Ruscello, the Italian‑Mediterranean restaurant perched on the top floor of Nordstrom at Ala Moana Center, is slated to reopen in early March after a brief renovation break. The Nordstrom‑run spot has been dark since January 16, a short pause that left regulars eyeing the top floor and waiting for the lights to flick back on.
The refresh carries a price tag of about $450,000, according to the Pacific Business Journal. Ruscello occupies roughly 5,500 square feet on Nordstrom’s top dining level, a footprint first laid out when the store expanded in 2016, as noted by Pacific Business News.
Nordstrom’s dining page spells it out clearly: “We will be temporarily closed starting on January 16th and re-opening in early March,” steering hungry shoppers toward the store’s other options in the meantime. While work wraps up, guests are encouraged to hit the eBar or the Habitant lounge on level 2 instead. As of now, the closure notice is still posted on Nordstrom’s dining page.
Menu Basics and the Dining Room
On Nordstrom’s dining page, Ruscello highlights brick‑oven pizzas, pastas, salads and a curated wine list, the core lineup that has made it a go‑to for both shoppers and locals. The open seating and patio‑style views have turned the space into more than just a department store pit stop, giving Ala Moana diners a relaxed sit‑down option tucked inside the retail sprawl. Nordstrom’s listing still shows the familiar menu and hours, signaling that regulars can expect the same lineup once service resumes.
A Quick Local History
Ruscello was one of two in‑store restaurant concepts Nordstrom rolled out as part of its Ala Moana arrival, a move first reported during the retailer’s 2015–16 expansion. By carving out room for a larger, full‑service restaurant inside the store, Nordstrom added something a little different to a mall scene usually dominated by food‑court counters.
When to Expect Service
On OpenTable, Ruscello is currently marked as temporarily closed, but recent reviews reference the mid‑January shutdown and point to an early March return. Once the restaurant flips back to active, reservations are expected to show up again on the platform…