Primo’s to move into the former Lake House
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Primo’s Italian Bistro located on 2180 Lake Tahoe Boulevard is getting ready to open a second location on 1181 Emerald Bay Road, where the former Lake House and Passaretti’s once served steaks and pasta.
Primo’s has been around since 2012; its owner Jim Primo has been in the area since 1996. He says that he had been looking for a location like the one on Emerald Bay Road for a while, considering his current location is at the back of a strip mall.
“I have always wanted a freestanding restaurant,” Primo says.
“I’ve been looking for a place like this for years, and our realtor told me about this location,” added Primo.
Primo’s serves casual Italian fare, “bringing my grandmother’s kitchen to Tahoe.”
He says that he’s going to try to keep made-from-scratch food and provide more steak options since the previous restaurant was designed as a steakhouse. It has been remodeled quite a bit in the last 10 years and the previous owners added an outdoor patio.
The current Primo’s will continue to serve pizzas, sandwiches, and some pasta while the new location will have all the main Italian classics. Primo believes that all the dishes on his menu are popular, but social media suggests that the ravioli, chicken marsala, beef short rib, and ricotta gnocchi are customer favorites.
“I’ve always liked making pizzas,” he says.
His family is originally from the outskirts of southern Sicily, and Jim is a fourth-generation Italian living in the United States. He moved to Tahoe in 1996 “for the skiing” from Beacon Hill, Massachusetts (outside of Boston) wanting to be near a big body of water as well as the mountains.
Primo’s makes all its pasta, sauces, and desserts from scratch and has a robust selection of wines, microbrews, and imported bottles.
“We’re excited to open in this new location, and keep all the same great quality products to make great quality dishes,” he adds. The new location will be open in mid-May.
For more information about Primo’s Italian Bistro, visit https://primositalianbistro.com/.

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