Italian restaurant opens in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — After months of anticipation, a new Italian eatery in Crestview is finally open for business.

Vitaliano Pizza, Pasta & More opened its doors May 21 for lunch and dinner. The menu features authentic Napoletana-style brick-oven pizzas, homemade lasagna and gnocchi and other Italian favorites. The wine list includes a variety imported from Italy, starting at $15 per bottle.

Giuseppe Vitagliano had originally hoped to have the restaurant open in March, but he ran into some problems that caused delays.

“The problem was our pizza oven took three months just for the shipping,” he said. “It’s 5,000 pounds.”

The brick pizza oven was brought in from Italy, and the roof of the building had to be removed in one area in order to install the oven. The entire process took five months from start to finish, three just to get the oven to Crestview.

“The pizza oven is my toy,” Vitagliano said. “It’s perfect for cooking the real Napoletana style.”

The restaurant business is nothing new to Vitagliano, whose father opened a restaurant in Italy in 1962. Vitagliano is still a part owner of that restaurant today.

In 2012, Giuseppe and his wife Daniela moved to the United States, along with their daughter, Gaia. The Vitaglianos opened a restaurant in Santa Cruz called Tramonti, named after the region of Italy where Giuseppe was born.

The family moved to Crestview in 2017 after a friend told them the city was in need of an authentic Italian dining experience.

“We came here to Florida for our new adventures and we found this place,” Vitagliano said. “We remodeled everything and now we’re ready to open.”

 Vitaliano Pizza, Pasta & More is located at 398 East Hickory Avenue. It is open for lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Italian restaurant opens in Crestview