Pete was a great guy … caring.

I haven't seen anyone mention Vito's down Valley Mills. I thought it was the best Italian in Waco in the early 90s! Great place to take a date!

Grumpy said:

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I haven't seen anyone mention Vito's down Valley Mills. I thought it was the best Italian in Waco in the early 90s! Great place to take a date!

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Vito's was one of my favorites. That was the closest Waco ever had to legit Italian food until the last few years. Vito was from Sicily and his wife Heidi as from Austria. He had the Italian restaurant facing Valley Mills and Heidi had the German restaurant facing Wooded Acres, but in back they shared a parking lot. They would sometimes run desserts and miscellaneous other stuff back and forth through the parking lots between the two. Both were good. Unfortunately Vito developed some health issues and they moved back to Sicily 18-20 years ago. Vito was a good guy, but it always seemed to me that Heidi really made the restaurants go.

forza orsi said:

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Grumpy said:

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I haven't seen anyone mention Vito's down Valley Mills. I thought it was the best Italian in Waco in the early 90s! Great place to take a date!

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Vito's was one of my favorites. That was the closest Waco ever had to legit Italian food until the last few years. Vito was from Sicily and his wife Heidi as from Austria. He had the Italian restaurant facing Valley Mills and Heidi had the German restaurant facing Wooded Acres, but in back they shared a parking lot. They would sometimes run desserts and miscellaneous other stuff back and forth through the parking lots between the two. Both were good. Unfortunately Vito developed some health issues and they moved back to Sicily 18-20 years ago. Vito was a good guy, but it always seemed to me that Heidi really made the restaurants go.

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When did Vito's close? I think my wife and I went there in 2004 for our anniversary.

Harrison Bergeron said:

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forza orsi said:

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Grumpy said:

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I haven't seen anyone mention Vito's down Valley Mills. I thought it was the best Italian in Waco in the early 90s! Great place to take a date!

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Vito's was one of my favorites. That was the closest Waco ever had to legit Italian food until the last few years. Vito was from Sicily and his wife Heidi as from Austria. He had the Italian restaurant facing Valley Mills and Heidi had the German restaurant facing Wooded Acres, but in back they shared a parking lot. They would sometimes run desserts and miscellaneous other stuff back and forth through the parking lots between the two. Both were good. Unfortunately Vito developed some health issues and they moved back to Sicily 18-20 years ago. Vito was a good guy, but it always seemed to me that Heidi really made the restaurants go.

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When did Vito's close? I think my wife and I went there in 2004 for our anniversary.

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I'm pretty sure it closed in 2006, so I guess they went back to Sicily more like 16-17 years ago, rather than 18-20.

I only went to Vito's once. It was around 90/91. For some reason, I was not that impressed. I had no idea they were around as late as 2006. I thought they were gone in the 90s.

Speaking of Italian places. There was a place over there next to Cathay House on the corner of Wooded Acres and Richland Drive called Giovonni's in the 80s and then in the late 80s it was replaced by place called San Remo's. Both were pretty good. There may be a club or something in the building now. I have no idea. I rarely drive by there.

Also for an obscure reference. There was a building, kind of a little strip center type building) that if I recall correctly stood where a bank does now at Lake Air and Bosque perhaps? In the late 80s (around 89 and into 90 or 91) there was a pretty good Italian place in there called Orvietto's. If I recall correctly these places were gone fairly soon after Olive Garden opened around April of 90.

Vito's was in the old Monterrey House location; was it not?

Dunkin' Donuts opened in that location around 2016, so I am trying to remember what the place became after Vito's because demolition wasn't until 2015 or so.

I think it was a Mexican restaurant after Vito's for quite some time. I'm not sure what it was called. But I also thought Vito's closed much longer ago than it did apparently.

PartyBear said:

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I only went to Vito's once. It was around 90/91. For some reason, I was not that impressed. I had no idea they were around as late as 2006. I thought they were gone in the 90s.

Speaking of Italian places. There was a place over there next to Cathay House on the corner of Wooded Acres and Richland Drive called Giovonni's in the 80s and then in the late 80s it was replaced by place called San Remo's. Both were pretty good. There may be a club or something in the building now. I have no idea. I rarely drive by there.

Also for an obscure reference. There was a building, kind of a little strip center type building) that if I recall correctly stood where a bank does now at Lake Air and Bosque perhaps? In the late 80s (around 89 and into 90 or 91) there was a pretty good Italian place in there called Orvietto's. If I recall correctly these places were gone fairly soon after Olive Garden opened around April of 90.

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Orvieto's was originally Pizza Planet (built in about 1979 or so). Had a very crispy, crackerlike crust. When it closed, Orvieto's moved in for a while. After it died, building became something other than a restaurant (I kinda remember it was a fire safety company) before the corner was bought and redeveloped by Alliance Bank in late 90s/early 00s.

Giovanni's started over in Lake Air East (as did Uncle Dan's BBQ and Smokehouse burgers), then built its own location across from the post office on Wooded Acres around 1978 or so. You had the three businesses on Wooded Acres with three totally different architectural styles: Giovanni's was Italianate, Brewer's Furniture was American colonial, and Cathay House was Chinese. I think San Remo's was the guy who originally was in Clifton, then moved to the "big city" and didn't fare so well. Building was eventually converted to office space; my wife worked there for a PR firm for a couple of years.

Somebody else might remember this: was it Vito's or San Remo that ran commercials on KWTX in the 90s where the owner claimed his doctor said he had the "lowest-a cholesterol in-a the history of the world-a"?

Giovanni's also opened a joint at Richland Fashion Mall in Beall's Court in 1981.

It stood where the convenience store stands currently next to Tilt.

I loved the Pizza Planet. I have great memories from that place.

Yogi said:

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Vito's was in the old Monterrey House location; was it not?

Dunkin' Donuts opened in that location around 2016, so I am trying to remember what the place became after Vito's because demolition wasn't until 2015 or so.

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It was Valle's Mexican Restaurant, which moved down the street next to Bari's when they demolished the old building.

PartyBear said:

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I only went to Vito's once. It was around 90/91. For some reason, I was not that impressed. I had no idea they were around as late as 2006. I thought they were gone in the 90s.

Speaking of Italian places. There was a place over there next to Cathay House on the corner of Wooded Acres and Richland Drive called Giovonni's in the 80s and then in the late 80s it was replaced by place called San Remo's. Both were pretty good. There may be a club or something in the building now. I have no idea. I rarely drive by there.

Also for an obscure reference. There was a building, kind of a little strip center type building) that if I recall correctly stood where a bank does now at Lake Air and Bosque perhaps? In the late 80s (around 89 and into 90 or 91) there was a pretty good Italian place in there called Orvietto's. If I recall correctly these places were gone fairly soon after Olive Garden opened around April of 90.

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Vito's was good food. The complaint I heard most from others was that the portions weren't big enough. Here we're used to American sized portions (huge) and he was serving Italian size portions. I liked it because I could do the full meal with appetizers, salad, entree, and dessert and not feel grossly overfed and didn't have to take anything home. I liked going to Giovanni's but it wasn't close to true Italian. It was nice owners doing tasty food and they knew what their customers wanted. But it doesn't compare at all to Italian food at Di Campli's or Moroso's, or even Vito's.

I was going to mention that this was one of my memories from 34 years ago as well but then thought well it was 34 years ago, that is an odd thing to remember and it may not be accurate. But yes I remember thinking it was small portions and more expensive than other Italian places.

forza orsi said:

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PartyBear said:

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I only went to Vito's once. It was around 90/91. For some reason, I was not that impressed. I had no idea they were around as late as 2006. I thought they were gone in the 90s.

Speaking of Italian places. There was a place over there next to Cathay House on the corner of Wooded Acres and Richland Drive called Giovonni's in the 80s and then in the late 80s it was replaced by place called San Remo's. Both were pretty good. There may be a club or something in the building now. I have no idea. I rarely drive by there.

Also for an obscure reference. There was a building, kind of a little strip center type building) that if I recall correctly stood where a bank does now at Lake Air and Bosque perhaps? In the late 80s (around 89 and into 90 or 91) there was a pretty good Italian place in there called Orvietto's. If I recall correctly these places were gone fairly soon after Olive Garden opened around April of 90.

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Vito's was good food. The complaint I heard most from others was that the portions weren't big enough. Here we're used to American sized portions (huge) and he was serving Italian size portions. I liked it because I could do the full meal with appetizers, salad, entree, and dessert and not feel grossly overfed and didn't have to take anything home. I liked going to Giovanni's but it wasn't close to true Italian. It was nice owners doing tasty food and they knew what their customers wanted. But it doesn't compare at all to Italian food at Di Campli's or Moroso's, or even Vito's.

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I'm with you. I'd rather pay less and get reasonable portions. Then, I could try all kinds of things.

Plus I can't finish contemporary restaurant portions and the **** I paid $100 for become crappy leftovers.

Grumpy said:

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I haven't seen anyone mention Vito's down Valley Mills. I thought it was the best Italian in Waco in the early 90s! Great place to take a date!

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Gosh yes, Vitos was awesome!

Diamonds hamburgers. Was across from Barefoots on 69's. Best burgers in town. No extra charge for the flies.

I also had 1 meal with Buena Verona's boarding house on Speight.

Hooters

I think Pico's was still open when I was in school at Baylor in the 1990's.

I liked that in-house tortilla making contraption. Very cool.

I don't remember much about the food though. Just know that it wasn't so good that I can remember it, but not so bad that I kept going back to the restaurant.

Hickory Stick
Waterworks
Steak and Ale
Taco Torch
Nick's
Han's (burger place across from old La Vega high school)
Italian Village

forgot Pelican's
had my first Long Island Tea there on my birthday...