Readers Share Stories, Photos Of Banchero's

Ever since  after 63 years of serving Italian food, dedicated fans have been sharing their memories.

Here's just a sample of the comments and photos that have been pouring in:

Kim McCallister: I remember having my Shirley Temple in the bar with my grandparents back in the '60s, when children were allowed to sit in the bar. I remember Gino the Bartender. The big fireplace. Getting a dime from my grandpa to put the Beatles on the jukebox. My mom had her 21st birthday celebration there, and my grandparents their 50th wedding anniversary celebration, among many others. I am so so sad to hear that it has closed.

Rosalinda Tribuzio: Our Mama's last birthday was spent there on Aug. 16, 1996 and Oct. 29, God called our Mama home. Lot's of good memorie's with the Tribuzio and the Prewitt families.

Jan Woycheshin: My family has been dining at Bancheros since 1975. My daughter had her wedding rehearsal dinner there in 1985. My son-in-law's family has been going there since he was little boy. Our grandchildren (now 26,24 and 22) have been celebrating birthdays at Bancheros all their lives. Our favorites were the big steaks, chicken, raviolis and spaghetti. We will miss it all.

Carol Parker: Those of us who are in a state of shock and tears today are sad because it was the venue where so many local families gathered for special occasions in their lives when all their friends or relatives would come together. In my case, I guess I went there from birth in 1956 until now - so three generations of our family have celebrated important milestones there. Our old neighborhood in Hayward was very close knit and on Saturday nights we would go as a huge group - parents and kids - to eat at Banchero's. So many of those people have now passed away. When we remember happy times with them - it was often over a meal we had with them at Banchero's. 

George Mortimore: I was there in 1948. I delivered cases of ravioli to the walk-in ice box. I knew both John Sr. and his partner Jack O'Connor. I knew John when he was at Bertola's on Telegraph Ave. I guess that makes me no longer a kid at 81. My bosses, Harold Ferarri and Vince Cerletti passed away in 2009. Leo Giacomini is still alive and I plan to join him for lunch real soon at his son Gary's deli in Danville. It is called Domenico's after his grandfather. The original Ultra Delicatessen was located an 38th and Telegraph in Oakland and later the name changed to Lucca.

Maryann Silva-Cohen: I have a little history with Banchero's. The restaurant was 2 years old when I was born. My parents used to go there with friends when I was a little kid in the '50s. As I was growing up we would go there on special occasions. My first date with my current husband was a dinner at Banchero's. How cool is that to find out that his family frequently dined there too. In 1977 we invited my family and his family to dinner at Banchero's to celebrate my birthday and announced our engagement. We had the wedding rehearsal dinner there. In 1981, Valentine's Day, my son was 2 months old, we had dinner there while my baby was asleep. We always went to Banchero's at least once a month if not twice. Four generations of my family have dined there. Banchero's was my second home dinner away from home. Now where will we find a good 5 course Italian dinner? We are greatly sad and going to miss you Banchero's. Thank you for the 61 years of great dinners!! 

Steven Tavares wrote a blog entry in which he called the restaurant's demise "the loss of precious continuity in our lives" and recalled his employment there as a dishwasher and busser. .

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