Our
History

A dining establishment rich in history ( and flavor!), we are proud to call the Lone Star State home.

In Napoli, food is never just food; it's a celebration of life. Delicious, savory scents waft through the air in every neighborhood, and you can tell a family by the dishes they favor most, by the dishes they cook up and serve – with passion, with tenderness, with love. Bringing the heart of Napoli right to the heart of Texas, Amici is your opportunity to experience Naples for yourself. Serving fine, authentic Italian dishes prepared from recipes passed down through the generations in our region of Italy, we pour our souls into our food. This is Italian food done right, a truly sensational journey for the senses.

Whenever you are in the mood for something rich, filling, and different, you know exactly where to come. We operate our mobile kitchen with all the vigor and enthusiasm of a big Italian family dinner, and we know what the meaning of the word "service" is – in more languages than one! Order up and say Buon appetito – or Salute if you prefer – and know that you are in good hands, that you can count on us to cook up real classics with nothing but the freshest ingredients.

Amici- It's a Point of Pride

In Italian, the word amici means "friends," and when you come to Amici for a meal, that is exactly what you are to us – our friends. You can expect superb treatment from our entire staff, your dishes served up with a kind smile and a caring hand. This is just how we run our kitchen, eager to make all who come to us welcome and appreciated. This is something that we take seriously, and just like family is important to us, honor and pride are as well. Knowing that you feel the friendship from us, that is something in which we revel.

History

When Chef Benito opened his restaurant Benito's in 1968, it was one of the very few restaurants in Little Italy. Being a very small restaurant, the only person working outside of the kitchen was Salvatore. Known as a "family owned joint", Benito's quickly earned a reputation. Chef Benito and Salvatore made an outstanding team: the food and the service were both sensations in their own rights. Year after year, business went up, to the point that evenings at Benito's had turned into a tradition for many people, who celebrated the entire Benito's menu. Authentic, delicious, warm, welcoming – they were doing everything right.

By 1983, Benito's had expanded from its original location to encompass two locations, and Salvatore and his wife Maria acquired Benito II. Because of its location, its size, and its prestige, Benito II was the larger location (and in people's minds, the central location as well). Benito II continued to grow and grow, its reputation booming – and its business doing the same in turn. As popular as the restaurant already was, it was clear that the peak was still a long way off.

1988 came, and Salvatore and Maria decided they needed to branch out. Benito II was packed every single night, and they were turning people away. Purchasing the space adjacent to Benito II, they set up a special room for weekends and parties. Now, Benito II could thrive the way that it seemed destined to thrive. There was room to grow, there was opportunity to serve even more, and Salvatore and maria had discovered a talent they hadn't known they had – vision.

In 1994, Maria took the special room for the weekends and created her own restaurant– Amici II. At that time Salvatore owned Benito II while Maria owned Amici II. Business was bigger than ever before, people were raving about the food even more than they had been. Despite the boom, they remained steadfast in their commitment to keeping their restaurants small, cozy, and family-oriented, which Fabrizio (their son) and Elpida (Fabrizio's wife) have carried on to the present day.

Maria at Amici II

We’ve loved every minute of our journey

Two years prior to the launch of Amici II, Fabrizio came on board at Benito II. When Amici II opened, he took on dual responsibilities, immersing himself in the restaurant business and working at both locations. His ambition and his devotion to great food experiences were both evident from the very start, and in 2001, he and his wife Elpida took over Amici II. They were honored to carry on the tradition that had started more than thirty years before then – and more than fifty years before today. At the time that they took over, Fabrizio and Elpida made a promise to each other: quality would always come first. No matter how big they got, no matter how much business grew, they would focus on delicious food and commendable service. Nothing would get between them and running a restaurant they would be happy to dine in themselves.

Family

Fabrizio and Elpida have since become a family of six. They ran Amici II with joy and passion until 2019 – when our family decided to move to Texas and open a mobile kitchen - Amici. Long enamored with the sun and allure of the Lone Star State, our family could not be any happier to call this place home. We want to grow with this community, all the while offering up our traditional and time-tested takes on renowned Italian cuisine, straight from Naples to Little Italy to your table.

Life in Texas

Since moving they have etched out a life for themselves in Texas.

Visiting Austin, Hamilton Pool, Green Belt, Lake Travis and other cities they have gotten a sense of the state and grown to love it. They are eager to continue to explore it and continue to settle in, getting to know other families in the area and planting their roots.

Some of the pastimes that they have enjoyed most since relocating are attending live music, checking out the rodeo, and eating as much BBQ food as possible. Settling in was easy for them, and even beyond the people that we already knew (Martin Family). "Everyone we have encountered has been welcoming and hospitable. This warm reception has only further served to encourage us to do our very best here." (Fabrizio and Elpida)

Born in Naples, Fabrizio is eager to share his family tradition with as many Texans as he can. He and Elpida are enthusiastic about bringing the food and the culture they hold dearly to a whole new audience.

We’ve loved every minute of our journey!

In 2018, Amici II was named among the top 17% best restaurants in all of Manhattan.

The New York Daily News did a feature on Amici II.

We would like to give a special thanks to the "Martin Family" for all your support!

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Customers Feedback

Amazing!

Great food, amazing service. Would definitely return! Food came out super bowl quickly and the owners was very charming and friendly.

Benny Fitz

Amazing Food

We had dinner here and the Chicken parmigiana is fabulous. In my group we order about 5 different items from the menu and everything was fantastic, I highly recommend having a meal here.

Tess Timonial

Great Food and Service

Branzino Piccata was absolutely perfect and 3 of us had different mains and each of us enjoyed them completely. Generous serves made for a great meal. The service was wonderful and friendly.

Hugh Canduit

AMICI

EST. 1994

OurHistory