La Strada
La Strada Ristorante Italiano
2215 Church Lane, San Pablo
La Strada Ristorante Italiano in San Pablo first opened in 1996 and will celebrate 28 years in business in 2024. In October 2022, La Strada was honored by the San Pablo Economic Development Corporation Small Business of the Year! [https://lastradasanpablo.com/about-us]
The Northeast corner of San Pablo Avenue at Church Lane has seen many changes through the decades. In the early days, when San Pablo was a small village and part of the vast Rancho San Pablo, Moitoza built the Union Saloon which stood on this corner. Sometime around the 1910s, the Union Saloon became the Country Inn (also listed as "Kountry") and had several different owners and managers.
This area was rebuilt in the mid 1970s, and a new restaurant soon stood at this corner with Adobe Liquors next door. Vasilios Pappas, owner and namesake of VP's, opened his new restaurant on this corner in 1969. VP's became a popular place for many city and civic organizations to come and enjoy good dining while conducting meetings and organizing events. It was the place to go after church on Sunday, as it was close by, and there was always a full house at VP's. After Mr. Pappas passed away, the restaurant stood vacant for several years.
In 1996, two friends, Adriano Munoz and Martino Gonzalez who had become acquainted through their work in higher-end Italian restaurants like Il Fornaio and La Felce in North Beach, San Francisco, happened to be in the area one day, and as they drove by, noticed the vacant restaurant. Remembering their long-time dream of owning their own restaurant, they had to check it out. They leased the San Pablo space and things fell into place fast. Any initial hesitation quickly resolved into focus, hard work, determination and a genuine love of serving others exceptional Italian food in a friendly family atmosphere. They named their new restaurant La Strada (Italian for “the road”) and opened in 1996. Though La Strada started out as a dream among friends, it evolved into a family business when Martino and Adriano became brothers-in-law. Their American Canyon location opened six years later. Each year in the month of July, La Strada celebrates their opening by rolling back prices on select menu items to 1996 prices. In 2023 they celebrated their 27th year in San Pablo.
On October 15, 2022, La Strada was honored as Business of the Year by the San Pablo Economic Development Corporation. https://lastradasanpablo.com/la-strada-honored-by-san-pablo-edc
In The Beginning...
Vasilios Pappas, aka "Bill" owner and namesake of VP's Restaurant celebrated his 10th anniversary in 1979. Courtesy Oakland Tribune
Here is a view of San Pablo Avenue (at Church Lane), the main artery of San Pablo around 1959. On the right at the corner, you can see a portion of the 'Kountry' Inn, which was later expanded and replaced by VP's restaurant; years later this became La Strada Ristorante Italiano at 2215 Church Lane, San Pablo. The Alvarado Motel, on the left, was eventually replaced by Alvarado Square and the new City Hall. Down the street, at right is the San Pablo Furniture store, which later became known as the Auction Hall; a site of many rock and roll concerts. The Mechanic's Bank, at left eventually relocated to the new shopping center at El Portal. Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society
VP's Restaurant, 2215 Church Lane, San Pablo.
La Strada Ristorante Italiano (exterior) today.