Risata Cucina Brings Modern Italian with an Old Soul to Robbinsdale
For nearly a year, a quiet void sat in the heart of Robbinsdale’s “restaurant row” following the closure of the beloved Nonna Rosa’s. This week, the space has found a new voice —and it sounds like a deep, resounding laugh.
Risata Cucina, which translates to “laughter” in Italian, has officially opened its doors. While the name suggests a lighthearted atmosphere, owners Brendan Denne and Bryan Gooding are serious about filling the shoes of their predecessors while carving out a new identity for the neighborhood staple.
A Labor of Love
Taking over a space with a loyal following is no small feat. To make the transition, Denne and Gooding spent months transforming the interior into a space that feels both fresh and familiar.
“Pretty much everything you see, we redid,” said co-owner Brendan Denne. “We did a lot of it ourselves—friends and family came and helped. [Bryan’s] mom helped clear, and his dad painted everything.”
The result is what Gooding describes as a “modern Italian restaurant with an old soul.” The goal isn’t just to serve food, but to reclaim the spot’s status as a community hub where locals feel at home.
The Rigatoni Alla Vodka at Risata Cucina features sweet fennel sausage, fermented fresno and parmesan.
High-End Craft, Laid-Back Vibe
Denne is no stranger to the high-pressure world of fine dining, having spent the last two years as the culinary director for the renowned Travail Kitchen and Amusements. However, for Risata Cucina, he is trading avant-garde theatrics for a more relaxed, approachable excellence.
That doesn’t mean the kitchen is taking shortcuts. Denne spent weeks perfecting pasta recipes using specialized Italian flours, noting that the process is a “detail-driven learning curve.”
The menu strikes a balance between comfort and creativity:
The classics: traditional meatballs, rigatoni alla vodka and tiramisu.
The inventive: mortadella spiedini topped with a unique olive caramel.
The signature: carrot agnolotti (meaning “little envelope”), featuring a carrot and ricotta puree with brown butter sauce, crushed pistachios, and fresh dill.
The carrot agnolotti at Risata Cucina features brown butter, pistachio, dill and fennel pollen.
Betting on the Neighborhood
Opening a restaurant in a volatile economy is always a gamble, but Gooding and Denne are confident in the Robbinsdale community. The duo joins a dense culinary block that features five restaurants and, as Gooding jokingly noted, “a hardware store to help with anything that breaks.”
“We’re ready for this,” Gooding said. “This is what we planned for. It’s super exciting.”
With a cocktail program to match the menu and a mission to keep the room filled with the “resounding laughter” its name promises, Risata Cucina looks ready to become the next long-term resident of “restaurant row.”
The tiramisu at Risata Cucina. The restaurant is located at 4168 W Broadway Avenue in Robbinsdale.
Related: Nonna Rosa’s, Longtime Robbinsdale Restaurant, Permanently Closes
