Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante has been drawing patrons to downtown Fullerton for 52 years, ever since actor and dancer Steven Peck opened the restaurant next door to his dance studio in the Fox Theater as a place for his students to wait tables for extra money.
Revered for its delightfully ornate décor as much as its award-winning pizza and Italian meals prepared from decades-old family recipes, Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante will serve meals for the final time on Aug. 1.
Cynthia Peck operated “A&V’s” with her husband after the couple married in 1986, and has been its owner since Steven’s death in 2005.
“This restaurant has been my life for 40 years, 24/7,” Peck said. “It’s a constant. And it’s always with me. My phone and answering emails and talking, doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff, being in front with the guests. It’s a passion.
“You thrive on the energy and the people you work with and the guests you get to see every day,” she said, “and the occasional time you get to sit down and have a martini at a bar.”
The restaurant and surrounding buildings are set to be renovated as part of the Fox Block Development, a shopping and dining center being built out at Harbor Boulevard and Ellis Place.
After the city of Fullerton, former owner of three of the parcels, including a parking lot, entered into a development disposition agreement with Frontier Real Estate Investments in November 2022 to purchase and develop the properties, there was speculation that Peck would sell the restaurant.
And a steady stream of comments have populated the restaurant’s Facebook page ever since Peck posted the announcement on July 10, that the restaurant would indeed be closing at the end of the month.
“Oh I am so sad. I had hoped we had a bit more time with you. Thank you for the good times, hospitality and food. You are a Fullerton institution that will be missed. Wishing you all the best,” one person wrote.
Another fan wrote:…
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