Back in October, we took a look at Bentley’s, which once housed Mario’s of Windsor.
I recently acquired this press photo taken in January, 1967, by the Detroit News.
Following the crop marks on the photo above, this is closer to how it would have looked in the paper when it ran.
Anyone out there remember Mario’s? Is this the Mario or just a manager of some sort? I wonder what the occasion was, first day of Sunday liquor sales in Ontario maybe? Any thoughts or ideas?
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cool stuff Andrew! something tells me that’s the Mario.
“Mario’s: for a plesant evening” just don’t see things advertised that way no more.
hang on a tick…..what’s that annomily on the exterior wall?
fr……….freeeeeee, i can’t even read that.
oh…nevermind, it’s free parking on a residential street. i thought it was in the parking lot. blew my mind for a second there.
That’s Kees (pronounced “Case”) Roozen, who was not only at Mario’s but also occupied a position of prominence as controller/general manager etc. at the Elmwood Casino when it was a renowned nightclub attracting A List stars.
There was another Mario’s Restaurant, too: on the southwest corner of Ouellette Ave. and Tecumseh Rd. where Ouellette dead ended at Jackson Park in the times before the familiar overpass was built (“that ‘Highway to Woolco'”….now Wal-Mart…..as one dissident City Council member scornfully called the now vital road bridge which connects South Windsor with the older parts of the city).
I can’t say for sure but I have a feeling the news photo might be from the Mario’s at Tecumseh and Ouellette. The bar looks more like the one in that location. I was never much of a drinker but my memories of the “Bentley’s” Mario’s are of a classier dining room with less prominent bar unless there was a separate bar side I wasn’t in which just doesn’t “remember right”. Maybe someone else of my vintage can correct me.
I remember reading that Mario’s also didn’t allow people of colour in their establishment(s) but not sure when that ended.
Well ME, the whole country wasn’t terribly friendly to people of colour for a while either.
My father, Nick, was an early chef at Mario’s at the corner of Tecumseh and Ouellette. Following his stint in the war, Dad started to work for Mr. Mario and Frank Cundari (daughter Emily was an opera singer)in 1946. We lived on Forest avenue and Dad walked to work daily.
Mr. Mario sent my Dad to Chicago to learn the process of preparing this new food item called a “pizza”. Ovens were purchased and Mario’s (Tecumseh and Ouellette) became one of the first, if not the first, restaurants in Windsor to serve pizza. The restaurant had a large neon rooster sign on the front and was a local hangout for the students of Kennedy Collegiate. Many of Windsor’s prominent and not so prominent citizens spent many hours in the main room enjoying the fine food……at reasonable prices. I’m sure the bar in the photo was at the Ouellette avenue Mario’s. This was a much more elegant establishment then the tecumseh road location. I do recall Mr. Mario having children’s Christmas parties at the Ouellette Avenue location and always bringing in disadvantaged and physical disabled children. Lot more to tell. Thanks for reading.
My first taste of pizza pie was at Marios’ on Tecumseh Rd.
It was a taste that I have yet to enjoy since as that was and to me still is the best pizza ever.
They also had Seeburg jukebox stations at the tables so if I had been a good boy my dad would let me play some songs.
I was pretty young and didn’t know a lot of the “teenage” songs, but got a real thrill out of those table type jukeboxes. Flip the cards back ‘n forth. If the place was crowded it was sometimes difficult to hear your selection.
C P
I wonder what a pizza cost back then
Hal,
Thanks there was some writing on the back of the photo that didn’t make much sense, but it now looks like it does say Keez Roozen.
Kees it is. My parents, who NEVER went out to eat took me there for my 16th birthday, back in ’65 (19 that is). I have a faded color print of me and sis and the folks standing in the parking lot. Pompadour hair and skinny pants several inches too short. There may or may not be a Ford Galaxie in the background (Dad drove a ’63 Strato-Chief). A year later my Assumption High homeroom mates and I were the champions of the annual Christmas can drive (knocking on doors to beg spare food for the less fortunate). Thanks to classmate Bill Lombardo ( Bill where are you?), whose dad had something to do with Lombardo Construction, we fanned out over the city in the company fleet, hauling truckloads of booty back to campus. Our reward? A pizza party at Marios (the main room – downtown). We ate a LOT of pizza(and no beer,can you imagine?). The “other” Marios, which I believe was the original one, was a classic “diner” in the ’50’s and ’60s style. A long counter with a line of overstuffed vinyl covered stools on the west side and vinyl booths along the eastern windows. Very groovy hangout on Friday nights after back-to-back football games at Windsor Stadium. Windsor was a happening place back then…….
christmas
My father, a salesman for the old Sterling Building Materials in the ’50s and early ’60s, loved downtown Mario’s, which despite the exterior appearance of the place was about the stateliest dining room in Windsor, and was famous for roast beef. We could rarely afford to go there as a family but he went for business dinners sometimes: the Windsor Home-Builders’ Society, etc.
Mr. Roosen was Dutch and once a year he organized a weekend or week of rijstaffel, the Indonesian (and now Dutch, too, because Holland was the colonial power) meal of many small dishes of various exotic foods, served with rice.
My dad was a real meat-and-potatoes guy but made an exception for this. Once or twice when he couldn’t get there for business during that one week, he would scrape up the money to take my Mom, or even the whole family.
The other place we went en famille once in a while was Sunday brunch at the old Top Hat supper club.
Good memories…
I was looking at the Windsor Star story about Bentleys Roadhouse being renovated into 16 one-bedroom apartments geared to residents with low incomes.
The article shocked me a bit. I guess I don’t go downtown to much anymore. It’s no surprise considering the condition of the city core. I’m not trying to be nasty, it’s just a sad fact. So many grand and beautiful buildings have been lost or abandoned to rot in neglect.
I grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s traveling from Tecumseh to the downtown core every weekend to party or work at some of the different pubs and restaurants.
Marios of Windsor was one of the restaurants I worked at when I was about 17 years old.
Kees J Roozen was the manager who interviewed me and hired me. I remember sitting in the office during the interview, me on one side of the big wooden desk and he on the other, papers piled everywhere and certificates and pictures hanging on the wall. One of the pictures caught my interest and attention and Mr. Roozen saw me staring at it. It was a large black and white photograph of a very long dining table covered with linens and fine silver and dinnerware. At the table were many apparently high ranking officers of the third Reich along with two notable and very recognizable figures. Adolf Hitler was seated at the head of the table and Mussolini at the other end. After watching my facial expressions change from interest to shock, Kees J Roozen points to the two young lads who are serving the feast to the group. They had large serving plates hoisted with one hand and balanced by the other, dressed smartly in white and black server uniforms with large linen napkins draped over their arms. “That’s me and that’s my friend” Kees said pointing to the servers.
Now, I know someone on here said Kees was dutch but I always thought he was Austrian. If the picture was taken where he lived and he was dutch, then I assume it was occupied Holland. I don’t know what Mussolini would have been doing there though. Then again I may not know my WW2 history as well as I’d like.
I enjoyed working at the restaurant and it was very posh with a fairly wealthy clientele and a salad bar, that was a new concept at that time. I also remember similar places like Sir Williams Steak House and Ye Old Steak House, a favorite of my parents. One important thing to remember about Marios of Windsor was that it had the first outdoor patio to serve liquor and beer in the Windsor Essex County. The patio was marketed and run like a Bavarian Oktoberfest.
Does anyone know what ever happened to Kees Roozen. Did he die after Marios or did he move on to other things? Thanks for these pictures!!
Thanks Doug, that’s a very interesting story. I too would love to know what happened to Kees?
Mussolini would not have been in Holland and as far as my history books are concerned Hitler never visited there during the war or after 1933 when he was head of state.
My name is Monique Garant Before i was married i was monique Roozen. I am Kees Roozen’s daughter. I live in Windsor, the last Roozen living here and i will never leave. I love this city, and is the longest city i have ever lived in…50 years. My dad Kees Roozen moved to Toronto after Mario’s went bankrupt, but returned ten years before he died. He died on August 28, 2000 of liver cancer. When he knew he was dying, he died with great dignity, happy for the live he lived, and all the opportunities he had during his live. He was 83, and his great faith carried him over. When Mario’s went bankrupt, he never had one regret over it, or resented it, he just carried on.The picture Doug saw on his interview is accurate. When my grandfather owned he Whiteburg (the White Bridge) before the war, Hitler and Mussolini needed a neutral territory to hold a meeting, and that hotel was picked. My father and his friend was young and they were busboys for my grandfather.This was in the early thirties, since my father was 16 when my grandfather died.My mother is still alive and will be ninety this year. i there is anything you wish to know please contact me. i worked there in the office before it closed down.
wow, thanks for the memories Monique.
here’s a couple restaurants i wonder if people remember from the early days the Brown Derby at the corner of McDougal and tecumseh it was located on the south/east corner where the spies sub shop now stands and the other restaurant was the Pizza King at Drouilard and tecumseh located on the north east corner
The original mario’s Restaurant was on the north west side of Ouellette Ave.near Wyandotte St.
My Mother was a waitress there. I am looking for pictures if you know where I could find some.
Thanks
Ruth, if you are still interested in pictures of the Mario’s restaurant, I just seen are a couple of them on eBay. Search for Windsor Ontario Restaurants there and you’ll see them.
Gary…I think it was just called The Derby.My Grandfather stopped frequently after the day shift for ribs…He swore they were the best in town and was devestated when they closed.
Speaking of old restaurants. Anybody remember The Colonial Steakhouse on Huron Church and Totten ? Used to be operated by a guy named Jimmy.A true proffesional thru and thru and a real nice man.
Hi This is the first time I’ve seen this site. I wish I would have seen this before now so I could give you accurate information about mario’s. My father, mr. Mario and Frank Cundari were the original owners of the two restaurants. Mr. Roozen purchased the restaurants after my Dad Eugene Gualtieri (Walters) had a heart attack and Mr. mario passed away. The original Mario’s started out in the old British American hotel at the foot of Ouellette and Riverside Drive sometime in the late 1930’s. If you are the person who put out the book 500 ways you know you are from Windsor, I have to say it is a great book but am very disappointed that you didn’t do more research on Mario’s so that you could have gotten the correct information. My father ‘s life was dedicated to building such a great reputation for the best restaurant and Tavern in the city.
Great article! My grandfather Dimitri(Pete)Pazuk was Mr. Mario’s best friend and also a great chef in Windsor. I remember visiting their restaurants and the Mario home. I have the original Windsor Star obituary of Mr. Mario’s passing and other restaurant memorabilia from the 30’s to 60’s. Interesting stuff!
I remember going across to Windsor while I was on business in Detroit back in the 1970’s.
If I am correct, Mario’s served a very scrumptious English Trifle for dessert.
Would love to have that recipe!
I worked in the office of Mario’s of Windsor from 1969 until 1974 as junior bookkeeper. I prepared the menus twice a day for lunch and dinner. I loved working here. We were the first to have the Outdoor Cafe and every year we celebrated the Tulip Festival, when Mr. Roozen would have thousands of tulips flown in from Holland and also serve the rice dishes. People looked forward to this event. The staff were so nice and friendly and the food was fantastic. The specialty was the prime rib which, while I was there, was served by George a very sweet man. Good memories.
This article got posted to Facebook when I was trying to remember the name of an old bar that was located on the S/W side of Ouellette and Tecumseh. I know it wasn’t Marios. If I remember correctly, I think it was like an older house. It was there before O’Toole’s and Hacienda.
I’m so glad this was posted. The history is absolutely facinating!!!
Darlene…. are you recalling the Colonial House? It is discussed elsewhere on this site.
I wanted to tell you my Mother Mia Roozen died last August 2013 at 94 years age. She lived a long and very filled life, with lots of memories. She loved the years they owned Mario’s of Windsor, and meet alot of nice people. She will be missed in this family…..Monique Garant(nee Roozen).
As a teenager, I used to drive from Chatham to Windsor just to eat “pizza pie” at Mario’s on Tecumseh and Quellete, When I attended Assumption University in Windsor, a special treat was to occasionally eat supper at the more elegant dining room on Quellette closer to downtown. Great food, great service, and great memories.
As a 13 yr.old grade 9er at KCI, I went to the Fri.nite football games at Windsor Stadium.
After the game,my friends said “let’s go for pizza”. I said “what’s that?”. They said “you’ll find out at Mario’s”. Thus began a life-long affair with ‘ZA.
At 14, I got a job at Holmes Drugs a block away,(where Paul Martin Sr. would come by occasionally to use the office)and at lunch I’d go to Mario’s for more pizza and Mary behind the bar (sweet lady) would throw in a free cherry coke.
Yes the diner at McDougall was just “the Derby” and I think the bar next to Mario’s was the
Driving Park Hotel. In ’64 when I worked at the Chrysler Truck Plant # 1, we ate at the CanUsa. I moved to BC in 1970 but I’l always remember Mario’s and that first pizza.