Gaetano’s Restaurant is a family owned operation that emphasizes food quality and pleasant service.  We feel the most important part of Gaetano’s is the experience.  From the second you walk in our door, it is our duty to make each visit a special one.  In order to create a memorable experience, our staff works by one important value: Accommodation.  Accommodating all the needs and wants of our guests is how we have succeeded since 1993.

Gaetano & Frances Giuliano’s (fondly known as Nanu & Nana)were the founder’s of the locally loved, “Giuliano’s Deli”.

Gaetano’s Restaurant founder, Steve Giuliano (Gaetano’s grandson) was born into the food business. From the minute he could walk, you could find Steve running around Giuliano’s Deli in Gardena, sneaking meatballs when no one was looking, and slicing Salami behind the deli counter. As time went on, and Giuliano’s grew, Steve became Director of Operations at the Giuliano’s Headquartes in Carson.

Dori Gestone was born into an entrepreneurial Italian family filled with love and togetherness. Her mom, Dotty, would cook wonderful Italian meals for the whole family almost every day….much of her recipes you can find on our menu.

In 1976 Steve was working behind the counter at Giuliano’s in Torrance, when all of a sudden he was “struck by the lightning bolt” as Dori walked in. They met and married two years later.

Steve headed the operations at the Giuliano’s Commissary, and Dori assisted with the growing catering business Giuliano’s created. Their knowledge for food and service became a powerful partnership. Steve decided to leave Giuliano’s to start a similar operation with a fast – casual service approach. On December 17, 1993 with the help of his wife, Dori (and many other family members), they opened Gaetano’s Deli. The deli featured fresh baked breads, an authentic wood burning pizza oven, sandwiches, pasta, salads and specialty pastries. Customers would order at the deli counter and food was brought out fast and fresh. Although the deli was a great concept, Dori and Steve decided to transform the deli into a restaurant.

Throughout the opening of the deli and soon after the deli became a restaurant, Steve’s diabetes became too much for his body to handle and he passed away. With the help of many wonderful family members, friends and employees, Dori was able to establish the restaurant her and Steve had always dreamed. Steve’s legacy of hard work, quality foods and service with a huge smile, still lives within Gaetano’s.

In 2003, Gaetano’s was moved to the current location where we stand today. Many remember us from our old location on Crenshaw Blvd., in the same shopping center.

In 2005 after graduating from the University of San Diego, Dori’s son, Vince, started working full time for the restaurant. In 2010, he attended Apicius Culinary Arts School in Florence, Italy.  He also worked at two restaurants learning the Italian way of simple ingredients and cultural cooking techniques.

Dori’s daughter, Andreanna, graduated from San Diego State in 2008.  She landed a job in Northern California with Ask.com, working as a marketing represenative.  Her passion for the food industry led her back to Southern California, where she has been managing the restaurant since mid 2010.  With Dori, Vince and Andreanna working full time at Gaetano’s, the details are always looked after carefully.

The restaurant and our family are blessed to have such a spectacular team. Although our food is one of a kind, we realize we would not be such a wonderful restaurant if it wasn’t for the help of our team. We would also like to thank our guests for giving us the opportunity to serve quality foods at reasonable prices. We are privelaged to have such great people sharing their company with us. Thanks for stopping by!