Skip navigation
Drago brothers make L.A.’s Italian dining scene a family business

Drago brothers make L.A.’s Italian dining scene a family business

LOS ANGELES —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

The name, however, doesn’t refer to just one Drago, but four brothers who operate a tangled web of 11 restaurants and a bakery—individually and as partners in various combinations—that grossed about $25 million in sales in 2008. Despite the sour economy, the Dragos have recently debuted two new restaurants and are poised for expansion, though each appears to have a different idea about what that might mean. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

In December, Celestino Drago, the oldest in the family of eight, who in 1979 was the first to leave their small village in Sicily to come to America, opened Drago Centro, an elegant 10,000-square-foot, 260-seat, contemporary Italian dining spot in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The $6.8 million venue is likely to become the flagship of the family’s collection, serving up dishes such as venison carpaccio; stuffed roasted squab with chestnut purée; and buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes, fontina and sage cream. The average ticket is about $70 per person. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Across town in Beverly Hills, however, his two younger brothers, Giacomino Drago and Tanino Drago, last month also opened Via Alloro, a more casual restaurant with about 150 seats, most of which are located outside on a wrap-around patio. The restaurant has a strong lounge component, with seven flat-screen TVs and an Enomatic wine-serving system. Signature dishes on the menu include whole branzino or Dover sole to be shared family-style, veal Milanese and citrus tagliolini with clams. The average per-person ticket is positioned around $50, though diners can easily find lower-price options. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Via Alloro, named for the street in Sicily where the brothers grew up, is just blocks away from the highest grossing of the Drago family restaurants, Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills, a pasta palace where sales average about $600,000 per month in 2,000 square feet. Owned by Celestino, Giacomino and another brother, Calogero Drago, Il Pastaio is next door to Enoteca Drago, owned by Celestino and Calogero. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

And then there are Giacomino’s three solo ventures, Il Buco and Piccolo Paradiso in Beverly Hills and Sushi House Unico, or SHU, in Bel Air. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Tanino owns the eponymous restaurant Tanino in Westwood. Calogero, Giacomino and Tanino together own the Trattoria Celestino in nearby Pasadena, as well as Panzanella in Sherman Oaks. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

And, of course, there’s the oldest of the Drago family restaurants, the high-end venue Drago, owned by Celestino, perhaps the best known of the four brothers and somewhat of a father figure in the close-knit family. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Collectively, the restaurants grossed an estimated $25 million last year, Celestino said, and Drago Centro is projected to add another $7 million annually, with Via Alloro aiming for another $3 million to $3.5 million. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Add to that Celestino’s bakery, which provides breads, baked goods and desserts to the family restaurants and others around town. The bakery also recently landed nearly $5 million in food-service contracts for Qantas and United Airlines. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Purchasing for the restaurants is done collectively, even though each eatery is a separate entity with a distinct personality, much like the brothers. Nonetheless, observers say the Drago brothers’ success is largely a result of their shared commitment to serving simple Italian fare centered on stellar ingredients. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“It’s good food and great service,” said Jerry Prendergast, a Los Angeles restaurant consultant who has no business ties to the Dragos. “I’m not going to any of these restaurants for the newest, cutting-edge Italian food, but I will get something good and clean-tasting with a nice glass of wine.” —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

It’s a philosophy for the Drago brothers that began on their father’s farm in the Messina region of Sicily, where their parents raised their clan on house-made wine, olive oil, cheeses and sausages. Celestino began working in a restaurant in Tuscany as a teenager while studying mechanics. The chef there took him under his wing, training him to cook much more than the restaurant offered. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Later, the offer of a temporary job cooking at a restaurant in Los Angeles came up, and Celestino accepted, thinking he’d stay only a few weeks. He didn’t tell his parents until he arrived in the United States, knowing they’d be upset. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“My father cried,” he said. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Weeks turned into months. Though the Italian restaurants Celestino worked in then were a far cry from authentic—“They made risotto with [par-cooked rice],” Celestino lamented. He saw an opportunity. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Celestino returned to Italy and signed his younger brother Calogero, then 18, up for culinary school. The elder brother came back to Los Angeles to open his first restaurant, called Celestino, bringing Calogero and later Giacomino and Tanino to the United States to join him. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

That first venture later closed, but chef Celestino moved on to open Drago in 1991, with the four brothers working side-by-side and living together, at least until Celestino got married. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“I didn’t want my brothers to go through what I went through,” Celestino said. “They never had to knock on doors looking for a job.” —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Celestino opened Il Pastaio two years later, establishing Giacomino as chef and, later, partner. And so the empire grew, with each brother developing concepts on their own and with various brothers as partners. The family also operates a restaurant in their hometown in Italy, where a fifth brother has taken the lead. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

It’s not clear whether customers distinguish which brother owns which restaurant. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“There’s a lot of confusion,” Celestino said. “I have people saying to me, ‘I was at your restaurant in the Valley,’” referring to Panzanella, owned by his three brothers. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“But I have to give credit where credit is due: to my brothers,” he added. “I’m proud of them.” —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Celestino is focused on Drago Centro now, though he is trying to get an extension on his lease for Drago, which he wants to re-concept with a more casual and affordable format. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

The economic downturn has impacted the family’s restaurants in different ways. Drago is down about 15 percent, Celestino said, but Enoteca Drago is down only about 5 percent. Still, he dropped the pricing on Drago Centro twice before even opening. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Tanino is interested in exploring new markets. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“I love Vegas,” he hinted. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Giacomino, the most prolific of the brothers so far, is thinking about developing a concept under a Drago family umbrella that could be multiplied. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

At Via Alloro, the two Dragos brought in as a consultant Howard Gordon, a former Cheesecake Factory Inc. executive who last year launched The Gordon Group. Gordon worked with the chefs on everything from formalizing staff training and menu development to branding and marketing. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“These guys know food, and that’s one of the toughest things about running a restaurant,” Gordon said. “I’m trying to help them get out in the open so people know who they are. They’re ready to expand.” —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Celestino, meanwhile, seems less concerned about growing their businesses as he is keeping the family together. A sister has moved to Los Angeles and now works at Il Pastaio. Their parents visit regularly, as do other siblings, and crowded family gatherings with wives and children—and an abundance of food—are common. —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

“We have different ways of thinking and doing business,” he said. “But it’s more important that we’re sitting at a dining table and celebrating holidays together than being in business together.” —Italian restaurants abound in this city. Still, one name is emerging as a leader in the crowded category: Drago.

Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish