Culaccino began in downtown Franklin as the first solo concept from executive chef and owner Frank Pullara, who moved from Naples, Florida, to Middle Tennessee in 2020 to open it. The name comes from the Italian word for the mark a cold glass leaves on a wooden table — the kind of lasting impression the restaurant is built around. A second location has since opened in Nashville Yards downtown, serving lunch and dinner.
The menu centers on scratch-made pasta and wood-fired pizzas fermented for 72 hours, alongside house-crafted appetizers and family recipes drawn from Pullara's own childhood in the kitchen. Local ingredients run through the cooking, and the Franklin location's rooms — patio, bar, firepit, and indoor dining — were built to handle everything from weeknight dinners to bigger occasions.
The Franklin restaurant built a strong repeat following known for its pasta, service, and ingredient quality, a reputation that has carried over to the Nashville location. Nashville Guru named Culaccino a Best New Restaurant for 2025.
The menu centers on scratch-made pasta and wood-fired pizzas fermented for 72 hours, alongside house-crafted appetizers and family recipes drawn from Pullara's own childhood in the kitchen. Local ingredients run through the cooking, and the Franklin location's rooms — patio, bar, firepit, and indoor dining — were built to handle everything from weeknight dinners to bigger occasions.
The Franklin restaurant built a strong repeat following known for its pasta, service, and ingredient quality, a reputation that has carried over to the Nashville location. Nashville Guru named Culaccino a Best New Restaurant for 2025.