Viona's Italian Bistro

Viona’s Italian Bistro is a from-scratch southern Italian restaurant in downtown Overland Park run by Benny and Kika Morina — built on Sicilian family recipes and named after the couple’s oldest daughter — that earned the top spot in Johnson County reader polls for Italian food within two years of opening.¹²

Description

Viona’s Italian Bistro occupies a warm storefront on Marty Street in downtown Overland Park, in the space formerly held by Ambrosia Cafe. The menu is rooted in southern Italian and Sicilian tradition: pasta, pizza, seafood, and chicken dishes, with everything — including all baked goods — made from scratch in-house. The dining room is decorated with paintings of Italian cities and a mural by a local artist, with Italian and Italian-American music playing throughout service.¹

The restaurant draws particular praise for its Shrimp Napoleoni starter, Chicken Diavolo over spaghettini, and Lobster Ravioli. Its from-scratch ethos extends to dessert — the cannoli cream has been singled out by readers. Johnson County Post readers ranked Viona’s the top Italian restaurant in Johnson County in a 2022 poll, with one reader writing: “There is only one choice and that is Viona’s in old Overland Park.”²

The restaurant opened in February 2020 — weeks before COVID-19 lockdowns — and survived the pandemic period largely through community support. Owner Benny Morina has credited downtown OP regulars who continued ordering throughout the lockdown with keeping the business afloat during its most precarious stretch.¹

Ownership and history

Viona’s Italian Bistro is owned by Benny and Kika Morina, an Italian-American couple. Benny was born and raised in Palermo, Sicily, and models his cooking after his grandmother, described as a famous chef in her home region. The restaurant is named after the couple’s oldest daughter, Viona.¹

The Morinas previously owned a restaurant in Texas before relocating to the Kansas City metro area approximately two years before opening Viona’s in 2020.¹ Their background in the restaurant industry predates their KC arrival, and the Overland Park location represents their primary venture in the metro. No ownership change has been identified since opening.

Links

• Viona’s Italian Bistro — official website
• Viona’s Italian Bistro — Visit Overland Park

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2020/06/15/italian-american-couple-opens-vionas-italian-bistro-in-downtown-overland-park-94785/ — Johnson County Post, June 2020. Asserts: Opened February 2020; owned by Benny and Kika Morina; Benny born and raised in Palermo, Sicily; cooking modeled after grandmother; named after daughter Viona; previously owned a restaurant in Texas; relocated to KC metro ~2018; survived COVID with community support. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/01/21/5-to-try-italian-picks-%F0%9F%8D%9D-139901/ — Johnson County Post, January 2022. Asserts: Viona’s topped reader vote for best Italian in Johnson County; notable dishes include Shrimp Napoleoni, Chicken Diavolo over spaghettini, cannoli cream; everything made from scratch. ↩ ↩²