SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - April 14, 2010) - The charming Italian restaurant, Villa Romana, has been at Irving between Eighth and Ninth Avenues since the family first opened the doors on April 20, 1955. On April 20, 2010, fifty-five years after that first day, Antonio Accardo will again open the doors and treat his patrons to authentic Napoli dishes from his first menu and with the original prices. The restaurant will serve from its original menu and prices from 1PM to 11PM. Seating is limited and reservations are necessary through the website, www.villaromanasf.com.
The restaurant was the very first Italian eatery to open in the Sunset and Richmond districts and when Antonio's uncle opened it with a loan from Bank of America at just under 17-years old, he had no idea his business would still be going strong all these years later. When it opened, Antonio had to learn to cook from his uncle. Since then he has had several cooks (in addition to his wife Giulia), and one, Sergio, is still there after 35 years on the job.
According to Antonio, the secret to his success is fresh ingredients. "We only use the freshest ingredients. We keep the quality high and our prices have always been good," he says.
For this 55th birthday party, the prices are at 1955 levels when a large cheese pizza cost all of 70 cents (as compared to $25). A glass of house wine was 25-cents -- not the $5 it costs today. Classic veal scallopine will be only $1.95, the same as it was 55 years ago instead of $26 today.
Born in 1939, owner Antonio Accardo came from Naples and started to run the restaurant almost as soon as he moved to California when he still didn't speak a word of English. The restaurant started as a pizzeria and has been a full-scale restaurant since 1987, serving authentic and classic Italian dishes.
"This restaurant has been very good to us and the neighborhood has been perfect. Never in my imagination did I think I would start here from my first days in America and never leave. Now my son is the general manager and we're still all family together under this roof," Antonio says.
On the April 20 celebration, in addition to the 1955 prices, the Espresso 5 Quartet will be performing live, coming over from Sicily just for the big birthday bash. City officials and current and former staff will be appearing throughout the day.
For more information, call 415-203-9836 and visit www.villaromanasf.com.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Erica Zeidenberg
Hot Tomato Marketing
925-631-0553