Popular Restaurant Opening New CT Location

HARTFORD, CT — Artichoke Basille’s Pizza announced plans to open a second restaurant in the state. The new location will be in downtown Hartford and will open this winter, according to FOX 61.

Franchisee Matt Rusconi said that the restaurant will "fit seamlessly into the community as it transforms into a more youthful and contemporary area."

Another location of Artichoke Basille's Pizza opened in Newington earlier this year. The restaurant's website notes the location is coming soon to 114 Asylum St., which formerly housed McKinnon's Pub.

The pub shut down last year after sixteen years in business. The owner said the 2,150-square-foot space was too small and limited growth opportunities, according to Hartford Business Journal.

Artichoke Basille's Pizza has eleven locations in New York, two in California, and one in New Jersey. They plan to open another restaurant in Arizona.

Francis Garcia and Sal Basille opened the original East Village location in 2008. The website describes Garcia and Basille as "two regular guys from the neighborhood, whose DNA reads garlic and oil. They are fourth generation restaurateurs."

Rusconi said that they believe in the future of downtown Hartford due to the number of new developments and that they look forward to bringing New York-style slices to Connecticut, Hartford Business Journal reported.