A new Italian restaurant with roots in West Texas opened in center Springfield in early February.
Amore Italian, located at 853 N. Glenstone Ave., held a grand opening Feb. 7, co-owner Arlet Smith said.
Amore aims to be an authentic Italian eatery in Springfield with traditional plates. Meaning “love” in Italian, Amore will feature a menu with both classics and new spins. The list of pastas is extensive. Amore will also feature specialty dishes like Rack of Lamb and Aragosta, or pasta with lobster. The menu features an entire seafood section.
The idea behind the restaurant’s name is simple, Smith said.
“Basically, the idea of the name is, like, when people come into the restaurant, we show them how we take care of them,” Smith said. “How good is the food, the service, customer service, the ambience. And they are like, ‘Oh, so this is what love is.’”
Amore co-owner Arlet Smith smiles while talking about the restaurant’s West Texas roots. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
Smith co-owns Amore with her husband, Gustavo Torres. Torres and Smith have partnered with Vinny Jaha to bring Amore to Springfield. Jaha owns two other Amore restaurants in West Texas, Smith said.
Torres, the head chef, wanted to come back to the Missouri and knew Springfield would be a great location to launch the restaurant, Smith said. The couple moved to Springfield in 2025 to start on the restaurant. The owners signed a five-year lease in the building that formerly housed Jose Locos (before it moved next door), Smith said.
Amore is waiting on the necessary liquor licenses to be approved, but the restaurant will feature a full bar as soon as possible. The Italian eatery will offer plenty of wine options.
Amore is open seven days a week starting at 11 a.m., Smith said. The restaurant closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The property that houses Amore is owned by 853 LLC and had just over 5,000 square feet, according to Greene County Assessor’s Office records. It was appraised at $676,300. According to Missouri Secretary of State records, 853 LLC is registered to Annie Wu of Springfield.
Ryan Collins
Ryan Collins is the business and economic development reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. Collins graduated from Glendale High School in 2011 before studying journalism and economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He previously worked for Bloomberg News. Contact him at (417) 849-2570 or rcollins@sgfcitizen.org. More by Ryan Collins
Dining and Cooking