concept from seasoned restaurateur Nazih Sebaali, is set to move into the building made famous by Francisco “Chico” Mendonça.

Mendonça, Bem Bom’s chef and co-owner, passed away in May 2021, leaving the restaurant without its heart and soul. It officially shuttered earlier this month, a mutual decision made by Bem Bom’s co-owner A.J. Campofiore and Mendonça’s family.

Meanwhile Sebaali, the man who ran venerable downtown Middle Eastern haunt Cafe Annie for 29 years before it closed in 2016, and who currently runs Meza Mediterranean Grill in Baldwin Park, will try his hand at Italian cuisine. The menu appears a lot more traditional than the restaurant’s name implies, with wood-fired pizzas, pastas, salads and various secondi ranging from lamb shank ossobuco and veal scaloppine being offered. The menu, we’re told, is still in draft form, but will ultimately feature “Italian classics with a modern touch.”

Grazie’s menu will contrast the progressive and innovative bill of fare that’ll be presented across the street at the soon-to-open Coro Restaurant by chef Tim Lovero and wife Natalie.

Either way, we’re thankful for both.

An opening date for Grazie hasn’t been announced, but be sure to follow them @grazieorlando. While you’re at it, follow @cororestaurant as they prepare to open.

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This article appears in People We Love.