New Kitchen & Espresso Bar

Bucknell’s small but hungry population is always looking for new places to get high quality food. Although Downtown Lewisburg has its bar scene down, the restaurant selection always seemed to lack fresh and heart warming foods.

The wait seems to be over, though. Chef and owner Davide Della Pietra started off the new year by presenting Amami Kitchen and Espresso Bar to Market Street.

Photo by Ella Storey

Pronounced “ahh-ma-mee,” which translates to “love me” in Italian, Amami became the name of this little shop to represent the owner’s love for Italian coffee and elegant comfort foods. Davide is originally from Milan, but worked in several fine dining restaurants in California prior to making the move out to Lewisburg.

Photo by Ella Storey

Located next to Siam on Market Street, this tiny structure doesn’t look like much from the outside. Once inside, however, customers can’t help but feel immediate comfort as well as a rush of excitement when enveloped by the rustic yet chic interior.

The reason why “Kitchen” is used in the title instead of “cafe” is because Chef Davide does not want to be defined by the simple foods that are often associated with the word “cafe.” The professional background of Davide Della Peitra constitutes his ability to create an array of meals that are atypical from the first bite to the last. Davide’s aim is for people to come to Amami to have a delicious meal that keeps the integrity of his culinary vision.

Coffee

Photo by Ella Storey

Amami has over 20 types of specialty drinks that can be customized to your liking, many of which feature the espresso imported directly from Bologna, Italy that the restaurant prides itself on. Espresso is an extremely decadent and powerfully flavored coffee that’s incredible only if brewed correctly and from the finest ingredients.

Photo by Dannah Strauss

Coffee lovers are also extremely fond of the local slow drip coffees that come from both Alabaster and Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Other popular drinks include the Dirty Chai and Iced Mocha Latte; both are creamy, roasted perfectly and never overly sweet.

Breakfast

Photo by Ella Storey

We already know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but Amami ensures you can have your favorite morning dishes throughout the day. The breakfast menu is small due to their recent opening, but it hits every nail on the head.

Photo by Ella Storey

So far, there are two breakfast items that have stood out as the most popular: The Breakfast Wrap and Amami Oatmeal. The Breakfast Wrap includes an egg over medium, roasted potatoes, provolone cheese, and sriracha mayo. Additional proteins like bacon or turkey can be added as well, but this wrap is perfect just the way it is.

The Amami Oatmeal is a mixture of classic rolled oats, rich chocolate, frothed milk and a kick of their classic espresso. The warm bowl is an incredible start to any morning.

Specials

Photo by Ella Storey

The chalk board on the wall holds the glory of a few weekly special items that are everything but shy of being wholesome and completely satisfying.

New menu

Some of the new menu items are an authentic prosciutto, sun dried tomato, and pesto sandwich; a slow roasted chicken sandwich with caramelized onions and arugula; a kale and grape caesar salad; and an Italian caprese grilled cheese with basil and tomato inspired by Davide’s daughter, Sofia. Menu items and specials are likely to change as Davide likes to keep his ingredients seasonal and unique to his customers.