Lynora's, the Italian restaurant that started as a pizza-by-the-slice counter in Lake Worth in 1976, is 50 years old this year. The family that founded it now runs six locations from Jupiter to Boca Raton and Palm City, and its own site lists four more on the way, in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Royal Palm Beach and Melbourne.

From Ponza to Lake Worth

The story begins on Ponza, a small island off the coast of Italy. Raffaele and Maria Abbenante came from there to South Florida and, in 1976, started selling pizza by the slice in Lake Worth. For more than 35 years the family fed locals and visitors from that kitchen, building the kind of loyalty that turns a neighborhood spot into a family tradition for its customers too.

Half a century later, Maria is still in the kitchen, cooking from her mother's recipes. The next generation, including Angelo and Ralph Abbenante, is part of the team running the business today. That continuity is rare in restaurants, and it is the reason a plate of Lynora's tastes the way regulars remember.

Fifty years is a long run for any restaurant, and a remarkable one for a family business in Palm Beach County, where the dining scene has turned over many times since the 1970s. Lynora's lasted by staying recognizably itself: the same family, the same recipes and the same Italian island at the root of it, while the business around it grew from one counter into a regional name.

Where to find it now

According to Lynora's, the restaurants open today are:

  • West Palm Beach: 207 Clematis Street, downtown.
  • Lynora's Kitchen: 3301 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.
  • Palm Beach Gardens: 5320 Donald Ross Road.
  • Jupiter: 1548 US 1.
  • Boca Raton: 9560 Glades Road.
  • Palm City: 3215 SW Mapp Road.

The spread is the story. A brand that began in a single storefront in Lake Worth now reaches from the Treasure Coast at Palm City south to Glades Road in Boca Raton, with the downtown Clematis Street restaurant as its most visible address.

Four more on the way

The company's locations page lists four addresses that are not yet open:

  • Delray Beach: 630 NE 5th Avenue.
  • Fort Lauderdale: 2980 N Federal Highway.
  • Royal Palm Beach: 580 N State Road 7.
  • Melbourne: 529 E New Haven Avenue.

Fort Lauderdale is the notable one for readers in the south: it would be the brand's first restaurant in Broward County, taking a Palm Beach County family name down the coast. Delray Beach and Royal Palm Beach fill in the gaps between existing locations, so more of Palm Beach County will have one within a short drive. Lynora's has not posted opening dates for any of the four.

If one of those addresses is in your neighborhood, the practical upshot is simple: a family recipe that used to mean a drive north is getting closer to home. Until the new doors open, the Boca Raton location on Glades Road is the southernmost Lynora's, and the Clematis Street restaurant in downtown West Palm Beach is the easiest one to pair with a night out.

More than dinner

The family has grown the name beyond the dining room. Lynora's sells its products for cooking at home, and the group also runs two lounges, Spazio and Stanza. Catering and private events are part of the business as well.

How to celebrate the 50th

The simplest way is to go back to the source: order the dishes Maria still cooks from her mother's recipes, at whichever location is closest. If you grew up on the Lake Worth original, take someone who did not, and tell them the pizza-by-the-slice story. Reservations and menus for every location are on the Lynora's website, and it is worth checking the locations page every few weeks if you live near Delray, Fort Lauderdale or Royal Palm Beach.