Italian restaurant in downtown Wayne rebrands as Alessandro’s

Rebranding seems to be the hot ticket this summer — witness the “new” Taqueria Amor in Manayunk and Philly Bread’s name change to Merzbacher’s.

Now comes Alessandro “Alex” Fiorello, who took over the industrial-chic Arde Osteria across from the SEPTA station in Wayne last summer. In reopening from a pandemic shutdown three weeks ago, he’s tinkered with the wood-and-brick look, redid the menu, and rebranded it as Alessandro’s Wood Fired Italian & Bar (133 N. Wayne Ave.).

Before taking over Arde, Fiorello was executive chef at Fiorello’s Cafe, the West Chester restaurant owned by his father, Daniele. He’s cooking pizzas, whole fish, meats, and bread in the wood-fired Stefano Ferrara oven that Arde’s operators installed in 2014.

Menu also includes five entrees ($24 to $32), six pastas ($20 to $28), six antipasti ($14 to $18), and five salads ($10 to $16).

Bar offers 20 wines by glass (select bottles are half-off on Wednesday), plus cocktails.

For now, Alessandro’s seats 40 people in the dining room plus 20 on the sidewalk out front.