As a cornerstone restaurant on the Peninsula, Old Venice is old school.
“We were one of the original restaurants in the Point Loma area,” said Winston MaGinnis, head of catering/marketing at the family-owned and operated establishment at 2910 Canon St. “We just celebrated our 35th anniversary.”
Current owner Carl Walter purchased the Italian restaurant more than three decades ago. The restaurant’s longtime general manager is Brett Wilmot.
Customers are special at Old Venice and are treated accordingly.
“Someone came in the other day and said, ‘We had our one-year anniversary here 25 years ago and we wanted to re-create that night,’” said MaGinnis. “We had the same dishes (we had then) from our little secret menu of past dishes. That made it really special.”
“I’m a part of something really nice here,” added MaGinnis.
Old Venice is a white-tablecloth, sit-down dinner place. But that’s where the formality ends.
“It’s up to you,” said MaGinnis, noting there’s no dress code, though customers typically don’t come in T-shirts and shorts on weekend evenings.
“We’re also dog-friendly, all-ages friendly and kid-friendly,” he said. “We have great kids menus. We really appeal to everyone.”
A recent addition at Old Venice is live jazz music.
“Jazz 88.3 does a 1 ½-hour set every Sunday with award-winning musicians,” said MaGinnis. “The second half of the show they allow younger musicians to come in and jam. It’s been a real success.”
Old Venice head chef George Calvario talked about the restaurant’s unique synthesis of northern Italian and American cuisine, revealing the secret of the menu’s ongoing success.
“The food is constant, always the same, the same recipes, specialties of the house, fish of the day,” Calvario said noting that ‘familiarity’ keeps regulars coming back for seconds.
And the restaurant is in a prime location. “It’s in a real secure area, very quiet,” said Calvario.
“It’s right next to all the yacht clubs,” noted MaGinnis.
Ambiance is another thing Old Venice dishes out in large portions.
“We put romantic candles out on the tables on the patio,” pointed out Calvario.
Prices vary at Old Venice. MaGinnis said you can come in and get a great lasagna for $12, or a full lamb meal for $32.
“It’s a nice range,” he said.
The restaurant also hosts lots of special events: anniversaries, weddings, and birthdays.
“Someone called in just the other day and wants to propose to his girlfriend,” said MaGinnis adding, “When you come in here it’s a real sense of family.”
The restaurant also recently updated its specialty cocktail menu. Now in addition to the traditional Godfather and Godmother classic Italian cocktails, guests can order bourbon whiskey-inspired drinks, which they can sip while munching on appetizers like steamed mussels or a cheese board.
And don’t forget desserts, which, like everything else on the menu, are special whether you order a tiramasu, a gelato, a cheesecake, or crème brulet.
There are about 50 employees at Old Venice. Many have been there a decade or more.
The kitchen at Old Venice is open Wednesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays.
For more information call 619-222-5888 or visit www.oldvenicerestaurant.com.