Pianta Is Taking Over New Deal Café in July

Pianta, one of Tastemakers Food Hall’s original tenants, is branching out of Brookland. Come July 1, the vegan, Italian-style sandwich shop will begin running the kitchen at New Deal Café in Greenbelt. The owners will happily continue to operate their stall at Tastemakers.

“We’re excited about the growth,” said Leah Curran Moon, who owns the business with her husband, Michael Moon. “I think that this was a real opportunity to grow into having our own kitchen.”

Pianta’s restaurant operation at New Deal (which can seat 99 people) will start with serving up Italian-American inspired bar snacks, soups, and sandwiches — the same that they’re slinging at Tastemakers and a few more they’re fleshing out.

Heather Djunaidy

The Moons will launch a full menu by August — expect mushroom scampi, eggplant rollatini and pasta with “meatyballs” covered in marinara sauce. They’ll also bring on a baker to whip up plant-based Italian pastries, cake and cannoli. Future plans include brunch.

Heather Djunaidy

The couple originally moved to Tastemakers on Dec. 31 to grow the retail capability for their burgeoning company, DC Vegan Catering, while developing and launching Pianta, which opened April 21 and means “plant” in Italian. They opened the stall in response to customers who wanted more direct sales of their products.

Hours of operation will be Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.