Location, location, location. They say it can make or break a restaurant. For Villa Tronco, location has been as much a part of the story as its iconic dishes. The Italian staple has been at the same location for all 85 years of its existence and been in the family all that time.

South Carolina's oldest operating restaurant did not start off serving the Italian dishes that now draw regulars in. Villa Tronco began as a fruit stand; a way for Sadie and James Tronco to make a living for their family after moving from Philadelphia to Columbia.