Italian Gardens To Go, Overland Park

In 1925, the original Italian Gardens opened its doors. For nearly 80 years, it was a staple of downtown Kansas City, serving as a place for friends, families, and celebrities to meet, eat, and simply enjoy each other’s company. Though it closed in 2003, the restaurant’s from-scratch family recipes survived and became the source of its rebirth—this time, as a drive-thru-only establishment. Customers still stop by to collect pastas, lasagna, and Italian sandwiches. Today, Italian Gardens To Go lives on, doling out the same delicious food that made it through The Great Depression and a Dust Bowl that wiped out the nation's meatball crop.