Valian's Restaurant At 6935 South Main St.

[little frau]

isuredid....is there a date on that postcard? I was in high school and a friend's older sister took us there once in the early 60's. I'm not remembering the wagon wheels.

[nativehouston]

Wow, that's a fantastic image! Now I recall how dazzling it looked to me as a kid when it was all lit up at night, and the thrill of walking down that path through the wagon wheels to the back dining room door. Thank you so much for sharing this!

By the way, do you have a photo of YE OLDE COLLEGE INN? I'm feeling pangs of nostalgia for some of my old favorites. I'm a baby boomer who grows to appreciate Houston's past all the more, as I sadly watch so much of our cultural/architectural history disappear. But your photos keep it alive and revive old memories, thanks again!

[bookman]

Photos or postcard images of the old Valians Restaurant (pizza)from 50s? I tried to access one posted by Subdude but it was blank. If anyone has any to share I'd love to see them. Thanks!

Click HERE to see Valian's images on this blog post by Bill McCurdy.

[57Tbird]

An old high school friend of mine just sent this "Valian's is Back" blog to me. I thought some of you post-Valian's HAIF'ers might want to try it and compare with today's Domino's, Pizza Hut, etc. Maybe some of you in the area that did Valian's in the 50's-60's era can sample it and see if it's really like the original Valian's pizza... if you can remember that far back.

[pachanga]

I drove by the old Shamrock location today, and was hungry, so I was thinking of a place to eat. As I cruised South main, my mouth began to water ( Just in memory ) for a pizza from Vallian's!! Man, they had the best pizza you ever ate! I believe they were at South Main & Holcomb, on the East side of the underpass. I'll never forget what a special treat it was to be able to go there. Anyone got any memories to share? I was always curious of what happened to the restaurant, and the Vallian family. Yuuuuum, Yum!

BEST PIZZA I EVER ATE!

[HTownJen]

Vallian’s was a great “date place” in the mid 60’s, but it wasn’t my favorite place for pizza. That honor went to DePaul’s in the 1600 block of North Shepherd. It was pretty much a family joint, and I always saw people I knew there.

Vince DePaul was onboard the (I think) Battleship Tennessee when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was a brutish looking Italian, but who was very soft-spoken, as nice a fella as you could ever meet. His wife (can’t remember her name) was dynamite in a small package; a real spark plug. The son was a year or two behind me at Reagan.

They sold the business and their recipe to the new owners, but it was never as good as when the DePaul’s had it. Their sauce was so good you could drink it. The crust was thin, and the cheese was thick. I have never had as good a pizza since. They also had great lasagna, which they also sold in freezable packages.

From my earliest remembrances, Christie’s on South Main had a sign on the Main Street side of the building claiming, “We Serve Pizza Pie”. I don’t know if Vallian’s preceded them or not.

 

Vince Charles DePaul was my great uncle.  He was my grandfather's brother.  His wife's name was Connie. They were my godparents.  They actually sold the restaurant, but not the recipe, after "Vince" (the family called him Charlie) had a heart attack.  The new owners just claimed to have the recipe. And the sale contract required that the new owners change the name of the restaurant after one year.  CHarlie and Connie moved out to the country, and It took a few years before our family discovered they were still using the name.  We got them to shut it down (that was in the 90s). 

 

Vince was a twin and was born in Palermo, Italy.  My grandfather was the oldest child.  The famiy first lived in Philadelpha.  Someone here said something about New York.  They never lived in New York.  I don't remember the sign saying New York, but I was a kid.  I only remember it saying "De Paul's Pizza House."    During the depression, Vince's twin brother died.  The family then moved to Bryan, Texas, where other family members lived, and they became farmers.   You may recall, that when you walked in the door there was a large oval-shaped bevelled glass framed photo on the wall of baby burried in white lace - that was me (christening photo).

 

And I have their sauce recipe

 

Edited November 11, 2015 by HTownJen

[ggmsmolly]

Best pizza pies as George Valian called them, in Houston.  If he liked you, he would prepare a special dish for your table.  He was a good friend of my parents.

[Highrise Tower]

I came across this ad in a 1962 Houston Colt .45 baseball program Vs. Cardinals.

Very cool to see both of their South Main locations listed.  I never knew about the 2nd location called Galley Smorgasbord at 6638 South Main St.