Local eatery on Valley map for five decades

DONNA - What started on a front porch has turned into one of the Rio Grande Valley's most familiar eateries.
For one Valley family, the tale is their version of living the American Dream.

Milano's Italian Restaurant located off Pike and Milano's Road just outside the city limits draws customers from as far as Brownsville, Laredo, Monterrey and Mexico City. The restaurant is known for its lasagna, pizza, spaghetti and terrific wine.
Opening on Nov. 5, 1955, the restaurant known first for its pizza was originally dubbed Mrs. Milanos' Pizza.

Emidio Milano and Lisetta Berardinelli pioneered the restaurant with the help of their son Lino, who now runs the eatery along with his wife, Giovanna Milano.

Today, Milano's restaurant spans four generations that includes Lino's and Giovanna's daughters, Lisa and Angela, as well as grandchildren Michael Anthony, Eric Daniel and Julian Andrew.

When the pizza joint first opened on the Milanos' front porch, they're famous saying was, "four tables and ten broken chairs."
Today, customers flock to the restaurant on special occasions including Mother's Day, Easter and most of all, Valentine's Day. On that romantic day, Giovanna Milano said people wait as long as two hours for a table.

"People park as far as the canal or (Milano's Road) all the way to the frontage," Giovanna Milano said.

After years of farming that produced limited harvests from the drought-parched Valley soil, Emidio and Lisetta started their foray into food by catering and producing frozen pizzas.

"We started with nothing, now it's a landmark in Weslaco," Giovanna Milano said. "We're in paradise now, not too rich, not too poor."

Today, the restaurant consists of three separate rooms, each given a name, while outdoor tables can be used for smokers. The biggest is the Venezia (Venice), which holds as many as 60 people, while the Napoli (Naples) is the smallest and can hold 10 people.

In the middle of the restaurant is the Minturno Roma section, which is named after Giovanna Milano's hometown.

On the wall of the Minturno Roma section is a beautiful painting of Giovanna's home with her peeking out her bedroom window.

In addition to regular customers, the Milanos said a number of famous people have also eaten at their place. Mexican singer Joan Sabastian and famous Mexican bull rider Monolo Martinez have both enjoyed a meal there.

"We've had a lot of famous people," Lino Milano said.