Key Points
- Rossella, the Kentish Town Italian restaurant and deli, is opening a second North London site in Muswell Hill in May 2026.
- The new venue will combine a restaurant, bar and deli under one roof, with an all-day neighbourhood format.
- The address is St James’s Square, 107 Muswell Hill Road, N10 3HS.
- The opening follows Rossella’s long-running presence in Kentish Town, where it has traded since 2012.
- Founder Luca Meola says the expansion is rooted in family tradition, community dining and Italian heritage.
- The Muswell Hill site will include aperitivo and cocktails, small plates, pizzas, Rossella’s own products and curated Italian hampers.
- A soft launch period has also been reported, with discounted food offered before the full opening.
- Rossella’s family story dates back to Benevento, Italy, where the first family restaurant opened in 1960.
Rossella Kentish Town (North London News) April 30, 2026, with a second North London venue in Muswell Hill, marking a significant step for the family-run Italian brand as it moves into a new neighbourhood format.
What is Rossella opening in Muswell Hill?
As reported by the Hospitality and Catering News team at Hospitality and Catering News, Rossella will open as a combined restaurant, bar and deli on Tuesday, 12 May 2026. The site is being positioned as an all-day destination, rather than a conventional dinner-only restaurant.
The address given is 107 Muswell Hill Road, St James’s Square, in N10 3HS. Another report says a soft launch will run from 5 to 10 May, with 50% off the food menu during that period.
Why is the brand expanding now?
Rossella’s expansion follows more than a decade of trade at its original Kentish Town site. The business has built a local following for seasonal Italian cooking, a relaxed atmosphere and family-led hospitality. In coverage by Hospitality and Catering News and other outlets, Luca Meola is described as a second-generation Italian Londoner whose work draws on the family’s roots in Benevento.
The family restaurant story began in 1960 in Benevento, then continued in London when Meola’s father opened a trattoria after moving to the city in 1978.
What will the new site offer?
The Muswell Hill venue will bring together several functions in one space. The restaurant side will serve Italian dishes, while the bar will focus on aperitivo and cocktails.
The deli element will showcase Rossella’s own products and curated Italian hampers, extending the brand’s existing deli presence. The concept is also intended to feel local and neighbourhood-led, according to Meola’s comments quoted in the coverage.
Who is Luca Meola?
Luca Meola is the founder of Rossella and is listed on LinkedIn as the managing director of the business. In the published coverage, he says Rossella’s approach comes from family life and a belief in food as a way of bringing people together.
He also says Muswell Hill felt like a place that values a local, relaxed and community-focused venue. The reports do not suggest a major rebrand; instead, they frame the opening as a continuation of the existing Rossella identity.
How does this fit the wider story?
Rossella’s original Kentish Town restaurant has been operating since 2012 and has developed from a single site into a recognised north London Italian brand. The move into Muswell Hill is described as the business’s first expansion in about 14 years.
The new location also reflects a broader hospitality trend in which established neighbourhood restaurants add bars and deli counters to widen appeal across more of the day. In practical terms, that means Rossella is no longer relying only on dinner trade but is building a fuller daytime and early-evening offer.
Background of the development
Rossella’s story begins with the Meola family in Benevento, Italy, where the first family restaurant opened in 1960. Luca Meola later continued that legacy in London, opening Rossella in Kentish Town in 2012 and building it around simple Italian cooking, quality ingredients and wines from the family vineyard.
The Kentish Town restaurant became known as a community-focused neighbourhood business rather than a high-turnover chain format. The Muswell Hill opening is the next step in that same family-run model.
Prediction: how could this affect local diners?
For Muswell Hill residents, the opening is likely to add another independent dining option with both daytime and evening use. The restaurant, bar and deli format may appeal to customers who want coffee, lunch, aperitivo, dinner or takeaway-style deli items in one place. For the local hospitality market, Rossella’s arrival could increase competition among nearby Italian and neighbourhood restaurants, especially if the brand repeats the loyal following it built in Kentish Town. For north London diners more broadly, the expansion suggests that established family-run venues still see room for growth in community-focused districts.
