Osteria Italian Seafood is the newest brainchild from Jared Matthews, specializing in fresh seafood dishes with Italian influences. Osteria joins other local establishments Matthews owns, including Lou Lou on Market and The Fox Den.
“My brain doesn’t turn off,” Matthews said. “I have five different concepts in my head right now. My wife is who keeps me grounded, or I’d be opening two restaurants a year. I’ve had the fresh seafood concept in my mind for a couple of years, and just had to have the right spot.”
Osteria took over the space formerly home to Napa River Grill on 1211 Herr Lane in Westport Village. Matthews had conversations with the Napa owners when he learned they were looking to sell, and fell in love with the location.
“I had just opened up Lou Lou on Market about six months before I had the opportunity to take over the Napa River location,” Matthews said. “One of the owners lives in my neighborhood and he asked if I would have any interest in buying Napa River Grill. I’m always interested in a business conversation. We had a meeting and I love the space and the location. I didn’t have any interest in keeping it Napa River Grill, but my parents used to go there all the time and they loved it. Napa was great but I thought it had run its course. I loved the spot and I always wanted to do a fresh seafood restaurant in Louisville because I thought there was a lack of that. I wanted to do fresh seafood because we have that UPS hub that can get us fresh fish. It worked out that we can get fresh fish within 48 hours.”
Matthews says he took over the Napa restaurant in June of 2023 with the intention of turning it into Osteria with a “coastal vibe.” In September the restaurant shutdown for two weeks, reopening with its new theme and name while blending in many of the favorites from the previous location. Matthews hired the same company he has worked with in the past to paint a large octopus mural inside the space, while also highlighting the creative ability from staff members with a painted chalkboard. Osteria also features most of the same kitchen staff as Napa, including Executive Chef Seth Butkus.
“The cuisine is exactly what the name says: fresh seafood with an Italian twist,” Matthews said. “We make all of our pastas in-house daily. It worked out that me and Seth really clicked. We traveled around and put a plan together. His whole kitchen staff was great and everyone stuck around. We did a reinterview process with my company and it all worked out. Seth’s dad, Bennett, makes all of our soups and he’s unbelievable. He’s from Rhode Island is the reason Seth got into cooking. It’s a neat aspect of our restaurant that we have a father-son duo in the kitchen.”
Osteria’s menu includes fresh-baked pasta and seafood, with classics such as baked shrimp scampi and ahi tuna wontons, as well as new favorites such as lobster bisque, seared scallops and margherita pizza. The menu also includes pastas such as ricotta gnocchi alla Bolognese and lasagna rotolo.
Osteria is open daily for lunch and dinner, and promotes daily chef specials, happy hours and other special events. Osteria also features private rooms, online reservations, and catering, giving guests a variety of options to check out their offerings. Matthews is excited for the warmer weather and the potential the Osteria space offers its guests, including an extensive wine list and live music.
“We have a nice patio,” Matthews said. “Coming up in the spring and summer, we’re going to be running a great cocktail menu. We are going to redo our lunch menu so it’s going to be an Italian cafe. A lot of coffee, drinks and brunch items.”
As the owner of several other popular restaurants locally, Matthews has built up a following of guests who enjoy partaking in his newest creations, but he also has been able to maintain guests from the previous Napa restaurant.
“We built up a pretty good following with our restaurant group and there are a lot of Napa regulars that have stuck around,” Matthews said. “I don’t think there’s one person who isn’t excited about what we did. The space needed some attention, and people are excited about that and it’s going over well. The people who come seem to love it. It’s a niche setting in Louisville with the fresh seafood and I think we hit it well.”
One of the main objectives Matthews strives for is to give his guests a great experience, not just in the Osteria location, but in all of his projects.
“My big thing with all my businesses, I want service to be top notch,” Matthews said. “I want it to be an experience at all my places. Anywhere you go, I drill that into my employees’ heads. People are trying to forget about their problems and whatever life is throwing at them, so I want our servers to help with that. I want them to be knowledgeable about our product, kill them with kindness and knock their socks off with really great service.”
Matthews has seen a number of his projects open up in the St. Matthews area. As a resident of St. Matthews as well as a business owner, he sees the potential and benefit of being in that area and is also looking to expand into other communities.
“I love the St. Matthews area,” Matthews said. “I do want to expand out to Middletown. I would love to do another Lou Lou out there, I just haven’t found the right spot.”
