Pepe Nero

Traverse City

Owners Giorgio Lo Greco and Luca Carteni met working side by side in an Italian restaurant over 30 years ago. Both experienced restaurateurs, made the leap from Italy to Traverse City, MI in 2011 (Giorgio) and 2014 (Luca).

“We both love food and wine and cherish the art of dining and eating. Our childhood in Italy was founded in a culture with a strong, stable culinary tradition where people take great pleasure in food, and dining is an experienced to be savored. Some of our dearest memories are around great meals which brought families and friends together. Since knowing each other, we dreamed about creating a restaurant that will bring unpretentious, freshly cooked real Italian food matched with excellent wines and genuine service.
As a result in August 2013 we united to open the first Italian owned restaurant in Grand Traverse area. A restaurant that will closely resemble to one opened in the streets of Palermo (Giorgio's home town), where the terms “free range chickens”, “organic”, “antibiotic/hormone free beef”, “farm to table” are coined, because as we grew up in Italy, all vegetables were organic, all chickens were free-range, all ingredients were purchased from local markets or fisheries and nobody has thought out the great foolishness of using hormones or antibiotics to livestock.

Our vision is to take our guests to refreshingly new levels of Italian food and wine enjoyments. Even though you're not in Italy (and probably not even Italian!) PepeNero will make you feel that way.
Benvenuti & Buon Appetito!