Lellis Trattoria: The Very Definition of Tradition

João Lellis, grandson of Italians and founder of Lellis Trattoria, has been dedicated to gastronomy since 1964. He built his story on the art of cooking, serving, and delighting all who visit, and on making the friends and customers who frequent his establishment feel truly at home.

Lellis, as he likes to be called, began his successful career in 1964 when he was hired as a kitchen assistant at Gigetto restaurant. After several promotions, he became a chef, taking on other roles at different establishments along the way, such as scullion, waiter, and manager, learning all the tricks of the trade firsthand.

On July 7, 1981, he took the biggest step of his life by opening Lellis Trattoria, bringing to the venture all the charm of typical Neapolitan trattorias, combined with the exceptional quality that resulted from his extensive experience over many years of work.The restaurant has always been synonymous with success due to the intense work done with great affection and love.

In 1987, Mr. Lellis sold the location on Rua Al. Campinas (SP) to a businessman who chose to continue using the name without preserving the brand’s original characteristics. Out of respect for our customers and friends, we clarify that all ties with the Lellis on Rua Al. Campinas (SP) have been severed.

Starting in 1999, Lellis fulfilled a long-held dream by expanding his consolidated brand with the inauguration of a branch in Curitiba, and in 2010, another location in the city of Campinas. Both maintain the same tradition as the “Main Location” on Rua Bela Cintra (SP) and represent the most joyous and informal Italian cantina in their cities, one of the most beloved in Brazil.

The restaurant’s slogan represents all the dedication and affection shown to everyone who visits Lellis: “Lellis Trattoria. Our specialty is making you happy.” It summarizes the tireless effort of Lellis Trattoria and its team to provide a unique experience for friends and customers. In this Neapolitan establishment, everything is made with the utmost perfection and joy. After all, we are a family home where friends gather to celebrate and commemorate all the happy moments life gives us!

Benvenuti to Lellis Trattoria! Where every day is a celebration! Our specialty is making you happy!

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A Tribute to Adriano Lellis, who will always remain with us.

Adriano Lellis, the firstborn of restaurateur João Lellis and Ana Lellis, brother to Fábio, husband to Alessandra, and father to Adriana, Giuliana, and Amanda, was a partner at Lellis Trattoria. Adriano passed away at the age of 42 on March 19, 2013. He was awaiting a heart transplant and did not survive.

Cheerful and good-natured, Adriano started working at Lellis at age 17 as a cashier. Four years later, he moved to the administrative and financial departments and became fundamental to the consolidation and growth of the Lellis brand.

“My father was always a man of the kitchen and, especially, of the dining room. He needed someone with more education and a mind for this demanding area. Adriano was the right person for this job and managed everything in the fiscal, tax, and labor fields,” says his younger brother, Fábio Lellis.

Adriano was the point of equilibrium for Lellis Trattoria. “If my father and I were dreamers who wanted the chain to grow, Adriano was the grounded one. He also wanted to expand, but he worked with the power of numbers and planning. ‘It’s not the right time,’ he would say. He was the administrator, the one who doesn’t appear as much to customers or give interviews to the media, but who is fundamental to the company and respected by employees and suppliers,” says Fábio, adding that more than 300 people attended his brother’s wake.

Throughout all his years at the company, Adriano made good on the saying that work is a second home. Punctual and organized, he always had a time to arrive at the restaurant, but never a time to leave. “Undeniably, anyone who knew him knows that he was proud of his father, his family as a whole, and Lellis Trattoria.

The company became a life university for him, where he gained experience and knowledge, which were combined with the family teachings of ethics, morals, and, above all, conduct, that he applied every day since he started at the trattoria,” his brother continues.

Fábio turned 39 in 2013 and talks about the emptiness that his brother’s loss represents and will forever represent. He says that if you added up all the days he hadn’t seen his brother Adriano since he was born, it wouldn’t total two years. They were always together. First at their parents’ house, and after Adriano got married, they met almost every day at the restaurant.

A man of simple habits, Adriano appreciated gastronomy, but what he truly loved was eating at home and at the trattoria itself. The restaurant’s staff knows his favorite dishes by heart: Lellis’ Toasted Bread, fried calamari, and Steak Parmigiana.

The administrator had a few other passions besides his family and work. One was the Corinthians soccer team, for which he never missed a single game on television. He was also a car enthusiast. He had three vehicles stored at home. His “small, big” collection: a Maverick GT, which took him a long time to buy; a 1970 VW Beetle (the year he was born!), which he left to his brother; and a 1966 Lambretta scooter. He didn’t have time to fulfill one of his biggest dreams: to build a Jeep to go off-roading with his family.

Adriano leaves everyone with an immense longing and the eternal memory of the respect, admiration, and love he embodied as a businessman, colleague, father, husband, son, and brother.

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