For me, walking into Per Noi Trattoria on Highland Drive is a bit like stepping back in time. I first wrote about Per Noi in 2012 when it opened on Stratford Avenue. It was a small space – seating a mere 28 guests – and the owners were smart in 2018 to relocate Per Noi to the sprawling location that was formerly Michelangelo on Highland.

But when I talk about stepping back in time I’m talking, in part, about the family members who work at Per Noi – they’ve aged since I first visited but customers old and new are warmly greeted by the extended family and made to feel like part of it. That hasn’t changed and I doubt it ever will. After all, “per noi” in Italian means “for us.”