FF_091919

frankfortstationdaily.com dining out
the frankfort station | September 19, 2019 | 27
The Dish
Barraco’s thrives in Orland Park, six other locations while rooted in family
Business keeps
drawing customers with
large menu, homey
atmosphere
Thomas Czaja, Senior Editor
After a visit to Barraco’s in
Orland Park, it is evident that the
business was started, has grown
and continues to operate with
family at is core.
A variety of family photos
adorning the walls of the establishment
to homemade family
recipes all over the menu have
helped the business become
what it is today, according to coowner
Francesca Aye, a member
of the Barraco clan.
Barraco’s originally was started
in 1980 in Evergreen Park
by Aye’s grandparents, Vito and
Paulina. Like many, they moved
to the United States with nothing.
Vito took factory jobs, while
Paulina worked as a seamstress.
But their dream was to own
and operate a restaurant, so they
took a leap of faith in starting
that with, aptly, a place bearing
their surname, showcasing the
importance of family.
“It’s her sauce, her pastas,
her everything,” Aye said of the
menu coming directly from her
grandmother.
The business did so well that
it has expanded into its seven locations:
Evergreen Park, Orland
Park, Crestwood, Chicago, Burbank,
Orland Hills and Beverly.
Vito died in 2009, but Paulina,
now 85, still makes sure to stay
involved.
“She’ll still go to the stores
and tell everyone a piece of
her mind, what they are doing
wrong, if they are doing something
right,” Aye said.
Aye has grown up with the
business. She started working
there around age 16 and helped
out even prior to that. A number
of her family members remain
involved, and they make sure
they are all stationed among the
different locations to monitor
things and maintain quality.
The menu is large, filled with
everything from dinner specials
to a plethora of appetizers, soups
and salads, sandwiches, burgers,
a create-your-own pasta section,
pasta specialties, dinner specialties,
seafood specialties, pizza,
and dessert.
A popular choice for sandwiches
is the Freddy sandwich
($11.50), which is an Italian sausage
patty with green peppers,
red sauce and mozzarella cheese.
The family has consistently
tweaked and updated the menu
since 1980 to keep up with what
customers want.
Some of the newer selections
are under the Mama Barraco’s
Creations portion of the
menu, such as the Joey’s pasta
($19.25), a dish with Asiago
cheese-stuffed gnocchi tossed
in Alfredo sauce, featuring prosciutto
and peas.
With the create-your-pasta,
guests first choose from eight
different kinds of pasta before
selecting their sauces, vegetables
and any possible side dishes.
“It’s a nice way to go about
your meal and nice option if you
can’t decide what you want,”
Aye said of the create-your-own
pasta.
In terms of what separates
Barraco’s from other Italian restaurants
and defines their offerings,
Aye said it all goes back to
the homemade recipes they still
enjoy eating at their own family
functions.
“It’s not generic,” Aye said.
“It’s real, and you can tell what
you are eating is not mass-produced,
not frozen. We make all
our stuff fresh every day and
stand by that.
“All our breading, we do that
ourselves. We pick up our meatballs
from Evergreen Park. They
are personally made there, with
my grandma and aunt always
watching, tasting, making sure
everything is always how it is
supposed to be.”
Another key staple for any
The Barraco’s 12-inch thin-crust pizza is shown here with sausage. Abhinanda Datta/22nd Century Media
“It’s extremely hard work, but at
the end of the day we truly enjoy it
and enjoy the customers. It can be
challenging, but there is nothing like
working with family.”
Francesca Aye — Barraco’s co-owner, on the restaurant
business
Italian restaurant is pizza, and
Barraco’s does not skimp there,
with recognizable pies such as
thin crust — the No. 1 seller —
and deep dish. Those will always
remain beloved favorites, but
Barraco’s gets creative with its
pizza offerings, as well.
The Sicilian-style pizza (pricing
varies by size and toppings)
has an extra-thick crust with
sweet sauce, and the Nicky’s
special (pricing varies) is an extra-thin
crust cheese pizza served
crispy, made with light cheese
and ingredients and served welldone.
To cap off a full meal, an
equally substantial dessert menu
has something for each respective
sweet tooth, from a cannoli
to tiramisu to an assortment of
pie slices and more.
Aye and her family pride
themselves on serving all of
the aforementioned choices in a
family atmosphere.
“It’s definitely very familyoriented,”
Aye said. “We have so
many families that continuously
come here as regulars. It feels
good to see them, and vice versa.
They’ll know stuff about my
family, and I’ll know stuff about
their families.
“They’ll celebrate their big
family events here, and we always
try to encourage that relationship.”
An additional aspect of the
Barraco’s
18040 S. Wolf Road in
Orland Park
Hours
• 10 a.m.-2:30 a.m. daily
For more information ...
Phone: (708) 478-1500
Web: barracos.com
business is immediately apparent
when someone walks into the Orland
Park location and observes a
wide mix of wine bottles available
for sale. In this arena, Aye said the
wine list is updated roughly every
six months, with heavier reds favored
in the wintertime and whites
in the warmer months.
As Barraco’s will soon be
celebrating 4 year of business
in 2020 since its first location
opened, the blueprint for further
sustained success remains much
the same as it has the last four
decades: listen to what customers
want, and keep family recipes,
tradition and atmosphere at
the heart.
“It’s extremely hard work, but
at the end of the day we truly enjoy
it and enjoy the customers,”
Aye said. “It can be challenging,
but there is nothing like working
with family.”