Has Strapazza Closed in Ellicott City?

Two people have told me that Strapazza off Rte 108 in Ellicott City has closed and that there is a For Lease sign up on the site.

Strapazza was a casual Italian place, and it hosted a jazz trio on weekends last summer.  Strapazza was part of a little chain with locations like Towson and Pikesville.  I don't know any details about what happened.

Italian isn't a common craving for our restaurant meals, but I think the other local options for Italian a little more complex than pizza include Facci on Johns Hopkins Boulevard, Pasta Plus in Laurel, Pazani Trattoria in Elkridge, and all the different Pasta Blitz location.  Just yesterday, Kam lauded the Clarksville Pasta Blitz, but said he thinks the Ellicott City location  was bland.  I have had other folks say that they love the Ellicott City location on Rte 108.

Parking Lot View -- And Live Jazz!

I rushed out for comfort food and stumbled on an ultimate suburban experience -- a jazz trio . . . in a shopping center . . . in the shadow of a Subway.

A few months ago, I celebrated parking lot cafes where you get dinner and a view of your car, but I overlooked Strapazza -- an Italian place in the same shopping center as Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro. I ran to Jesse Wong's because Mrs. HowChow has been under the gun all week at the hospital. As I was driving away, I swore that I was hearing live jazz music.

And I was. Strapazza has live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights -- at least this weekend 6:30 to 9 pm. Three guys playing at the corner of the shopping center. They were serenading Stapazza's outdoor tables. They were also playing for Subway, the wing joint and anyone else who wandered by. They sounded great to me.

Strapazza

8775 Centre Park Dr

Columbia, MD 21045-2177

Get Directions

(410) 997-6144

NEAR: In the shopping center just off Rte 108 between Howard High School and Rte 29. Very convenient from Rte 100. There is a Giant on Centre Park Drive, but Strapazza is down the row from Jesse Wong's in the stores right up against Rte 108.