Li'l Rizzo's Italian Restaurant

Who doesn't love the convenience of takeout food? We all have our reasons for why we want to order takeout, whether it's because we don't want to cook that night or we are just craving a certain dish from our favorite Lake of the Ozarks restaurant . Keep reading for a list of benefits of ordering takeout from Li'l Rizzo's . 1. No Cooking is Required.  The most obvious reason to order takeout is that you don't have to cook dinner yourself. There's no meal planning, trips to the grocery store to get a missing ingredient, food preparation, cooking or cleanup. Ordering takeout can easily save you the time and stress that it takes to get a meal on the table for your family at night. You had a long day at work, its getting late and you have no desire to spend hours in the kitchen. Ordering takeout from our Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks only takes a few minutes. Just give us a call or order online! Then you can spend that extra time relaxing ...

An appetizer is a small dish of food or a drink taken before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one's appetite. Who decided we needed food before more food? Keep reading to learn about the origins of appetizers! Then take a look at what delicious pre-meal snacks we have to offer here at Li'l Rizzo's . Appetizer History Virtually all cultures have indulged in pre-meal morsels designed to whet the appetite. The ancient Greeks and Romans sampled bits of fish, seasoned vegetables, cheese and olives prior to their meals. Italians often ate thin rolls of grilled veal to stimulate the appetite for the meal to come. Wealthy Frenchmen picked at hors d’oeuvres throughout fancy meals from the late 17th through the mid-19th centuries. These snacks ranged from oysters and stuffed eggs to slices of beef tongue or braised quails. Americans began emulating that french dining model, by placing these bites of food on the table to be served throughout the meal as a pala...

Everyone loves a home-cooked meal, but not everyone likes preparing it or cleaning up after it. Dining out has its benefits, and Lake of the Ozarks' best Italian restaurant wants to share with you some reasons to come dine out with us! 1. There's No Messy Clean Up.  While some people may enjoy cooking, does anyone actually like doing dishes? The worst part about preparing a home-cooked meal is the cleanup afterwards. Not only do you have the dishes you ate off of, but you have the pots and pans and utensils that you used to cook everything. After you've slaved away creating a great meal for your family to enjoy, the last thing you want to do is spend more time in the kitchen cleaning up that mess. When you come to our Lake of the Ozarks restaurant , we take care of the dishes and the mess for you. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy your meal! 2. You Can Please the Picky Eaters.  Do your children seem to always complain about what's for dinner? Do you ...

Each year, National Waitstaff Day is observed on May 21! The holiday was created to show appreciation for the hard work our waiters and waitresses do each day. It is a day to say thank you for everything they do to make our Lake of the Ozarks dining experiences enjoyable. Restaurant owners and managers should also recognize and express their appreciation to their dedicated employees! Here are some of the qualities that make our Li'l Rizzo's waitstaff so great: 3 Top Qualities of Great Waitstaff 1. Knowledge.  Being familiar with every item on the menu will not only help the waitstaff with taking orders, but will also allow them to make suggestions to the customer. Avoiding frustration with the customer is easier when the waitstaff have the knowledge of each dish and what it comes with. Familiarity with the daily specials will also help to enhance the customer experience. Everyone always likes a good deal. 2. Friendliness. Food service is obviously a customer serv...

Enjoy live music at the Lake of the Ozarks when you dine at Li'l Rizzo's on Horseshoe Bend. Me & Jim will be joining us every weekend for the 2015 season. Check out the schedule below and make plans to come visit the best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks soon! About Me & Jim  "Me and Jim" play instrumental renditions of rock music from the 60'S and 70's. They use vintage guitars and sometimes mandolin, performing familiar tunes at conversational volume. "Jim," that is Jim Biggs, has performed in concert with such big names as Chuck Berry, Barbara Mandrel, and Barbara Fairchild. Jim played the Hotel Circuit pickin' country and rock music during the 70's and 80's all across the country. He owns a pile of vintage guitars, mostly Les Pauls, and has been known to bring several of them to the shows and switch guitars as they become too hot to handle! As for "Me," Frank Phelps grew up playing rock music and p...

At Li'l Rizzo's , it's not all about the pizza and pasta. We offer delicious sandwiches and burgers at our Lake of the Ozarks restaurant as well. Try one of these mouthwatering subs or sandwiches next time you're here! Tuscan Chicken Sandwich Tender marinated chicken breast smothered in melted provel and served on a ciabotta bun with pesto mayonaise, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Hot Italian Sub  Italian roast beef, smoked turkey and pastrami served hot on a ciabotta bun with our house dressing, melted provel and green onions. Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich Hand-breaded chicken tender topped with cheese and marinara sauce. Meatball Sandwich Our homemade meatball served on a hoagie with meat sauce and melted cheese. Hamburger An 8 oz. ground chuck burger. Add cheese for additional charge. Rizzo Burger  Bacon, sauteed mushrooms and onions topped with melted provel cheese. Sausage & Peppers Sandwich Italian sausage, sauteed onions,...

April 7th is National Beer Day! Today commemorates the day that beer was once again allowed to be legally manufactured and sold, after the long, dry prohibition. In honor of the holiday, the BEST sports bar at the Lake of the Ozarks has gathered some facts about beer. Enjoy! Random Beer Facts 1.  Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the United States. As a country, we consume 205.8 million barrels per year, or about 20 gallons per person per year. 2. According to the Brewers Association, as of 2014, there were 3,418 craft brewers in the United States, an increase of nearly 20% over the year before. 3. Arthur Guinness II, the father of Guinness stout, altered the family beer recipe to include unmalted roasted barley instead of black malt because it wasn't subject to tax. This made it affordable for the Guinness family and also made the beer's taste distinctive. 4. The first beer cans were produced in 1935. 5. The most expensive state to buy beer in is T...

After a hard day's work, there's nothing better than kicking back and relaxing with your friends and a few cold ones! Happy Hour provides a time to relax and take your mind off the stress of day to day tasks. Let's take a look at the History of Happy Hour and then join us at Li'l Rizzo's for the BEST Happy Hour at the Lake of the Ozarks ! The History of "Happy Hour" The term "Happy Hour" actually originated right here in the United States. Back in the 1920's, the term was slang for the scheduled time of on-ship performances when the sailors were a little "happy" from drinking. Due to the prohibition, the act of drinking before dinnertime began around the same time on shore. Friends would gather for illegal cocktail hours before going out for dinner because restaurants could not serve alcohol. The term became more mainstream when an article featuring military life was released in 1959 in the Saturday Evening Post. Over time,...

It's National Ravioli Day and Li'l Rizzo's Italian Restaurant offers some of the BEST Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks . In honor of this day, we would like to explain more about "ravioli" and a few of the most common types you'll see in Italian restaurants at Lake of the Ozarks and across the country. What is Ravioli?  The word "ravioli" refers to all kinds of filled Italian pasta where a thin layer of dough wraps around a filling. Ravioli are either boiled and dished out with sauce, or served in broth. The pasta layer, generally egg-based and rolled into a thin sheet, serves as more than an enclosure - it overextends around the filling and binds with the sauces or the broth. Common fillings may include meat, cheese, vegetables and vary greatly between the countless regional recipes. Special types of deep fried sweet ravioli also exist - a long known tradition. Types of Ravioli Ravioli gets its shapes, names, and fillings based upon...

Italian food is a favorite around the world! However, those "Italian dishes" can vary a lot. When the first wave of Italian immigrants came to America, they couldn't get good-quality olive oil, the right produce or arborio rice, however, they had plenty of cheese and meat. They built on traditional dishes to create new ones with what they had available. The result was a hearty, delicious cuisine that has never seen the light of day in the land that inspired it. An article on  Fodors.com features some Italian foods you won't find in Italy. However, you're sure to find these favorites at your Lake of the Ozarks Italian restaurant ! 1. Spaghetti and Meatballs Spaghetti and meatballs are perhaps the most popular "Italian" dish outside of Italy. However, it is very rare to find spaghetti pasta served with meatballs in Italy. Meatballs are almost always served on their own. The most popular theory holds that the recipe was invented by poor Italian immi...

When you think of Italian food, what is the first dish that comes to mind? Most likely you're thinking about pasta. Pasta is a staple food for traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating back to 1154 in Sicily. At Li'l Rizzo's , there's no shortage of pasta dishes. With generous portion sizes and the freshest quality ingredients, our Lake of the Ozarks restaurant has the BEST Italian food around! PASTA DISHES AT LI'L RIZZO'S Carbonara Fettucine with bacon and fresh snow peas in a parmesan cream sauce. Spaghetti and Meatball Homemade 6 oz. meatball and spaghetti smothered in our chunky meat sauce.  Spaghetti and Italian Sausage Spicy Italian sausage link with spaghetti and our chunky meat sauce. Lasagna Homemade, layered with pasta, ricotta cheese meat sauce, Italian sausage and a two cheese blend. Topped with meat sauce and melted cheese.  Cannelloni Con Bianco Rolled noodles stuffed with beef and pork in ...

Valentine's Day is the one day of the year that you want to make sure your loved one feels special. While some people may be expecting roses, chocolates or other gifts, many are expecting an elegant dinner with the one they love. Li'l Rizzo's is here to make your Valentine's Day extra special this year! Treat your loved one to some delicious Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks ! Valentine's Dinner Options  In addition to our everyday menu, your favorite Lake of the Ozarks Italian Restaurant will be serving two specials just for Valentine's Day!  1. Lemon Caper Salmon - Salmon filet lightly brushed with EVOO, seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary, topped with sliced lemon, lemon juice, white wine and capers. Served with risotto, sauteed vegetables and a house salad.  2. Veal Parmigiana - Tender veal lightly breaded and baked, topped with our homemade marinara and melted Italian cheese. Served over a bed of angel hair pasta with ...

Dogwood's Annual SPAY-GHETTI DINNER is this Thursday, February 5 from 5-8 PM! Join us at our Lake of the Ozarks Italian restaurant for a great meal and to support a great cause. For just $16.50 you can enjoy an all you can eat pasta and salad dinner with a roll and a soft drink. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to Dogwood to help spay and neuter many dogs and cats in the Lake of the Ozarks area! About Dogwood Animal Shelter Volunteers have been the driving force behind Dogwood animal shelter since its beginning.  Through auctions and sales, a handful of dedicated people raised enough money to build a small facility and in 1976, the badly needed shelter was established as a 501(c)3.  It was filled beyond capacity almost immediately.  From the start, Dogwood offered low cost spays and neuters, and since 1997, when the board of directors declared Dogwood a no-kill facility, it has steadily expanded that program.   When the long awaited new shelter f...