A group of local Italian eateries is expanding its footprint in Wellesley.
Fiorella’s Trattoria is gearing up to welcome more diners with an expansion into the former Papa Wheelies bike shop next door at 8 Church Street in the Church Square shopping center. The move will add 47 seats, bringing the restaurant’s indoor capacity to nearly 90, with an additional 20 seasonal outdoor seats available for al fresco dining.
“We are very excited about the expansion,” owner Rémon Karian told What Now Boston. He anticipates opening the expanded trattoria in early 2026. “When the space next door became available, we felt it was the perfect time to grow so we could better serve our guests and gain the flexibility to accommodate larger groups,” he said. “We wanted to maintain the same look and feel, creating a seamless extension of our current dining room.”
Since opening at 575 Washington Street in 2019, Fiorella’s has become a staple in Wellesley for its casual counter-serve fare, offering Neapolitan-style pizzas, hearty sandwiches, and other Italian-American classics.
According to The Swellesley Report, the Wellesley Select Board approved the expansion on December 16. During the hearing, a neighbor raised concerns related to traffic and stormwater management. Town officials noted that the upcoming streetscape project in Wellesley Square could help alleviate some of these issues.
Fiorella’s legacy stretches back decades. Rémon’s father, Marcel, opened the original Café Fiorella in Belmont in 1986. Rémon himself launched the first full-service Fiorella’s Cucina in Newton in 2000. Today, he and his wife Geneviève operate three cucina and three trattoria locations across Greater Boston.
