The city of Highland Village announced today that Salerno's Italian Restaurant will be relocating to Highland Village Town Center shopping center on Justin Road.

The restaurant, which is currently located at 3407 Long Prairie Road, Flower Mound, is part of the Salerno Pizza Company owned by Morris and Michael Salerno.

“Mike and I are looking forward to the rebirth of Salerno’s and partnering again in Highland Village. This location is the perfect place for our rebranding. We will be keeping many of our classic dishes, and revamping a lot of others, said chef Morris Salerno, Jr. in a press release. “Our emphasis will be on using the freshest ingredients while making homemade pastas, breads, and pies. I’m so excited about being able to put my own touches on the new menu.”

New features coming to the new Salerno location are a woodburning pizza oven, a chicken rotisserie and a Tuscan-like outdoor patio giving it a true Italian atmosphere. The new Salerno’s is anticipated to open in mid-January.

Directly next door will be Rift to Reef Aquatics, a freshwater and saltwater aquarium design and installation store. Rift to Reef Aquatics is known as Denton County’s premier aquatic pet and ecosystem retailer. Rift to Reef is currently serving existing clients and anticipates opening the store to the public in October.

“The success of Painted Tree Marketplace has generated interest in Highland Village Town Center,” City Manager Michael Leavitt said in the release. “The opening of Salerno’s and Rift to Reef brings two long-standing end users that provide a quality product in aquarium supplies and an exceptional family-owned Italian restaurant that will make this center a destination for Highland Village and the surrounding area.”