The owners of Kenwood’s iconic Italian eatery, Cafe Citti, have announced they will be leaving the Sonoma Valley and moving into the former Whole Pie location on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa. Also, the restaurant will end in-house dining, which has been limited to outdoor seating only during the pandemic, and instead focus on take-out at the new location.
Luca and Linda Citti cited a combination of reasons for the move, including the need for renovations to the building they’ve leased for more than 30 years, coronavirus restrictions, power outages and the recent Glass fire that burned through parts of Kenwood.
The family-friendly roadhouse is a longtime favorite of locals, winemakers and ranchers with its approachable Italian classics, stellar Caesar salad and huge sandwiches. In my teens, it was a much-anticipated pit stop on the seemingly interminable drives from Santa Rosa to Sonoma, where we got the tuna-egg-mayo sandwiches I’ll never forget. The restaurant also was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Here is the full announcement from the owners of Cafe Citti:
“It is with a heavy heart that after 30 years of business in Kenwood, we announce that Cafe Citti will be relocating. Our landlords have made the decision to address the stability of the building and will be making renovations that will take several months. Due to the new restrictions placed upon us during this time of Covid, the annual PSPS shut off‘s, and most recently the Glass fire, we will be leaving the dining portion of our business behind and we will concentrate our focus on continuing with our take-out business at a new location in Santa Rosa. We will be occupying the space next door to Hank’s Creekside at 2792 4th Street in Santa Rosa and we look forward to seeing your friendly faces there. On behalf of ourselves and our staff we would like to thank you for your patronage over the last 30 years and particularly the community of Kenwood for supporting us through thick and thin. Our hearts will always be in Kenwood but we are excited about the next chapter.
Please stay tuned for an opening date.
Luca and Linda Citti”