Ann Arbor Italian Eatery Opens With Bocce Courts and Budget-Friendly Menu

Coratti's Pizzeria Bar & Bocce and Pietro's Italian Market threw open their doors in July on East William Street. Pete Coratti runs the venture with his nephews, Peter and Anthony.

This Ann Arbor spot marks the first time the family has catered to college kids. Two other locations exist in Milford and Howell, and a fourth is being built near Michigan State's campus in Lansing.

"You can come here as an 18-year-old freshman and grab a pizza and ice water for seven bucks," Pete Coratti said, according to The Michigan Daily. "You can come as a family and get an expensive bottle of wine with nice entrees."

Pete and his team traveled to Naples for three weeks to master Napoli pizza. Then they spent a week in Bologna perfecting gelato. Fresh pasta gets rolled out each morning at the restaurant.

"It's very labor intensive, and we have people making pasta here every day, and it's worth it," Pete Coratti said per The Michigan Daily. They added, "But it took some getting used to."

Two bocce ball courts sit upstairs. Diners can play while they eat. Pete grew up tossing bocce balls in his backyard and wanted to share that experience.

Pietro's Italian Market stocks handmade rigatoni, gnocchi, spaghetti, and fettuccini. Shoppers can also buy olive oil, Italian cookies, and gelato made in-house.

Social media and word of mouth brought in more diners as fall semester progressed. The $5 pepperoni special pulled in students.

"My favorite thing is getting all the kids in here," Pete Coratti said, according to The Michigan Daily. They continued: "Because we opened when the kids weren't here, and we had lots of adults and neighborhood people here."

LSA sophomore Aidan Jacob works as a server. He's watched the business blossom since opening day. "It was really cool to see over summer how we started to pick up business from the days we were super slow compared to Welcome Week, when we were bombarded with people," Jacob said to The Michigan Daily.

Pete's grandmother and uncle owned Gregg's Pizza in Detroit—a pizzeria that stayed in the family for more than 60 years. Pete ran it until last year.