La Tombola owner Tony De Ieso closes iconic Italian restaurant

One of Adelaide’s most beloved Italian restaurants, La Tombola – which first opened in 1986 – has been closed by its owner, who has decided to retire.

For almost five decades, beloved restaurateur Tony De Ieso has been the very definition of SA hospitality.

But on New Year’s Eve, to a surprise of many, the 68-year-old quietly shut the doors on his iconic Italian restaurant La Tombola for the last time.

“People are still ringing me trying to book a table,” De Ieso said.

“Everyone’s asking, ‘Tony, what’s going on?’ Some people were in shock when I told them.”

After 46 years in the business, De Ieso has decided it’s the perfect time to retire, selling his Parkside eatery to the owners of the medical centre next door, who are looking to expand.

“It’s a good opportunity for them to grow and it’s a good opportunity for me to go out. I’m really happy it’s for a good cause: a bigger medical centre for the community,” he said.

“I’m sad for the customers and the staff but it’s a win-win situation.”

De Ieso bought La Tombola, a classic Italian restaurant that first opened in 1986, back in 2000.

Restaurateur Tony De Ieso is closing the doors on iconic SA eatery La Tombola, in Parkside. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

He previously owned Pasta Palace on Hindley Street for 13 years after starting there as a waiter in 1980.

De Ieso said many of his loyal customers have followed him on his hospitality journey, which began in Stonyfell in 1975.

“I’ll miss the customers the most. Some were two-, or three-years-old at Pasta Palace and then they’d bring their own kids to Tombola decades later,” he said.

“The best moments for me were on a Saturday night, looking out at the restaurant and it was full house and everyone was happy with their food.

“That was a really great feeling, and it didn’t matter how much hard work it was.”

De Ieso’s retirement came just a fortnight after Glenunga institution Cork & Cleaver, led for 43 years by restaurateur Stratos Pouras, closed its doors for the final time.

Pouras, 84, retired after more than 50 years in the business.

La Tombola has long been regarded as one of Adelaide’s top Italian restaurants and a regular haunt of some of the state’s biggest names.

Restaurateur Tony De Ieso pictured with former Australian Test cricketers Steve Waugh, Michael Slater, Glenn McGrath, Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor.

Tony De Ieso pictured with George Harrison.

Restaurateur Tony De Ieso with tennis player Martina Navratilova.

Celebrity guests over the years include AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Dame Joan Sutherland, Martina Navratilova, Novak Djokovic, a host of international cricketers and even a quiet lunch between former Australian prime ministers – then close colleagues – Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.

But De Ieso said everyone who walked into his restaurants was treated with the same respect.

“I've dedicated myself, 100 per cent, to the customer so that every single person who comes in is treated like a king and queen,” he said.

“I’ve done that, and I can walk out with my head held high.”