9+ FILMS
Shot at Ilio DiPaolo’s since 2017
HALLMARK and LIFETIME
Regular filming location
GREAT AMERICAN CHANNEL
Most recent productions
DENNIS and ILIO
Featured in multiple cameo roles
Hollywood at Ilio’s
Movies filmed at Ilio DiPaolo’s over the years
Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant and Banquet Facility in Blasdell, NY has become a go-to filming location for Hallmark, Lifetime, and Great American Channel productions. The restaurant’s hand-painted murals, warm Italian dining room, and authentic character have made it an ideal backdrop for rom-coms, thrillers, and biographical films since 2017. Several productions have also featured Dennis DiPaolo and Ilio DiPaolo in cameo roles, adding a personal connection that makes each film a genuine piece of the restaurant’s story.
caterogry
Thrillers and Bios
2017
Stage Fright
Directed by Fred Olen Ray. A thriller about an opera singer who receives unwanted attention upon re-entering the world of opera after retirement. Portions of the movie were filmed at Ilio DiPaolo’s as well as other Western New York locations. Available on the Lifetime Movie Network.
2021
Mother Cabrini
Directed by Alejandro Monteverde. The film chronicles the life and work of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant nun who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the largest charitable organizations in the world. The film features Dennis, Ilio, and Pat Bonitatibus dressed in period 1890s costumes.
2021
Assault on VA-33
Directed by Christopher Ray. This film follows a military veteran from Buffalo who is thrown into a hostage situation and must defend his hometown. Dennis DiPaolo stars as newscast reporter Dane Forester.
Royal Rom Coms
2020
A Royal Christmas Engagement
Directed by Fred Olen Ray. A thriller about an opera singer who receives unwanted attention Portions of this movie were filmed right at Ilio’s. You will notice the restaurant’s trademark murals and artwork in the background of the restaurant and bar scenes. Dennis appears as a waiter taking the couple’s order. Ilio can be spotted in the background of bar scenes, wearing his signature Santa Hat.
2022
A Royal Christmas on Ice
Another Royal Rom-Com featuring Ilio’s. Dennis plays grocery store clerk Mr. DeNucci. Look for him at the register in a plaid shirt and jeans. Ilio appears again in his signature Santa Hat in the restaurant scenes.
2023
A Royal Christmas Holiday
Another Royal Rom-Com featuring Dennis and Ilio. An ambitious reporter looking for her big break and an impetuous prince sent to New York on assignment have their worlds collide during the holidays and discover love and what matters most at Christmas.
2025
One of the Good Ones
See Dennis in this Italian lawyer film based in Buffalo. Synopsis: In a system corrupted by politics, greed, and ambition, there is an honest lawyer in Buffalo who has made it his life’s mission to hold his peers accountable. He is not winning any popularity contests.
2025
A Royal Christmas Tail
Another royal rom-com featuring Dennis and director Fred Olen Ray, this time with a special furry friend. Premiered on Great American Movie Channel on December 14, 2025.
2025
Chasing Christmas
Premiered on Great American Movie Channel on December 21, 2025.
A Natural Film Set
Why filmmakers keep coming back
The murals, the warm lighting, the unmistakable Italian character of the dining room, Ilio DiPaolo’s looks like a film set because it was built to feel like a world unto itself. Filmmaker Fred Olen Ray has returned multiple times. The restaurant’s visual identity is so recognizable that attentive viewers spot it immediately in any scene where it appears.
Come sit where the cameras did
The same dining room you see on screen is where you can enjoy dinner tonight. Make a reservation and see it for yourself.
