Osteria G

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

What an Osteria Is Meant to Be

The word osteria has a precise meaning: an Italian gathering place built around wine and honest, focused food — short menus, local character, no pretense. Osteria G takes that definition seriously. Situated just outside Holly Springs in Apex, North Carolina, it delivers seasonal European cooking in an atmosphere where the wine list is as carefully considered as what arrives on the plate.

Since 2022, Wine Spectator has recognized Osteria G with its Award of Excellence — a distinction earned by a list that spans more than 30 wines by the glass and over 100 bottle selections drawing from both Old and New World producers. Rotating local beers on tap and a spirits list featuring more than 30 bourbons and whiskeys round out a drinks program that goes well beyond the expected.

The Kitchen

The menu changes with the seasons, and Chef Manny's fingerprints are visible throughout. His Golden Hen — a spatchcock Cornish hen coated in harissa, roasted with fennel, onions, and Yukon Gold potatoes, finished with romesco — has become something of a signature. Pasta is made in-house: hand-rolled tagliatelle appears in a lemon cream sauce with seared sea scallops; agnolotti are stuffed with pea purée and sautéed with morel mushrooms and spring onions; potato gnocchi are paired with a lamb ragù in a preparation the kitchen calls "Shepherd's Pie Ragù." The Prosciutto & Spinach Rotolo — hand-rolled pasta filled with prosciutto, spinach, parmesan, and ricotta, finished with a Mornay and prosciutto reduction — is a starter worth arriving early for.

Berkshire pork saltimbocca with creamy broccoli rabe polenta, shrimp fusilli alla Trapanese over fresh fusilli with sun-dried tomato pesto, and a vegetarian Risotto Verde built around asparagus, leeks, English peas, and fava beans all reflect the kitchen's commitment to seasonal European cooking with clear Italian roots.

Beyond the Dinner Table

Osteria G hosts private events for up to 65 guests — weddings, rehearsal dinners, wine dinners, business gatherings, and celebrations of all kinds. Catering and off-premise events are available through Joe or Ashley. Wine dinner events are announced periodically and pair the kitchen's seasonal menu with focused selections from the cellar — a natural extension of what the restaurant does every evening.

As one guest put it simply: "Wonderful time! Great food and wine pairings!" That, in essence, is the point.