One fast-casual pasta concept in Des Peres is giving way to another. Sauci Pasta will open its second location in the former Porano space (13323 Manchester), a 3,400-square-foot restaurant in the Trader Joe’s-anchored shopping center just west of I-270. Porano, a concept from Gerard Craft’s Niche Food Group, closed in March, after nearly two years in business.
Owned by brothers Ben and Adam Alagna, Sauci Pasta was conceived as a fast-casual offshoot of their family’s longtime Italian restaurant, Fratelli’s. The concept debuted in St. Charles in July 2024 to strong local interest and quickly developed a loyal following.
The Des Peres restaurant is expected to open this fall. Following a soft-opening period, it will operate with the same hours as the flagship location, from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Excitement surrounding the announcement was amplified through a social media campaign inviting followers to guess the new location for a chance to win a Sauci Pasta gift card. The post generated more than 100,000 views and roughly 1,100 guesses. “Thirty people got it right,” Ben Alagna says. “We’ll draw three $100 gift card winners on Tuesday.”…