The Venesian Inn - The Venesian Inn

Welcome to the Venesian Inn

A touch of Italy in the Ozarks since 1947

Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Inductee 2018

Our Food

The Venesian Inn’s food reflects the rich heritage of the Italians who settled in Tontitown. The restaurant’s basic menu of spaghetti and fried chicken is “still made from scratch, just like always,” as are the homemade rolls.

“Special people, special food.”

"Growing up in Lake Village, it has been a rite of passage that anytime my family is in the area, we eat at The Venesian Inn. Everything is just like I remember it was when I was first brought here 40 years ago by my parents. Now I bring my family, and they love it. Keep doing what you’re doing. Special people and special food."

Family Owned

Germano Gasparotto, an Italian by birth, opened the restaurant in 1947. A few years later, he sold the restaurant to John and Mary Granata, also native Italians, and The Venesian Inn has been in the family ever since.

Homemade Pasta

The restaurant’s basic menu of spaghetti and fried chicken is “still made from scratch, just like always,” as are the homemade rolls.

A Tontitown TradItion

One of the restaurant’s original waitresses, Elsie Mae Pianalto, explains The Venesian Inn charm is what keeps customers coming back again and again: “People who came here as children bring their children here. They say it’s neat to see everything the same.”