Italian Garden Restaurant at 828 U.S. 90 in Bay St. Louis opens today at 11 a.m. with a full menu featuring baked pastas and pizza. The owners are Giovanni Karelli and Merdita Sadiku.

Giovanni’s father is from Palermo, Italy, and the family has been in the restaurant business for years in Oklahoma. They were looking to expand in Arkansas or Louisiana but couldn’t find the right spot. They were headed to Florida when they decided to stop in Bay St. Louis.

“We stayed for a day and looked around,” Giovanni said. They immediately liked what they saw.

Giovanni makes all the Italian Garden pasta, the sauces and the pizza dough, and the garlic rolls are made fresh daily.

The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. No liquor license just yet.

Here’s the menu: