Latin King rates runner-up among Top 100 Restaurants

Bob Tursi of Tursi's Latin King restaurant chats with patrons. (Credit: Eric Rowley/Metromix)

Tursi’s Latin King has been an east-side institution since 1947. The restaurant continues to thrive — evidenced by its No. 2 standing on our list — by operating under owner Bob Tursi’s golden rule: Treat people the way you want to be treated.

“I built the restaurant thinking about what I look for in a restaurant,” he said. “When I dine, I want the place to be independent and the owner to be there. If I was traveling and I saw a place like this, that is where I would stop and eat.”

The restaurant oozes the comforts of home; an owner is always there to open your bottle of wine at the table or check on your meal.

“The number one thing the Latin King has going for them is their old-school, small town-like attentiveness to the customer that (owners) Bobby and Amy and the entire staff provide day in and day out,” said Aaron Anderson, 28, who voted the restaurant at the top of his list. “I value the small things, such as hosts who greet the people who come through the door by their name.”

Jim and Rose Pigneri opened the Latin King more than 50 years ago. Tursi purchased the restaurant in 1983, when he was just 21 years old. The Pigneris and Tursi’s parents hail from Terravecchia, Italy.

Most who frequent the Latin King have tried the chicken spiedini, the restaurant’s most popular dish. The spiedini is made with chunks of chicken breast that are marinated, breaded and char-broiled, then served with amogio or alfredo sauce.

Anderson said they turned a “meat and potatoes guy” into a huge fan of Italian food. “The Latin King gives you what you pay for,” he said. “A lot of restaurants are misconceived as 'great’ simply because their food is expensive or their decor is modern and trendy. Not because their food actually tastes good.”

Tursi said he’s been trying to produce the best quality meals he could since he bought the restaurant. His chef, Pat Morris, has been with him since he took over in 1983, as have several other members of the staff.

“We are a family restuarant, and we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing,” he said. “We have a great menu and I’m proud of that,” Tursi said. “This is our life. This is our passion.”