New Italian restaurant now open in Belhaven Town Center. Here are the details

Belhaven Town Center, a mixed use development in the heart of one of Jackson’s most historic neighborhoods is welcoming two new businesses to its eclectic mix of dining, shopping, and entertainment establishments.

Described as a “new kind of general store,” Beans and Bananas held their grand opening Jan. 6 while Pulito Osteria, an upscale Italian eatery, officially opened Jan. 31.

The two businesses are located at 800 Manship Street at the intersection of North Jefferson Street in a renovated building that formerly housed laundry facilities for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. The building also serves as home to the popular Fertile Ground Beer Company and a variety of business and office suites. Neighbors located directly across Manship Street include District Donuts and Elvie’s.

Beans and Bananas is the brainchild of owner Emily Pote and her longtime friend, store manager Zita Webb. “We are neighbors and have been friends for over a decade,” Pote said.

Inspiration for the business began during the Covid-19 pandemic, she said, when the business partners found many items needed for their homes became hard to find at local stores.

“People want to shop locally yet we found that a lot of the things we needed for our family we were having to order online,” Pote said.

She began discussing her ideas with Belhaven Town Center developer Ruffin Lowry as well as many of her friends. “People in the community seemed excited,” Pote said.

Webb, who is the daughter of well known Jackson restaurateur and promoter Malcolm White, describes Beans and Bananas as “three stores in one.” The merchandise is roughly one-third groceries (yes, you can actually buy bananas); one-third kids items (toys, games, puzzles, etc.); and one-third home goods (purses, hair accessories, shampoo, pet foods, gifts, party supplies, and more).

Pote said that as a new business they are vitally interested in hearing ideas from their customers as to what new merchandise might be a good fit for the store. “We will continue to become what the community needs,” she said.Hours for Beans and Bananas are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday. They may be reached through beansandbananas.com or by calling 601-259-1799.

Pulito Osteria

Just next door, Webb’s husband Jonathan is partnering with executive chef Chaz Lindsay to open Jackson’s newest Italian eatery, Pulito Osteria.

The restaurant’s new state-of-the-art kitchen features an imported Fiero Firone wood burning pizza oven that can also be used to cook flounder, chicken, roasted mushrooms and vegetables and other items.

A specialty of the house will be made-from-scratch noodles, which Lindsay describes as a rarity in Jackson.

“It is a lot more work but the rewards are much greater,” he said.

Lindsay has been cooking for approximately 17 years, having served in a number of local restaurants including Parlor Market. He also spent time working in Italy, and describes the new restaurant’s name thusly:

“In Italy restaurants are classified into five tiers: 1. Cafe/bar; 2. Pizzeria; 3. Trattoria; 4. Osteria; and 5. Restorante. An Osteria is the second-to-highest tier offering high quality food without being strictly black-tie,” he said.

He predicts that the menu will change slightly with the seasons and will be influenced partly by traditional Southern cuisine. “We are trying to bridge Southern cuisine with Italian cuisine," Lindsay said. A full service bar with specialty cocktails will also be featured.

Lindsay’s mother, Jackson Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay, for many years served as executive director of the Greater Belhaven Foundation and was among those instrumental in making the initial plans for Belhaven Town Center several years ago.

She said the area had previously become blighted and she is proud of the way young entrepreneurs have contributed to its revitalization.

“I knew that it would be the next generation to make the vision real,” she said.

Dining hours for Pulito Osteria are from 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with bar service open until 11 p.m. They may be contacted through pulitojackson.com or by calling 601-914-9696. Reservations are recommended.

Belhaven Town Center began as a project in early 2020 when several businesses including Elvie’s, Spectrum Sip, and an office complex opened in what were formerly three abandoned buildings. Phase II began that fall with construction of an outdoor entertainment courtyard and a three-story mixed use building with 12 private offices, a conference room, first class common areas and 12 residential apartments.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: New Italian restaurant now open in Belhaven Town Center in Jackson MS