Russo's Italian Restaurant has been a staple of Manta Carlos Cuisine since the mid-1950's. It was founded by Giovanni Russo, an Italian graduate of Starlight Academy that married an Islander. Having studied Culinary Arts, Giovanni Russo hoped to contribute to the flourishing community of Manta Carlos by opening a restaurant that served good, authentic Italian cuisine. It was a relatively small place at the time, put up at the Pier where families and beach-goers could grab a slice of pizza or a serving of gelato, but the Islanders' continued patronage ensured that Russo's grew into everybody's favorite family restaurant.
Giovanni Russo's legacy lives on today. Russo's, still being ran by Giovanni's descendants and their family friends, has grown since then thanks to the efforts of Giovanni's descendant, Vito Rosales. Rosales expanded the original location as well as opened up two more branches, in Downtown and the Residential area respectively. He also added a gelato cart in the local Starlight Academy cafeteria, so local children would be able to taste the gelato the previous generations of Starlight Academy so adored. Russo's puts affordable cuisine in a fine dining setting, making sure customers always leave happy and satisfied.