Canyon Lake restaurateur Gennaro DiMeo has quietly slipped a new Italian spot into Wimberley, opening Gennaro’s Ristorante Italiano on June 24. The restaurant leans into from-scratch cooking, serving pastas, hand-tossed pizzas and seafood with a Southern Italian, Naples-leaning influence. At the heart of the space is a sprawling live oak that anchors the dining room and overlooks a stone patio set up for al fresco meals.
Gennaro’s Ristorante Italiano now fills the former Hildee’s Dine-Inn at 13900 Ranch Road 12 and began welcoming guests June 24, according to Community Impact. DiMeo is listed as executive chef, and co-owner Dino Taccogna has emphasized that every dish is made to order. Before the official opening, the team hosted practice dinners for local leaders, families and friends as a way to train staff and fine-tune the menu.
Renovation Kept The Live Oak Front And Center
Owners put money into a round of renovations that expanded the kitchen while preserving the heritage live oak shading the patio, according to Wimberley View. The work meant relocating restrooms, cutting new windows into rear dining rooms and installing a double La Bestia pizza oven to handle wood-fired pies. The team brought in an architect and local contractors to stretch the restaurant’s footprint without disturbing the tree or the outdoor fountain area.
A Menu Rooted In Family Recipes
DiMeo and partner Dino Taccogna say the menu is grounded in family recipes and the culinary traditions of Naples and Puglia, with daily pasta specials and rotating seafood dishes alongside classic antipasti. DiMeo has decades of restaurant experience and also operates locations in Deer Park and Baytown, a background the owners say shapes their focus on service and scratch cooking, according to Community Impact. The plan is to balance casual pizza nights with busier dining rooms geared toward families and longer sit-down meals.
Hours, Address And What To Know
The restaurant lists its address as 13900 Ranch Road 12 and shares hours and menu details on its website. For current hours and reservations, check the official site, Gennaro’s Ristorante Italiano. Owners told Wimberley View that the community has been “unbelievably accepting” during the practice dinners and soft openings.
