Many thanks to all of you who remembered the name of the fairly short-lived Italian restaurant in the Manchester Crossroads/North Mall shopping center.
It was, in fact, The Italian Oven.
Joe and Tracey both remembered that; for the life of me, I couldn’t! I had always loved the big paper tablecloths that you could write on. Joe remembered those but also added in another memory I’d forgotten – they used pasta tubes for straws!
Does anyone else remember The Italian Oven? I was looking it up online and I did see a chain with that named – based out of the Pittsburgh area – that had gone through several bankruptcy/liquidation/reopening proceedings, but I’m not clear on whether ours was part of that group or just happened to share the name. I’m guessing it was part of the chain, but who knows? Do you?
My name is Joan and I'm a lifelong Yorker. Throughout high school and college, I swore I was getting out of here as soon as possible. Now, a few years later, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. I love my town. And, as a local editor, I hear every day how much you love your towns, too. So please, connect with me and let's share what makes life in York County great. I'm here to help you enjoy this place as much as I do!
What a fun place that was — very kid-friendly! I seem to remember that they used Mason jars instead of glasses — I had forgotten about the pasta straws! Do you remember the tiny, wrapped anise-flavored candies that came with the bill?
Italian Oven resturants were real nice, but it was a franchise business that grew to big too fast and just collapsed under it’s own weight. too bad for they did a real nice job serving traditional southern Italian food in a fun way.
I think there may still be an Italian Oven restaurant in Lower Allen Township at the Windsor Park Shopping Center. I used to go there all the time with my family. I’m not sure if it’s still open though…
I remember asking about the chain with the manager at the Italian Oven and was told it’s headquarters was in Pittsburg.
I think the Camp Hill mall still has an Italian Oven. We ate there 2 years ago and my girls loved it. I wish it was still in York. The kids also loved getting a bag of pasta and string to make a necklace. I think our family is due for another trip to the Camp Hill mall to see if the Italian Oven is still there. Thanks for the memories.
The Italian Oven was a part of a chain. The York location opened in July 1993. The chain filed for bankruptcy in early 1997 and the York location closed in the fall of that year. Irving’s Shoe Fly is now located where the Italian Oven used to be.