Since its opening, Casa Mangiare has quickly made a home for itself bringing home-cooked Italian cuisine to the community of College Station. Regis Cerutti, has made it his life's work to show people what genuine Italian cooking can be.
With its sister restaurant Casa Do Brasil, a Brazilian steakhouse located off of Prairie Road, Regis spreads his time between both restaurants as the Beverage Director at Casa DoBrasil and the part time owner and manager at Casa Mangiare. His Italian roots inspired him to share true Italian cuisine with the rest of the world.
“I have over 20 years of experience working in restaurants,” Regis says. “I worked in a few restaurants in South Brazil, which is where I’m from. My Grandfather immigrated from Brazil so my experience with Italian cuisine is pretty much being born with an Italian family. My mother and grandmother's cooking gave me that true feeling of hospitality. Italian families like to get together and cook and have wine together so that's part of the culture that was created in south Brazil and Italy that I wanted to bring here.”
Casa Mangiare specializes in seafood and steak, but with more of an Italian twist, Regis says. With genuine Italian specials on the menu, such as Pomodoro e Burrata and fresh bread made every hour, guests are ensured a true Italian experience when dining at Casa Mangiare.
“We are a true Italian restaurant, not American Italian,” Regis says.“Our chef comes from Italy and everything we do here is from scratch, like fine dining italian. We make homemade bread, homemade pizza and homemade pasta. Every day is a production. What really sets us apart is food and service.”
Since opening in May of 2023, Casa Mangiare is still growing and establishing itself in the area. Just like the menu, the staff is continuing to grow and adapt to the needs of the customers.
“When we first opened we had a base menu, but now that the kitchen is more comfortable we are creating more items and expanding the menu,” Regis says. “We’re going to be a seasonal restaurant which means every three or four months we're going to change ingredients and change items on the menu. Year round, we are going to change the food and cocktails.”
The food at Casa Mangiare isn’t the only thing that is evolving to new standards. With an extensive bar list including classic cocktails such as an Old Fashioned or Aperol Spritz, to adventurous adult beverages like the Penicillin, which is blended scotch, Islay scotch, lemon, and honey-ginger syrup made in house from scratch, guests have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a unique tasting experience.
“I'm a certified sommelier and we have a few other sommeliers here as well,” Regis says. “We have over 300 wines and just like the kitchen, we do all of the bar syrups from scratch, infusions from scratch, pretty much everything.”
These days, it’s hard to find genuine Italian cuisine, Regis says. Dining at Casa Mangiare will not only provide guests with great tasting food, but also the experience of staff going above and beyond for their customers.
“Unique to us is not taking shortcuts,” Regis says. “We make everything from scratch and that’s something you’re not going to find many places. Quality to us is having a great chef that has a standard for the kitchen. That really helps ensure the quality of the food and experience.”
With the staff ensuring the quality and freshness of every dish, it might be hard to pick one favorite.The extensive menu has something for everyone ranging from lobster pizza to wood grilled octopus. And for the true foodies, Casa Mangiare offers a brunch menu that includes all of the Casa Mangiare favorites as well as classic breakfast items like short rib eggs benedict, chicken and waffle, and an almost sinful Nutella pizza. The brunch menu opens at 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday.
“I could eat everything on the menu, depending on what I'm in the mood for,” Regis says. “The filet mignon is great, but if you want something more Italian, go for the veal chop. If I had to pick though I would say my favorite is the spaghetti lobster pasta.”
A restaurant that has true standards for the staff has become something of the past for some. Casa Mangiare has dedicated itself to being the best it can be for their customers and creating a dining experience that is special to the College Station area. Regis and the rest of the staff understand that the culture that they cultivate has an impact on the quality of production.
“I think it’s a culture that makes people understand and like what they’re doing,” Regis says. “From the service to the cooks in the kitchen, making an environment that focuses on evolving culinary skills and earning is important. Making sure you have hospitality, like welcoming somebody or putting something on the house, that’s something that we really bring to the table.”
Casa Mangiare is located at 840 University Drive East in College Station and is open Mondays through Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit casamangiare.com or call (979) 260-0032.
