PLEASANT HILL, CALIFORNIA – A restaurant that has been part of Pleasant Hill for more than half a century is carrying on the Zio Fraedo’s name after its waterfront sister location announced its farewell.
The Vallejo restaurant named Sunday, October 25, as its final day after roughly two decades in business. The original Pleasant Hill location at 611 Gregory Lane will remain open, according to the Vallejo Sun. That leaves the family’s longtime Contra Costa County restaurant as the remaining Zio Fraedo’s.
For Pleasant Hill, the restaurant’s roots stretch back much further.
According to Zio Fraedo’s own history, Tony LoForte Sr. and Uncle Freddy opened a small pizza and spaghetti restaurant on October 12, 1975. The business took its name from Uncle Freddy — “Zio Fraedo” in Italian, the restaurant explains.
That puts its beginnings just over 51 years ago.
Its familiar Gregory Lane address also represents a later chapter in that history. Pleasant Hill planning documents say the restaurant previously operated at 701 Gregory Lane before moving to its current location in 2003 after a fire. The newer building allowed the business to continue along the same street where it had established itself decades earlier.
The Vallejo closure comes after owners Tony and Sherry LoForte said they could not reach an agreement with their landlord over rent.
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“The new monthly rent would far exceed our ability to sustain the restaurant,” the couple wrote in their announcement, as reported by the Vallejo Sun.
The waterfront building belongs to the city of Vallejo. A city spokesperson declined to discuss lease details with the publication, saying the city must consider its obligations in managing public property and the community’s long-term interests.
There is also a connection between the closure and the staff at the surviving restaurant. SFGATE reported that approximately 20 Vallejo employees had been offered positions in Pleasant Hill. The publication reported that Tony and Sherry took over the original restaurant after Tony’s father died.
In Pleasant Hill, the restaurant continues to advertise private gatherings, a covered patio and a menu that pairs Italian favorites with continental dishes. Its posted dinner offerings include spaghetti with meatballs, linguini and clams, chicken Marsala and tournedos of beef.
For anyone planning a visit, the restaurant’s website currently lists dinner beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with service until 8 p.m. except Fridays and Saturdays, when it runs until 9 p.m. Reservations and inquiries are available at 925-933-9091.
