Published August 24, 2024 | Updated May 2, 2026

Eli Caniglia followed the lead of his sister, Grace, and brother, Yano, in branching out from the family’s original restaurant in 1957. Success at Piccolo Pete’s and Mister C’s no doubt provided needed inspiration.

While Eli and his brothers continued to work at the family restaurant from 1946 to 1957, it became increasingly clear over time that it couldn’t support each of his siblings and their growing families.

For his restaurant, Eli bought property at 69th and Pacific Street near Aksarben. On the land he built the 150-seat Venice Inn. His opening wasn’t so smooth, however, as a new bridge being built over the Little Papio Creek closed Pacific Street out front the day after its grand opening. Over the next 10 months, customers were required to drive over a dirt road from 72nd Street in order to reach the restaurant.

As if that weren’t enough, a fire gutted the building in 1963, requiring a remodel of the restaurant. It did, however, give Eli inspiration to completely redecorate the interior on a much grander scale, a trademark of the Caniglia family. When it reopened, it resembled an Italian courtyard that offered a relaxing setting for dining with cobblestones, gaslights, old brick and wood. The Cascade Lounge featured a sunken bar, stage, and a 35-foot waterfall. Patrons had the option of either dining “On the Terrace” or in the “Gala Night Room.”

Perhaps a nod to his grandfather, Eli incorporated a bakery into the restaurant that he further expanded in order to sell its popular Italian twist bread in local grocery stores. The Caniglias weren’t new to distributing their popular products, with the Original Caniglia’s selling frozen pizzas and Mister C’s selling both its salad dressing and spaghetti sauce. Eli worked at the restaurant until shortly before passing away in 1983 while his wife, Gloria, helped on the bookkeeping side of the business.

After her husband passed away, Gloria began volunteering at the Siena-Francis House in 1984. For her, it was a way to keep busy as her sons, Jerry and Chuck, took over the restaurant. It was also a way to give back to the community and help those in need. As a bookkeeper, she managed its finances, calling Venice Inn her teacher. With a quick wit and a big heart, she helped lift morale and dish out advice to co-workers whether they knew they needed it or not. She worked there four days a week for the next 33 years.

Eli’s legacy to his sons was the restaurant he worked so hard to build. They began working there at 13, starting from the very bottom. As adults, they carried on the Caniglia family legacy. The restaurant remained popular even after the closure of the nearby racetrack that had brought with it steady business. It was even featured on Food Wars alongside Piccolo Pete’s. After decades of labor-intensive and demanding work, Chuck and Jerry opted to retire in 2014 in order to spend more time with their families. By that time their children, Eli and Gloria’s grandchildren, were established in their own careers. With no one to take over the restaurant, it too closed. When Venice Inn closed, just one Caniglia restaurant remained: Piccolo Pete’s, which happened to be the first to open.

After it closed, Chuck Caniglia said in an interview with Omaha Magazine that “I never worked anywhere else. That was our life, we felt honored to continue Dad’s work, and we enjoyed our customers so much. I miss interacting with them the most.”

The Caniglias sold the property to brothers Jamie and Nick Saldi. Chuck said in an interview with Omaha Magazine that after meeting in person, they were wonderful to work with and that there was no one else they would rather sell to. On the property, the Saldis opened a third location for Legends Patio Grill and Bar. To honor the Caniglia family and preserve its legacy in more than memory alone, they planned to name one of its party rooms “The Venice Inn Room,” which would include a memory wall with memorabilia from the beloved restaurant.

This is the fourth of a multi-part series in which we explore some of the Caniglia family’s restaurants including the Original Caniglia’s (1920), Caniglia’s Piccolo Pete’s (1934); Mister C’s (1953); and Venice Inn (1957).

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• Omaha Magazine, Legendary Legacy, 2024.
• Nuncio Charles “Eli” Caniglia (1920-1983) – Find a Grave Memorial