The Village Pizzaria Slice House & Gelato Bar

Our family is one of the oldest restaurant families still in business in Central Texas today, serving up homemade cuisine for more than 85 years. Family patriarch Antonio P. Castillo, Sr. started the Castillo’s restaurant legacy when he opened The Aztec Cafe in the early 1930s in downtown Waco. Antonio and his wife Josephine were blessed with seven children (four sons and three daughters), all of whom were involved in the family business at one time or another. In 1948, Antonio and his family opened a new restaurant, El Patio, located on 16th Street in Waco. Four years later, classic Italian “Pizza Pie” would be introduced to Waco for the very first time, happily made at the Castillo family’s restaurant! An Italian airman serving at Waco’s James Connally Air Force Base befriended Antonio and taught the family the proper art of making pizza, from the dough, sauce and cheese, to baking it perfectly until bubbly. They also learned proper techniques for making lasagna, spaghetti and manicotti. The popularity of their new cuisine offerings of Italian & Tex-Mex led to the renaming of the restaurant The Italian Village in 1952, a name that remained until its closing in 1986 after more than 35 years of quality service. Welcome to The Village Pizzeria and Gelato Bar at Union Hall, where we are proudly continuing and building upon our family’s Italian pizza heritage.