Venice Pizza House, San Diego

In 1939, Sam LoMedico moved from Italy to the United States with a little suitcase and big dreams. He then learned the ropes at several restaurants before taking the leap and opening his own venture, Venice Pizza House, in 1954.

More than 60 years later, his family continues to cook the same heralded recipes from scratch. They bake fresh pizza dough every day and top it with homemade sausage, white onions, and artichoke hearts. Chefs roll crêpes into manicotti and stuff them with four types of cheese, and they coat chicken cutlets with a blend of bread crumbs and Parmesan while tomatoes simmer into a thick marinara sauce.