It all started back in 1967 when Sicilian born Giovanni Smecca decided to move to Galveston, Texas from Paterson, New Jersey after hearing Glen Campbell’s famous “Galveston” during a card game. Giovanni always dreamed of being a professional fisherman, so he decided to give it a shot and made the drive to Galveston.

Unfortunately, after battles of sea sickness, Giovanni quickly decided that the fish business wasn’t for him... Heartbroken, Giovanni was about to move back to New Jersey when he met Mario Bonaccorso, who at the time was trying to open a pizzeria. The two became great friends, and together, these two young Italian entrepreneurs started Mario’s Flying Pizza and brought the “pizza pie” to Galveston Island!

Today, we are still family owned and operated and are considered a delightful, neighborhood restaurant with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. We serve a wide variety of Italian cuisine and New York style pizza and strive to use fresh, seasonal, ingredients wherever possible, so come on in, sit back, relax, and enjoy a wonderful meal and a nice glass of wine at Mario’s Ristorante!