Elio Pizzeria

Franco Di Lauri has always considered Ristaurante Elio home. The pizzeria has been around as long as he has, serving up his father Elio’s Napolitana-style home cooking. In fact, one might say that the two grew up together. “We washed dishes,” he says of he and his three sisters’ daily routine. “Every afternoon we would come here, do our homework, help out, and wait until somebody would bring us home. But, really, this was our home. This was where we used to eat. And my father was strict about eating on time, as a family. We would sit down as a family here.”

Elio arrived in Montreal from Italy on March 7, 1958, and opened Ristaurante Elio in 1964, bravely, on a rather barren stretch of Bellechasse Street on the outskirts of Little Italy. While not much has changed in the area surrounding the pizzeria — it faces an STM bus depot — Elio’s has managed to grow and thrive, brightening the landscape like a patch of flowers amid concrete. “We started out, it was just this small place,” says Franco. “There were maybe two tables.” The restaurant has since expanded to house several dining rooms and a reception hall, and can now accommodate up to 700 clients. “You know how they say that business is all about location, location, location? Well, this proves the other side of the coin,” says Franco.