1895

Originally from the Castiglione region of Italy, our family first migrated to Oklahoma in 1895 because of the booming coal business. My great grandfather, Jim Giacomo provided well for his family until his untimely death, leaving his wife, my granny Rose, as sole provider for their seven children. Granny cooked pasta, fried chicken, and even brewed a homemade beer called “Choc” which she sold to people who came to eat in her home. Despite the hard times of the Depression, Granny did well for her family. What she did out of necessity would one day become the foundation of a successful business that would become a family tradition.
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1953

This tradition was continued when her youngest son, Dominic, and his sister Minnie opened the Isle of Capri Italian restaurant in Krebs, Oklahoma, on Mother’s Day in 1953. The restaurant’s name was inspired by Dom’s time in the Navy where he was stationed in Italy off the island of the same name.
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2003

In 2003, I opened the first Gabriella’s Italian Grill and Pizzeria in South Padre Island. It was a bit of a struggle at first, since we had leapt into an entirely new demographic 800 miles from our fan base. We were the first restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley to serve traditional wood-fired pizza and developed a reputation as one of the premiere restaurants in south Texas.

2009

In 2009 we felt it was time for a change and time to bring what we’d learned back home to Oklahoma. The building we chose has quite a history. Originally built in 1938 as the Kentucky Club. Since it was located far away in the country, it was the perfect place for a gambling den, dance hall, and speakeasy. The original building burned in 1949 and reopened as the Ramada Club. Due to our restaurant’s colorful past, we have a reputation of being a haunted site in America, and frequently host paranormal investigator groups looking to record strange phenomenon. But don’t worry, folks, we save the ghost hunting for after hours!

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For nearly 60 years my family has been in the restaurant business and we’ve been delighting appetites with homemade food for even longer. We take great pride in our recipes, which are prepared fresh every day. From our table to yours, we wish to give you an unforgettable dining experience.

 – Chef Vicki and Famiglia – Duane, Michael, Brandon, Ashton, Tony, and Staff