The Ripa family comes from the Marche region of Italy . . . a resort region on the Adriatic Sea known for its great food. Harry Ripa, founder of Ripa’s Restaurant opened his first business in the late 1940s on Main Street in Depew where he became known for his superb baked stuffed shrimp. In 1953, Harry purchased an old school house, which is our present location, and renovated the building. In 1955, he opened as Ripa’s . . . his “Dream–come-true”! The gondola and zodiac signs you will see on the walls were hand molded by Uncle Harry and his good friend, Giovanni Ferrantino, and continue to be a major part of the décor.
In 1966, following the sudden and untimely death of Harry Ripa, the business was re-opened under the ownership of Harry’s two nephews . . . Ray and Ennio Ripa. Since then, two more major renovations have taken place and we’ve grown into a 120-seat restaurant with a full service bar. In 1988, we added a separately staffed banquet facility.