Italian food lovers now have a second choice when dining out in Harlingen.
The Olive Garden was the long-reigning Italian food king in the Capital City of the Rio Grande Valley.
But now, a new locally-owned restaurant is going after a share of the market.
Colletti's opened back on April 7th in the recently restored Reese Building in downtown Harlingen.
Located at South 1st Street and Van Buren Avenue, the restaurant offers a modern and elegant dining room.
According to a menu posted on their website, Colletti's offers moderately priced entrees.
The restaurant offers traditional Italian restaurant offerings such pizza, lasagna and calamari but owners brought in consultants from Austin to give them a unique flavor.
According to the restaurant's Facebook fan page, the restaurant also has a happy hour with unique signature drinks.
Owner Jo Wagner told the Valley Biz Blog that the restaurant is named after her mother's maiden name.
Wagner said her grandparents were born in Italy and came to the United States in early 1900s.
The Harlingen businesswoman said her family bought the Reese Building in 2009 and secured funding to restore it adding condos, shops and the restaurant.
The historic building was originally built in 1926 as a hotel but became a housing project for the poor and elderly in the 1990s.
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