Vero Pizza (12421 Cedar Rd., 216-229-8383) in Cleveland Heights has been closed to dine-in customers since March of last year. Additionally, the beloved Neapolitan pizzeria has been closed to all diners since June of this year, when owner Marc-Aurele Buholzer ceased even carry-out business in order to install a new oven and make other essential modifications to the nine-year-old restaurant.
Well, the long (long) wait finally is over. Tonight, Vero will begin welcoming its first customers back into the restaurant. When folks do return they will find a refreshed dining room, mezzanine and outdoor dining space.
And, if they sneak a peek into the kitchen, they will catch a glimpse of the pizzaiolo’s new “dream oven,” a wood-burning Acunto from Naples. In order to get the 6,000-pound beast into the back kitchen, crews had to remove the front windows and forklift it through the opening, with literally one eighth of an inch to spare.
What diners will not discover is a brand new menu, says the owner.
“We’re going to keep things simple and distilled,” Buholzer explains. “We’re going to make sure that every single item on the menu is exactly how I wanted and intended it to be.”
In addition to the classic and seasonal pies, the menu will offer antipasto dishes like olives, anchovies, vegetables, roasted peppers and charcuterie.
This article appears in Sep 22 – Oct 5, 2021.
