Your pre-movie dining options at the Mall at Green Hills are about to increase by 7,000 square feet as North Italia, a mammoth eatery offering pasta, pizza, cocktails, and of course, gelato, opens this Wednesday. The chain is owned by Fox Restaurants, the Phoenix-based national collection of restaurants, including Zinburger and Olive & Ivy. This is the first foray into Nashville with North Italia.

The restaurant, which is on the north side of the mall, near the former location of Restoration Hardware, is bright and airy, with pendant globe lighting, hand-painted murals, an open kitchen, a decent bar and a patio — and is large enough to allow everyone in your movie-going, back-to-school-shopping crowd something they’ll like, but not giant like the seemingly never-ending menu binder at the nearby Cheesecake Factory.