A new Italian restaurant called Perbacco Cucina Italiana is expected to open later this month in the 500 block of Main Avenue in downtown Durango where The Palace Restaurant used to be located.
The Palace closed in 2020 after 23 years of service. At the time, the Palace blamed statewide health orders brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, among “a host of other hurdles,” for its demise. The health orders temporarily closed restaurants and required the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge railroad to cease operations. The Palace was located next to the train depot.
Fast forward three years: Perbacco Cucina Italiana Owner Antonio Viscito and his business partner Massimo Maniero say they can’t think of a better spot to open a restaurant.
Maniero and Viscito are originally from Italy but previously spent time running restaurants in Los Angeles and San Diego. The increasing costs of owning a restaurant and living in Southern California made them interested in looking elsewhere to start a business.
“It was a great place to live, and it was heaven, but it changed for the worst,” Viscito said. “So we realized it's time to get out of there.”
Maniero visited Durango in 2022 on a dirt biking trip and decided this would be a perfect place to open a restaurant.
He talked to Viscito about the opportunity and the two decided to reach out to real estate broker John Wells at The Wells Group about finding a location.
Viscito and Maniero looked at properties such as the vacant space in the Francisco’s Building where Roxy’s Tacos plans to locate. But they wanted something with larger seating capacity and decided on The Palace location at 505 Main Ave. They are anxious to see what the summer tourism traffic brings being located next to the D&SNG.
They plan to serve authentic Italian cuisines through family recipes they learned growing up in Italy. They plan to offer a variety of handmade pastas and pizza to please a wide demographic of diners.
Viscito wants to keep prices reasonable and plans to do that, in part, by making his own pasta.
Maniero said it is important Perbacco Cucina Italiana stay true to its Italian roots.
“Nothing is going to come out of that kitchen unless I taste it first,” Maniero said.
The restaurant will also offer a plethora of Italian pastries and desserts made by Viscito’s wife.
Perbacco Cucina Italiana will join Primi Pasta & Wine Bar and Mama Sylvia’s Italian Kitchen as Italian restaurants in Durango, but Viscito said the market is not oversaturated – especially like it was in Southern California.
The restaurant management team is making minor renovations to the building’s interior such as painting and redoing roof panels, but the owners are confident the restaurant will be up and running by the end of April.
Viscito is also awaiting approval of a business license, which the city of Durango began processing March 29, according to the city clerk’s office.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
