Ernesto's Italian Restaurant

Mike Ceccanti, owner of Ernesto's Italian Restaurant, grew up in the family restaurant business. His grandfather, Ernesto Ceccanti, emigrated to the U.S. in 1922 from the Tuscany region of Italy with his wife Emilia and opened the Monte Carlo restaurant in Portland in 1927. Eventually his parents, Elio and Lorie Ceccanti took the reins and opened a second Monte Carlo restaurant in Raleigh Hills in 1982.


By age 7 Mike was making raviolis in his grandfather's kitchen, went on to learn more of the family secrets, and has been going strong ever since. It's no surprise that Mike has continued the family traditions of providing moderately priced casual dining with a healthy dose of Old World charm added to the mix.


In 1987 Mike and his wife Jackie bought the Raleigh Hills Monte Carlo restaurant and renamed it Ernesto's Italian Restaurant in honor of his grandfather. Building on his family's traditional Italian recipes, Mike has added his own creations such as Seafood Fettuccini and Pasta Classico. While the offerings have evolved a little over time to suit the tastes of each generation, you can count on finding generous portions of good homemade Italian food in a comfortable environment. Here you'll find such classics as Spaghetti and Meatballs, Lasagna, Veal Parmigianino and Fettuccini Alfredo, as well as legendary homemade Pizza and Calzones. And not to be missed are our specialty soups, created by our own Chef John Schroeder.