This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar is a Sicilian-Albanian–owned trattoria on Liberty’s historic square — house-made pasta, pizza, and an Italian wine bar — founded in 2014 by Ari Dreshaj, who immigrated to the United States from the former Yugoslavia.1

Description

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar occupies a space on Liberty’s historic downtown square at 8 East Franklin Street, offering house-made pasta, pizza, and an Italian wine bar. The restaurant is owned and operated by Ari Dreshaj, who is of Sicilian and Albanian descent and immigrated to the United States from the former Yugoslavia. His personal culinary heritage directly informs the menu — The Pitch KC’s 2014 review described the food as “great” and the prices as “good,” noting house-made pastas and a well-curated wine selection as highlights.1

Liberty, Missouri’s historic square has grown as a dining destination, and Luigi’s has been part of its independent restaurant composition since 2014 — over a decade of operation.

Ownership and history

Ari Dreshaj opened Luigi’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar in 2014 at 8 East Franklin Street on the Liberty square. Dreshaj’s background is Sicilian-born and half-Albanian, and he came to the United States after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. His culinary identity is rooted in authentic Southern Italian and Sicilian tradition. The Pitch KC’s early review (2014) praised both the food quality and the price-to-value ratio, singling out house-made pastas and the wine program.1

The restaurant predates the broader wave of independent restaurant openings on the Liberty square in the mid-to-late 2010s, making it one of the longer-tenured operators in the corridor.

Last verified: 2026-07-13 · Source: official site (luigisliberty.com/menu) · URL(s): https://www.luigisliberty.com/menu · Confidence: High (itemized directly from the official dinner menu; site live with current hours, resolving the prior status/menu)

Italian trattoria + wine bar on Liberty Square — house-made pastas, hand-built pizzas, and Italian-American house specialties.2

Starters

  • Sliced Italian Sausage — sautéed in olive oil, garlic, shallots and basil in sherry wine tomato sauce ($13)2
  • Fried Calamari — calamari rings breaded and fried, served with marinara ($13)2
  • Mussels — sautéed with garlic, tomatoes and onions in a sherry wine lemon sauce ($15)2
  • Mozzarella Sticks — five mozzarella cheese sticks fried, served with marinara ($11)2
  • Shrimp Napoleoni — five jumbo shrimp sautéed with olive oil, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and basil in a white wine lemon sauce ($14)2
  • Fried Cheese Ravioli — cheese-stuffed ravioli breaded and fried, served with marinara ($12)2
  • Dipping Sauce — Alfredo or Alla Panna ($6)2

Salads

  • Side House Salad — mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions and mozzarella cheese ($6)2
  • Luigi’s Salad — fresh mixed greens topped with onions, tomatoes, mixed olives and mozzarella cheese ($10)2
  • Mediterranean Salad — fresh mixed greens, tomatoes, Mediterranean olives, onions and feta cheese tossed in lemon and olive oil dressing ($12)2
  • Caesar Salad — mixed greens tossed with caesar, parmesan and croutons ($11)2

Salad add-ons: chicken $5, shrimp $7.2

Pizza

  • White Pizza — fresh garlic, ricotta and mozzarella cheese ($17 for 12” / $21 for 16”)2
  • Cheese Pizza ($16 for 12” / $20 for 16”)2
  • Supreme Pizza — pepperoni, hamburger, sausage, canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions, black olives and bell peppers ($20 for 12” / $25 for 16”)2

Additional toppings $1 each (12”) / $2 each (16”).2

Baked Pasta

  • Ravioli Champagne — jumbo ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, sautéed with fresh spinach, onions, garlic and bell peppers in champagne cream sauce ($20)2
  • Baked Ravioli — choice of meat, cheese or spinach ravioli topped with marinara and baked with mozzarella ($17)2
  • Joni’s Special — meatballs, sliced sausage, peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms in a marinara sauce with penne pasta, topped with mozzarella and baked ($22)2
  • Ravioli Plate — meat, cheese and spinach ravioli topped with alla panna sauce and mozzarella ($22)2
  • Homemade Lasagna — homemade ground beef lasagna topped with marinara and baked with mozzarella ($19)2
  • Chicken Parmigiana — lightly breaded chicken baked with marinara and mozzarella, side of spaghetti marinara ($21)2

House Specialties

  • Spaghetti Marinara ($15)2
  • Create Your Own Spaghetti — spaghetti with marinara and choice of meatballs, meat sauce, sliced italian sausage or mushrooms ($17)2
  • Spaghetti “The Works” — sautéed with onions, garlic, meatballs, mushrooms, sausage and meat sauce ($19)2
  • Spaghetti “OGB” — tossed with olive oil, garlic, basil, shallots and fresh tomatoes ($16)2
  • Chicken Pomodoro — sautéed with fresh tomatoes, spinach, basil, olive oil, shallots and garlic in sherry wine sauce over penne ($22)2
  • Shrimp Pomodoro — sautéed with tomatoes, spinach, basil, olive oil, shallots and garlic in sherry wine sauce over penne ($25)2
  • Tortellini Alla Panna — cheese tortellini sautéed in alla panna sauce ($22)2
  • Tortellini Modo Mio with Chicken — cheese tortellini sautéed with chicken, basil, tomatoes, broccoli, shallots and garlic in white wine sauce ($23)2
  • Chicken Alla Pesto — sautéed with broccoli, tomatoes, mixed olives, garlic and shallots in a sherry wine pesto cream sauce over penne ($25)2
  • Shrimp Alla Pesto — sautéed with broccoli, tomatoes, mixed olives, garlic and shallots in a sherry wine pesto cream sauce over penne ($28)2
  • Luigi’s Special — chicken and sliced italian sausage sautéed with bell peppers, spinach, onions and garlic in sherry wine cream sauce with a touch of marinara, over spaghettini ($23)2
  • Italian Sausage Florentine — sautéed with spinach, mushrooms, hot cherry peppers, onions and garlic in sherry wine cream sauce over linguini ($22)2
  • Chicken Florentine — sautéed with spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic in sherry wine cream sauce over linguini ($24)2
  • Shrimp Florentine — sautéed with spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic in sherry wine cream sauce over linguini ($27)2
  • Sausage Pizzaola — sliced italian sausage sautéed with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, spinach and shallots in sherry wine sauce over spaghettini ($20)2
  • Chicken Diavolo — sautéed with garlic, shallots and fresh mixed vegetables in spicy sherry wine tomato sauce over linguini ($24)2
  • Shrimp Diavolo — sautéed with garlic, shallots and fresh mixed vegetables in spicy sherry wine tomato sauce over linguini ($25)2
  • Chicken Marsala — sautéed with mushrooms and shallots in rich marsala wine sauce over spaghetti ($20)2
  • Chicken Siciliano — sautéed with spinach, shallots, garlic and capers in white wine lemon sauce over linguini ($21)2
  • Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo — sautéed in homemade alfredo cream sauce, touch of garlic, with egg fettuccine ($22)2
  • Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo — sautéed in homemade alfredo cream sauce, touch of garlic, with egg fettuccine ($24)2
  • Chicken Gorgonzola — sautéed with spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic in Gorgonzola cream sauce over penne ($25)2
  • Chef’s Favorite — shrimp and chicken sautéed with garlic, shallots, hot cherry peppers and capers in a sherry wine cream sauce over cheese tortellini ($25)2
  • Shrimp Scampi — sautéed with spinach, shallots and garlic in white wine lemon sauce over linguini ($23)2
  • Linguini Clams — baby clams sautéed with garlic and onions in white wine sauce or sherry wine tomato sauce over linguini ($22)2
  • Frutti Di Mare — shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels and clams sautéed with garlic, onions and basil in sherry wine tomato sauce over linguini ($32)2
  • Shrimp and Scallops Alfredo — sautéed with garlic, shallots and hot cherry peppers in sherry wine cream sauce over penne ($28)2
  • Lobster Ravioli — sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes and spinach in a sherry wine cream sauce ($26)2
  • Vegetarian Pasta Primavera — sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes and olives in choice of sherry wine lemon or sherry wine cream sauce over egg fettuccine ($21 lemon / $23 cream)2

Kids Menu

  • Kids Egg Fettuccine Alfredo — add chicken $2 ($8)2
  • Kids Lasagna ($8)2
  • Kids Cheese Ravioli ($8)2
  • Chicken Strips — chicken parmesan chicken, sliced and served with marinara ($8)2
  • Kids Spaghetti — choice of meatballs, meat sauce, butter or marinara ($8)2

Desserts

  • House Made Tiramisu ($8)2
  • NY Cheesecake ($8)2
  • Nutella Cheesecake ($8)2
  • Lemon Mist Cake ($8)2
  • Cannoli ($8)2
  • Italian Cream Cake ($8)2

Wine bar: Italian wine program (bottle/glass list not itemized on the online menu).2

Sources

Disputes

None at this time. Note: status is provisional given 12-year-old press as only source. Page should be flagged for priority re-verification.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.thepitchkc.com/luigis-italian-restaurant-in-liberty-great-food-good-prices/ — The Pitch KC, 2014. Asserts: name Luigi’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar; 8 E. Franklin St Liberty MO; owner Ari Dreshaj (Sicilian-born, half-Albanian, immigrated from former Yugoslavia); opened 2014; house-made pasta; pizza; wine bar; “great food, good prices.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Luigi’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar — official dinner menu, https://www.luigisliberty.com/menu (accessed 2026-07-13). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45 ↩46 ↩47 ↩48 ↩49 ↩50 ↩51 ↩52 ↩53 ↩54 ↩55 ↩56 ↩57 ↩58 ↩59 ↩60 ↩61 ↩62 ↩63 ↩64

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/luigis-italian-liberty · record updated 2026-07-17