Wish them "congratulazioni": This year, in fact this month, the family-owned Riccardo's Restaurant in Betton Place is celebrating 25 years of operation in Tallahassee.
To celebrate, the owners decorated the location in decadent silver balloons, hosted merch giveaways and were visited by old staff and friends for the week-long festivities of dinners, beer releases and trivia contests.
Saucy meatballs, handmade pizzas, and a secret dough recipe, each relished for quality and consistent taste, are all factors that make Riccardo's an Italian casual dining destination in the city.
The restaurant's family style operation, however, is what leaves a lasting impression.
"We have a really good clientele. They've been coming for a long time, and they certainly do take care of us," co-owner John Acevedo said, adding Riccardo's wouldn't be here "if it wasn't for Tallahassee."
Operating since 1999, the restaurant was originally owned by Acevedo's mother-in-law, Tina Lipford, who bought Riccardo's and made it into a family affair on Capital Circle.
Lipford had "no restaurant experience – except waiting tables at a truck stop as a teenager," the restaurant's website explains. She "took a chance and purchased Riccardo’s. Being a huge Lucille Ball fan [her character's name in " I Love Lucy " was Lucy Ricardo] and having moved to Tallahassee from Jamestown, New York (Lucy’s hometown), she saw the name of the restaurant as a sign."
In 2006, John and his wife, Alicea, took over, drawing on their experience working in restaurants during their undergrad years.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon in the cool of October, the eatery was filled with guests who feel more like family with each visit, greeting Acevedo as though he was a relative.
A large group sits in the back of the dining area with wait staff pacing the restaurant, attending to their every need with detail and precision. Small groups of retirees, couples and families trickle in for lunch, sitting by the large windows – a nostalgic feature that reminds Acevedo of his childhood. You won't see a television in sight, not even a phone was spotted as I glanced around the room, that was filled with chatter.
Acevedo takes moments to greet customers during our interview, anticipating when he'll get to catch up with them all. These are some of the moments he says he cherishes most.
"You can help yourself, (sit) anywhere," Acevedo said to a neighbor who seemed to already be making his way to a table.
Acevedo merrily reflects on other "family-like" moments like when a guest entered the restaurant from the back door during the rush of a dinner service to reach the dining room, or when patrons peek their heads into the kitchen to say goodbye and thanks for the night's feast.
"We are, you know, a dining room away from home," a slogan Acevedo says his wife uses to describe the restaurant. "This is where people bring their families."
The most surreal part of the decades-long journey, Acevedo says, is seeing customers' children grow up, aging like the restaurant does with time.
"It's nice to see people grow up, it's pretty cool. You see the changes in their faces, like I do with my kiddos ... I notice all these things," he said. "It's pretty cool that people kind of grow up here, and they seem to come back especially during the holidays when they're in town visiting their families, and they all want to come to Riccardo's."
He said while the community has been supportive in some of the roughest periods, from the Great Recession to the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 and even when tornadoes devastated parts of Tallahassee in May, the restaurant has had its fair share of challenges.
"We worked our butts off to make sure that we stay here for another year or another two years," he said adding that the livelihood of his young daughters and his loyal staff caused him to refocus, creating new strategies and realigning with his team.
Facing the music only "lit a fire" under the owner and his staff, who Acevedo continuously expressed his appreciation for, to keep them going. The trials have created endurance – and with endurance, a hope for the future.
"We've gotten stronger throughout the years, for sure," he said.
Every morning, for the last 18 years at least, which calculates to more than one third of his life, Acevedo makes his two-minute drive to his second home, the intimate Italian restaurant.
His routine is starting the work day with an espresso with a hint of sugar at 7 a.m., followed by a glance through the restaurant's grand windows before heading to the kitchen to prepare over 200 pounds of dough. It never gets old to him, he says. Ending the night at home with his girls after a long day makes it all worthwhile.
"The fact that we've been here and we're still going, it means the world to us," he said.
Highlights of the Riccardo's Restaurant menu
- Recipes, including the "secret" bread that longtime patrons crave, are staples of the restaurant.
- Appetizers include the fluffy garlic cheese bread, which is the eatery's popular bread topped with garlic butter, parmesan and mozzarella.
- Salads include the "Antipasto Salad," made with romaine lettuce, tomato, black olives, greenpepper, onion, ham, turkey, salami, provolone cheese and house dressing ($11.79).
- Entrees offered are traditional Italian fare from spaghetti ($11.29) to fettucine alfredo ($11.89) and "chicken parmigiana" ($15.99) to different versions of stuffed shells with sauce, all served with bread and garlic butter.
- You can catch German fare every Thursday as the weekly menu includes "Wiener Schnitzel," a lightly breaded veal served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes and red cabbage ($20.89). Another dish served only every third Thursday is the "Rouladen," which is veal stuffed with brown mustard, bacon, apple, pickle and onion all baked in brown gravy, served with mashed potatoes and red cabbage ($20.89).
- Pizzas and calzones, which are also made with the secret bread, shredded mozzarella and red pizza sauce can be decorated with a number of toppings ($11.89). They even have options available for you to take and bake the pizzas in the comfort of your home.
- The lunch special is a hit for its affordability with a limited list of entrees to choose from, all paired with a side salad, garlic bread and beverage ($11.49).
- Subs and rich desserts also occupy the menu including the tiramisu ($5.39) and New York style cheesecake ($4.19).
If you go
Where : 1950 Thomasville Road (Betton Place)
When: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Saturday
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TLH Eats: Tallahassee landmark Riccardo's Restaurant is celebrating 25 years
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