NORFOLK, Va. — Reginos Italian Restaurant is celebrating nearly 80 years in business. I remember when my parents used to bring my brother and me to Reginos because they were known for having the best pizza in town, and that still holds true today.
As I walk through Reginos with owner Greg Mazarakis, it’s like looking through a cozy time capsule from the old country.
His father, George, came to the U.S. as a Greek merchant marine in the 1930s.
“When he pulled into the Port of New Orleans, he jumped off the ship in his suit, with his comb, his money and his papers,” Mazarakis said.
A stint in the U.S. Army brought the Greek immigrant to Hampton Roads, where he opened Reginos on Main Street in Norfolk.
Over the years, the restaurant moved from downtown to Wards Corner and now to Little Creek Road, and patrons followed.
Reginos is known for its signature red sauce, homemade pasta and pizza.
“They’ve rated our pizza in the top five or 10 in the state of Virginia,” Mazarakis said.
Most of the wait staff has been here for more than 20 years.
“People treat me like family, and we’re like family. We grew up together, Gregory and I,” said Rowena Carrico, who has worked at the restaurant for 50 years.
“I’ve seen people grow up, be born, have their own kids, and Navy people who’ve come back and moved back into the neighborhood,” Carrico added.
A customer laughed, “How’s the food? Well, we keep coming back.”
“He hasn’t changed the recipes or anything — or the waitresses,” Carrico laughed.
Eight decades of family, friends and food make Reginos a Hampton Roads institution. It is 'Positively Hampton Roads.'
