Inside Willow Osteria, light pours through large windows onto the old-world wallpaper and dining tables. The kitchen staff is busy at work preparing many Italian dishes for guests. The new restaurant opened its doors on Nov. 7 and is located on Willow and Shepherd avenues.  

For owner Jimmy Pardini, Willow Osteria is the culmination of years spent perfecting the craft of Italian cooking here in the Valley. Pardini also owns Annesso Pizzeria and The Annex Kitchen in Fresno. 

“We really like this development,” Pardini said. “We really like the location to kind of share what we do with this side of town.”

The restaurant’s name, Osteria, is inspired by one of Pardini’s favorite styles of restaurants in Italy. Osteria falls in between the casual feel of a trattoria, which is a smaller, more relaxed space, and the fine dining feel of a ristorante.

He says osterias have a very local feel, use lots of local ingredients and utilize seasonal items to keep the menu fresh.

At Willow Osteria, the middle ground means an approachable, elevated dining experience built around a menu that draws inspiration from regions all across Italy. Fresh pasta and wood-fired meats are at the heart of this new establishment.

Leading the kitchen is Chef de Cuisine Nestor Herrera, who spent the past nine years as head chef at The Annex Kitchen before joining the new team. Here, he oversees a team of 26 line cooks, 10 prep cooks and 10 dishwashers. He has worked closely with Pardini in developing Osteria’s menu. He explained that his cooking philosophy to be straightforward.

“Simple and just don’t make it too complicated,” Herrera said. “Simple food made right, with great ingredients and just try not to mess it up.”

One of his favorite dishes on the new menu is a wild boar lasagna, which is a slow-cooked, deeply flavored dish that captures what he loves about this kind of cuisine.

Herrera said he is inspired by cookbooks and the challenge of the fast-paced kitchen.

“You got to love the chaos, the control of chaos,” Herrera said. “When tickets come in, you’ve got to get excited.”

Even beyond the food, the restaurant’s team is focused on one thing: giving the guests an experience that feels personal and professional all in one. 

Cherith Garcia is a server who transferred from Annesso Pizzeria, and is also a Fresno State student studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She said that kindness is the center of everything they do.

“We really pride ourselves in hospitality and always putting the guest first,” Garcia said. “We never want a guest to have to ask for anything; we are already on top of it.”

The training program for servers at the restaurant was three weeks long. Aside from hospitality, the training covered menu items in depth, learning about all of the Italian wines, the origin of the foods and understanding what each food is made of. 

To prepare for opening, there were lots of mock service sessions and training focused on building team culture and rapport, especially since Willow Osteria has more fine dining elements. The long days are exhausting but exciting in getting the restaurant ready for business.

Garcia described Willow Osteria as “one of the prettiest restaurants in Fresno,” with its warm lighting and intimate seating that make the space feel welcoming and cozy at the same time.

“We have a lot of Italian restaurants [in town], but not a lot of them are doing it how we are, like real classic Italian style, simple ingredients, just layers of flavor,” Garcia said. “What we put into our dishes really sets us apart.”

The restaurant will open for dinner service from 5-10:30 p.m. six days a week and will be closed on Mondays, for now, with plans to expand for lunch service and seven days in the future. It will seat fewer people than Annesso Pizzeria but more people than The Annex Kitchen. 

The staff includes a mix of experienced team members from one of Pardini’s other locations and new hires. This mix creates what Garcia calls “a family culture.”

Pardini said that connection and culture are what make Willow Osteria so special. He and the team are looking to share the style of cooking and passion for hospitality with the community of Clovis, giving an elevated Italian dining experience.

As the team is adding the final touches to the space, Herrera expressed his excitement.

“Hopefully, they love it,” Herrera said. “I like seeing people’s faces when they taste our food and see their smiles.”

To make reservations, visit the link in the restaurant’s Instagram biography.