A Mozzarella Bar Is Taking Over the Bocado Space on Howell Mill Road

After opening his second Italian restaurant Grana in Piedmont Heights last year and overseeing a renovation that added a patio to his Decatur Italian restaurant the White Bull, chef Pat Pascarella is now poised to open Bastone mozzarella bar in the former Bocado space later this year.

Bocado closed in March after 12 years at its Howell Mill Road location. A reason for the closure was not provided.

According to the website, the food menu for Bastone centers around imported mozzarella and cheeses and the hand-made pastas for which Pascarella is known, paired with wine and cocktails. Further reporting by the AJC indicates Pascarella also plans to serve a variety of Italian salumi on the menu. The restaurant will seat a total of 150 people between the dining room, bar, and patio.

Pascarella has yet to return Eater’s requests for comment and details on Bastone.

Last March, the chef opened Grana right at the start of the pandemic-related shutdowns in Georgia and ran the restaurant as a takeout operation until last summer, when he reopened the rooftop patio, and eventually the dining room to a limited number of patrons. Now fully reopened for dine-in service, Grana continues to serve Neapolitan-style pizzas, a selection of meatballs, and Pascarella’s pastas.

Ryan Fleisher

Ryan Fleisher

Pascarella opened the White Bull just off of Decatur square in 2018. The menu there consists of approximately 16 dishes, four of those dedicated to pasta made from flour milled on site. The restaurant takes its name from American novelist Ernest Hemingway who referred to the challenges of conquering the blank page while writing as “the white bull”.

In April 2020, Pascarella briefly closed the White Bull to renovate the kitchen and upgrade some equipment, add floor-to-ceiling glass windows in front, and create a back patio to expand the outdoor seating. A retail section was also added to the front of the White Bull selling the restaurant’s pastas, sauces, and meatballs

887 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. bastoneatlanta.com.

• Decatur Chef’s Latest Restaurant Includes Neapolitan Pizza and a Rooftop Bar [EATL]
• Decatur Restaurant the White Bull Is Undergoing a COVID-19-Related Renovation [EATL]
• Longtime Westside Atlanta Restaurant Bocado Is Closing and Relocating [EATL]