When Italiano’s Restaurant co-owners Susie Kumbara and Al Sadiku moved from Brooklyn to Humble, opening Italiano’s was a no-brainer, the husband and wife said.

Now, 16 years after Italiano’s opened its first location, the owners are maintaining two Lake Houston area restaurants and expanding to new areas around Houston. Despite the challenges of running a small business, Kumbara and Sadiku said they enjoy providing authentic Italian food in Humble and Atascocita.

“This is my home, so my husband and I take it very seriously,” Kumbara said. “We love it, Al and I. If I could do it all over again, I would do this again.”

The menu features chicken, seafood and steak entrees in addition to pasta dishes, such as ravioli, lasagna and spaghetti. The restaurant’s signature Italian flavor can be tasted in every dish, Sadiku said.

“Authenticity is probably the biggest [difference between Italiano’s and other Italian restaurants],” Sadiku said. “We haven’t changed the concept of basic Italian food, but we have created some new dishes, like the lobster ravioli. It’s probably only us that do it this way.”

The garlic knots that are served at every table after drinks have also become a customer favorite. The knots are housemade bread rolls with minced garlic, melted butter and fresh Parmesan cheese spread on top.

“I go to introduce myself sometimes, and immediately the table says, ‘Sorry, can we get some bread?’” server Paul McGarry said.

But the what drives customers to Italiano’s is its affordability—most dinner dishes are less than $10, Kumbara said.

Six years ago Kumbara and Sadiku opened a second, smaller location in Atascocita that is managed by Kumbara’s brother, Jimmy, and Sadiku’s brother, Joe. Within a year Kumbara and Sadiku plan to open a third restaurant in Pearland Town Center.

While Kumbara and Sadiku have three children, their middle child, Benny Sadiku, will serve as the manager when the Pearland location premieres next year.

Benny said he remembers growing up in Italiano’s kitchen and learning how to craft the restaurant’s classic bread knot at the ripe age of 10.

“Now I’m having a formal education, and it’s very different than the trial by fire all the time,” Benny said. “It’s less exciting. When you work, you’re learning a lot more about yourself than when you’re sitting in a classroom.”

Italiano’s Restaurant (Humble)

217 FM 1960 Bypass Road E., Humble 281-446-6111 www.italianosrestaurant.net Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Italiano’s Restaurant (Atascocita)

8146 FM 1960, Humble 281-852-7662 www.italianosrestaurant.net Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.