About

Zia's Story

Zia’s “on the Hill” is an Italian family restaurant established in 1985 by brothers Angelo and Dennis Chiodini with the support of their wives, Gerry and Robyn, along with other family and friends. The restaurant got off to a rousing start with a helping hand from the extended family of Italian restauranteurs on The Hill, who eagerly welcomed another restaurant to the neighborhood. Zia’s brought a new concept to the hill being fast paced with large portions and reasonable prices. Locals loved the concept and Zia’s took off! In a few short years Zia’s grew so popular that the brothers had to take staff from 20 employees to 60.

Ten years after opening Zia’s had grown exponentially and the brothers decided to launch Zia’s salad dressing for sale in the supermarkets. The was a huge hit and quickly became a household staple across the area. The salad dressing continues to sell well and is now sold online all over the country!

Through hard work and dedication of many, Zia’s was recognized as a St Louis Landmark in 2000. People travel to St louis from all over to get a taste of what we have to offer!

In 2009 Zia’s suffered a terrible fire which forced closure for 6 months. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and Zia’s was able to come back better than ever.

Zia’s has been through many ups and downs, but nothing was more challenging than getting through the pandemic of 2020. With an uncountable number of redirects, rules and closures we were able to continue to serve our loyal guests and gained a lot of new customers by doing everything to continue to bring the taste of The Hill to all Saint Louisans!

Zia’s continues to thrive by staying fresh and innovative but always sticking to the roots put in place by the brothers. Priding ourselves on quality and consistency is how Zia’s “on the Hill” has remained a favorite for almost 40 years.