Sagra Italia

Sagra Italia is a fast-casual Italian restaurant, bar, and espresso bar at 155 St. Paul Street in downtown Rochester, NY. Opened in November 2025 in the former Fifth Frame Brewing space, it is the third St. Paul Street venture from Demetrio and Gretchen Cavatassi alongside partner Chris Ziogas — the same team behind Tapas 177 and Event 180, both just steps away. The name draws from the traditional Italian sagra, a local festival built around food, community, and gathering.

Demetrio Cavatassi brings roughly four decades of restaurant experience to the operation, having started in the industry in 1986. The family runs the business together: daughter Mia Cavatassi serves as restaurant manager, while Ava Bliss (née Cavatassi) oversees events and marketing across the group's properties.

Sagra Italia operates as a counter-service restaurant with a full bar. The food menu centers on housemade pastas, focaccia-based pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and sides. Standout dishes include:

• Fried Burrata with sagra marinara, Parmigiano/Romano, and house focaccia
• Pasta al Limone with lemon cream sauce and sliced chicken cutlet
• Shellfish Scoglio — bronze-cut spaghetti with mussels, shrimp, grape tomatoes, and white wine
• La Bianca, a white pizza featuring lemon ricotta on thick focaccia crust

The focaccia itself is a defining element of the kitchen, prepared using multiple proofing techniques depending on whether it is destined for sandwiches or pizza. The bar program leans into Italian spirits, with a focus on Amaro, Italian wines, and craft cocktails. Espresso service is also available. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the kitchen closing at 9 p.m. Reservations are not accepted.

Sagra Italia is known for its house-made focaccia, which forms the foundation of both its pizza and sandwich menus — a departure from the thin-crust style common at many Italian restaurants. The family's nearly three-decade presence on St. Paul Street, stretching back to the 1997 opening of Tapas 177, gives the operation deep roots in the neighborhood.

Sagra Italia sits on St. Paul Street in downtown Rochester, a corridor the Cavatassi family has helped shape over the years with three adjacent businesses. The restaurant occupies the former Fifth Frame Brewing storefront at 155 St. Paul Street, just two doors from Tapas 177. The stretch has been described as an "if you know, you know" destination, offering a quieter alternative to busier corridors like Park Avenue. The owners have discussed plans for European-style sidewalk seating for aperitivo service, which would add daytime street-level activity to the block. Takeout is also a significant part of the business.