Italian Restaurant, Grocery Opening This Weekend on 7th Street SE

The Italian grocery store and small restaurant Radici is set to open near Eastern Market this weekend.

Located at 303 7th St. SE, Radici will carry high-end Italian food and organic produce. Its restaurant with 14 seats indoors and room for 34 people outside will be led by two Italian chefs, co-owner Bridget Thibodeau-Sasso said Monday.

Radici, whose name is Italian for “roots,” will sell pasta, sauces and more and have the feel of an Italian home, Thibodeau-Sasso said. She decorated its interior with hand-blown lamps from Venice and terra-cotta made by an Italian company that’s made the material for 500 years.

Thibodeau-Sasso, who lived in Italy for 13 years, said she loved that Italians enjoy communal, Thanksgiving-type meals on a regular basis.

“One thing that I believe is lacking in American culture is that there aren’t a lot of family dinners,” she said, adding that she hopes the grocery store and restaurant can bring neighbors together.

Radici will have two entrances — one on C Street SE, on the restaurant side of the business, and another on 7th Street SE, leading to the grocery store.

Thibodeau-Sasso said she opted to open the business on the Hill because the neighborhood has a “European feel.”

Radici is slated for a health inspection this week and should open Saturday or Sunday. The owners will hold a grand opening celebration next month, Thibodeau-Sasso said.