This was a question we were thinking about over the weekend. Since there is no Mr. Gatti's in BCS (and let's be perfectly honest -- the playland that served "pizza" was no Mr. Gatti's) do any of you go get your original Mr. Gatti's pizza fix in Rockdale, TX?

They seem to be disappearing at a fast clip. My favorite Mr. Gatti's in Burnet, TX, has disappeared. Another in Marble Falls preceded that one. The one in Rockdale has the layout of the original dining room restaurants.

The first restaurant by Col. Eure opened in Stephenville in 1964, and before the end of the decade Col. Eure opened in Austin and named it Mr. Gatti's. They boomed quite a bit in the 80s, and it was not uncommon to find a Mr. Gatti's all across the Southwest.

Then the move to the huge playland with a side of pizza style restaurants. We do not say the name of that concept. And along with that shift, the food quality suffered.

I have not confirmed what I am about to say, so please know this is my own personal belief, but the original Gatti's sauce used a generous helping of fennel seed. The play land restaurants do not strictly follow the original recipes -- it seems to be hit and miss. (Another personal belief) It probably has to do with the difference between franchise and non-franchise owners.

The point of this brief Mr. Gatti's history is to point out that the Rockdale restaurant appears to be using all original recipes, sauce and crust, etc. Walking into the dining room with the sunken floor and the tiers of tables lined up in front of a projection screen tv was like taking a time machine back to the 80s.

Go check it out. Tell them Diamond Geezer sent you, and your second trip back to the buffet table will be on me.



[This message has been edited by Diamond Geezer (edited 4/16/2014 11:19a).]

I've never been to the one in Rockdale. I remember being at the one on university drive with some buddies watching the game in 1991 when Desmond Howard did his heisman pose after scoring a touchdown. The food was never very good to me but we would occasionally go on Saturdays to sit in front of there "big screen" tv they had in that back room and watch college football. I think the buffet was about 3.25-3.50 back then , drink included.

[This message has been edited by Ronnie Gardocki (edited 4/16/2014 10:48a).]

I've driven through Rockdale twice. I'm not sure I would go there just for pizza.

Glad you said something I completely forgot there is location in Rockdale. We go through there to Austin quite a bit on break and summer will make a point to stop in. Use to go to the one here quite a bit.

What did they put in old Gatti's location in CS ? Birthday parties at Gatti's was the only thing that got me in that center.

Ronnie,

I liked that Mr. Gatti's on University and was sad to see it go. I always liked to get an upstairs booth. It was sort of like you were the only ones in the restaurant. There was a time that when Mr. Gatti's ran its coupon in the school newspaper that the papers were hard to come by. OR, you'd find a paper but the coupon would have already been torn out. In many ways, that Mr. Gatti's was as influential in shaping Texas A&M as, say, Gen. Rudder.

Does the Rockdale Gatti's serve beer?

I really like Mr. Gattis, but all the ones in SA have been closed for years.

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Ronnie,

I liked that Mr. Gatti's on University and was sad to see it go. I always liked to get an upstairs booth.

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The upstairs was always the place to go if you had a young lady with you. Didn't the upstairs rooms have lit candles on the tables back then.

Some guy named Lyle Lovett used to sing at the Gatti's on University--circa 1977.

They showed soaps on the big screen from 11am to 2-ish. The clerical staff in the Engineering offices were mainstays.

I liked their pizza. The Gattiland concept was a huge departure from the original concept. And thus a mistake.

CEAg78, I think they were one of the first places in Brazos County to serve beer if not the first. Then, they opened a second location with the same layout around the corner from Manor East Mall which now Tejas Center.

Brenham had one downtown close to the courthouse square that was the place to hangout during the early/mid 80's.