For 18 years, Piccino has been one of the reliably delicious favorites of the Dogpatch neighborhood, and now, after nearly two decades, the owners have decided to expand.

As the Chronicle reports, Piccino owners Margherita Sagan and Sheryl Rogat will take over the Presidio space currently occupied by Sessions — a previously somewhat cursed space at 1 Letterman Drive where Sessions has been operating for nine years. That space will feature a pasta-and-pizza-focused menu similar to Piccino's, but very vegetable-focused, and offering some new items as well, with a far bigger kitchen than at the original space.

That second Piccino, possibly called Piccino Presidio, is expected to open in February, with Sessions closing before the new year.

A third location, dubbed Piccino Sull’Acqua, is now being planned for late 2025 or early 2026 in Mill Valley, at 242 Redwood Highway Frontage.

Executive chef Daniella Banchero will direct the kitchens of all three restaurants.

Through a connection with George Lucas's Lucasfilm, and the company's chief financial officer, Piccino gets vegetables from Lucas's Skywalker Ranch — and it should be noted that the Presidio space is part of the Lucasfilm complex there.

All of the Piccino mini-empire will also be featuring wines from Skywalker Vineyards.

Sagan tells the Chronicle that while the past few years have been taxing, she is ready to dive in to opening a restaurant again, and she says this expansion has come together organically.

“After the pandemic I thought the restaurant business will never give me joy again, but it’s changed over the last year,” Sagan tells the paper. “We’re both enthusiastic, refreshed and happy with a team of people that’s amazing.”

This actually isn't Piccino's first expansion. The restaurant, which always charmed former Chronicle critic Michael Bauer, began in 2006 in a 700-square-foot space before expanding into its current, larger home at 1001 Minnesota Street over a decade ago. Then, in 2022, Sagan and Rogat added Bar Piccino next door, offering cocktails and snacks.

Elsewhere in the Presidio, we are still awaiting the opening of The Mess Hall, a new food hall being led by a Momofuku alum that is taking over one of the larger spaces next to the Presidio Tunnel Tops park.