Li'l Rizzo's Italian Restaurant

The year is quickly coming to a close and the team at Li'l Rizzo's is excited for what the new year has to offer. 2017 was a great year and there were a lot of great memories made here at the Lake of the Ozarks. Although this year is ending, a new year is beginning and the best Italian restaurant at the Lakeof the Ozarks is looking forward to all that 2018 has to offer. Why not ring in the New Year the Italian way? Check out a few of these traditions from Italy. Food for Good Fortune As with most Italian festivities, food plays an important part in the New Year celebrations. Similar to Christmas, families typically get together for a large meal to ring in the new year. The star of the meal is the lentils, which symbolizes money and good fortune for the coming year. In addition to lentils, in many parts of Italy, they will also serve cotechino, which is a large spiced sausage, or zampone, which is a stuffed pig's trotter. The pork symbolizes the richness of li...

Christmas is just days away and here at Li’l Rizzo’s , we thought it would be fun to take a look at Christmas celebrations in Italy. Believe it or not, Christmas in Italy can look very similar to Christmas here in the United States. There are several traditions, though, that make it unique to their culture. The Christmas season in Italy lasts from the beginning of December till January 6th for La Befana. While St. Nick is a part of their Christmas celebrations, he is not the focus. Instead, they celebrate a kind "old witch" who brings gifts to the children on January 6th. The best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks has a few other interesting and fun facts about Christmas in Italy! Check them out below and come enjoy the best Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks this holiday season. THE 8 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS You can expect to see a lot of singers and hear traditional carols around Italy during the 8 days before Christmas, or Novena. If you're arou...

Appetizers make a great start to any meal, and we mean ANY meal. Appetizer, in fact, refers specifically to “building the appetite”.  At Li’l Rizzo’s , we take our appetizers very seriously. We serve a variety of nine of the best appetizers at the Lake of the Ozarks . Whether you come just for the appetizers, or you enjoy them while you wait for the best Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks to be served, we are sure you’ll love them. All of them! To get you in the appetizer mood, we have some fun facts about these meal starters and an introduction to the delicious appetizers we have at Li’l Rizzo’s. Appetizer Fun Facts What’s the difference between an appetizer and hors-d'oeuvres? Hors-d'oeuvres translates to “outside the meal” and is generally a one-bite item that is stationary or passed around and served on a tray. Sometimes, appetizers are served by themselves without a meal afterward. The most common place for this is at many receptions and cocktail par...

During the holiday season, there’s nothing better than spending time with your family gathered around the dinner table enjoying the best Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks . Li’l Rizzo’s has a diverse menu which means the whole family will find something they enjoy. This month we have some delicious seasonal favorites on the menu. Not in the holiday spirit yet? Come into the best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks . These menu items are sure to do the trick! Loaded Potato Skins When you put potatoes and bacon together, it just doesn't get much better! Then we top it off with scallions and melted cheese, and it just got better. We LOVE these loaded potato skins and all the flavors they hold. They make a wonderful appetizer to share...or just eat by yourself! Buffalo Chicken Pizza We have the best pizza at the Lake of the Ozarks, and our specialty pizzas are a crowd favorite. Our Buffalo Chicken Pizza is made with roasted garlic chicken,...