Story by Tracy Morin | Photos courtesy of Palermo Italian Restaurant
Anthony “Tony” Fanara opened Los Angeles’ Palermo Italian Restaurant in 1976 with 18 seats and a dream. But the reality was far from glamorous.
“It was a very big struggle for about one year,” he recalls. “One of the waitresses didn’t get paid—she just worked for tips. When I met my wife, she became a waitress, too.”
Eventually, business picked up, and Palermo expanded to 45 seats. When landlord issues forced Fanara to a new location—a former laundromat that, unbeknownst to him, was in a condemned building and would need 18 months of work—he kept the original open until the new one launched in late 1982. “The first two days, everything was free,” Fanara says. “We had 1,200 people come in; the second day, 800 people. From then on, I never looked back. We were really, really busy.”
Fanara has always been a fast learner, adaptable and multitalented: Before Palermo, the Italian immigrant shined shoes, washed dishes, worked in the wine industry and studied electronic engineering. He even ran for California governor in 2022—and he’s turning 80 years old in 2026, still working seven days a week in the restaurant.
There, Fanara puts his own spin on Italian favorites, like the bestselling Pizza Rosa, with fresh tomatoes, Parmesan and feta on a soft, light crust.
“I have a few dishes that nobody else makes,” he says. “If I don’t know how to cook it, we will never have it on the menu. My personal feeling is, whatever business you go in, you’ve got to know everything. That’s the only way you survive—by doing a lot of things yourself.”
Offering old-school-hospitality touches like free wine for waiting diners (until local regulations forbade it) and free desserts to first-timers, Fanara was able to expand to additional locations, passing them along to relatives. Though none exist today, his son, also named Anthony, helps out at the original, where diners are still greeted with a welcome basket of Pizza Rosa at the table.
“I have customers from day one, and the second and third generations come in, too,” Fanara says. “We don’t charge that much for the amount of food we give. Customers even come in and say, ‘Raise your prices!’ But we treat everyone like a friend, not just a customer.”
