Giuseppe’s has been serving St. Louisans for over 75 years. Well, in a way! It hasn’t always been named Giuseppe’s. Rosario’s Restaurant on 10th and Franklin introduced the original southern Italian fresh cooking style to St. Louis in 1927. In 1933, Jasper Bonaventre purchased the restaurant and changed the name to Rose’s. During his ownership, Rose’s became one of downtown St. Louis’s premier meeting places. In the 1930s and 1940s, Washington Avenue was the clothing, fur, hat and shoe center of the Midwest, and many customers of those industries were taken to Rose’s for dinner. In the late 1940s, downtown St. Louis was known for late-night restaurants. Rose’s became a favorite for pizzas after an evening aboard the Admiral. On any given Saturday night it would not be unusual to see a long line outside the door at 2:00 am.

In 1973, the traditional recipes of Rose’s almost came to an end when it was razed to make way for the St. Louis Convention Center. Fortunately, their chef of 20 years, Giuseppe (Joseph) Pugliese, was given the equipment and fixtures to continue the tradition. He accepted the offer and rented what was the old Chex Grill at Grand and Meramec. He named the restaurant after himself and began serving pizza, signature meatballs and Italian specialties. The irresistible pizza and carry out Italian food was an instant success. Word quickly spread that the same popular Rose’s Italian food was being served at Giuseppe’s. People started coming and the expansions soon began. In 1974, the restaurant bought the next storefront, a barbershop, and opened a dining room. In 1976, Giuseppe’s expanded again after St. Louis favorite Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods outgrew their original storefront. Still not having enough room to serve its customers in 1980, Giuseppe’s expanded to the next storefront, a beauty shop. Completing the expansion in 1985, Joe and Antoinette purchased the whole corner and added a bar and lounge area. As a result, the storefront expansions gave Giuseppe’s a unique feeling of four small Italian cafes within one restaurant.

By 2003, Joe and Antoinette had spent nearly 30 years building their restaurant, and they became convinced that running a restaurant was for the young. By this time, the new owners had become steady customers at Giuseppe’s and were told of the opportunity to continue the tradition of the restaurant. In September 2003, native St. Louisans and brothers-in-law, Eric Stockmann and Mark Manfrede, accepted the same challenge that Joe had thirty years earlier to continue the tradition of maintaining the recipes that we all love so much. The Manfrede family hails from the Hill, and Mark oversees the culinary aspects of the restaurant. The Stockmann family comes from just down the street, and Eric handles the hospitality side of the restaurant. These present owners’ father-in-law grew up four houses down the street from Giuseppe’s and was one of its first customers years ago. The new owners wanted to keep the old, but add some new. They have kept the original mahogany panels from Rose’s in the dining rooms but have added parking, banquet service, handicapped restrooms and hand painted murals. The unique dining room setting is enhanced by the longevity of its warm and friendly staff. Chef Carlo has been in the kitchen for 30 years, and Chef Jerry began his culinary career at Giuseppe’s 12 years ago. Servers Crystal, Debbie, Ellie, Leo and Lisa have over 100 years of combined service.

Still offering "white tablecloth lunches" as it did in the beginning, Giuseppe’s remains a favorite dining spot before or after the theater. With the help of loyal customers, Giuseppe’s will be celebrating its 100^th anniversary someday, still offering on the menu the original recipes first introduced to St. Louis in 1927.