San Marcos pizzeria institution Valentino’s will reopen this spring with new owners

Two Austin natives want to breathe new life into decades-old San Marcos pizzeria Valentino’s, which has been shuttered for the past two years, MySA reports.

In an effort to prevent the space, located at 110 N. LBJ Drive, from being leased to a corporate chain, restauranteurs Harlan Scott and Cody Taylor were approached by their landlord to take a crack at reopening the restaurant.

"Everyone's like, 'Are you going to bring back the old Valentino's?' And the question is, 'Do you want Valentino's from 1983, 1993 or 2003?'" Scott told the news site. "When we announced we were reopening, people were coming up to us practically in tears telling us memories of a meatball sub from 1995. A lot of it is about the nostalgia."

Valentino’s will be the duo’s second foray into the San Marcos restaurant scene. They opened scratch kitchen spot Industry in 2018, a block from Valentino's. Since Industry's opening, local media has lauded it as one of the college town's best dining spots.

Valentino’s permanently closed its doors after slinging pizza and calzones for nearly 40 years. It was also known for spotlighting local musicians in downtown San Marcos. The new owners want to focus on the same hearty fare but with updated recipes, MySA reports.

"We want to serve lots of beer and pizza, and we're adding a whole bar as well," Scott said.

Still in the midst of a remodel, the new owners haven't set an official reopening date. However, Taylor told MySA it could open as soon as the end of this month.

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