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Hello, Eaters! Via Veneto Pizzarium, at 511 E. 900 South in Salt Lake City, is a new casual dining spot from the couple behind the Italian restaurant Veneto down the street, Amy and Marco Stevanoni.

I visited Via Veneto last week, enjoyed some pizza and had a nice chat with Amy Stevanoni.

She said that at Via Veneto, like their fine-dining experience with almost the same name, “everything we do here is very authentic Italian.”

Most of the pizza ingredients are imported from Italy, there’s no tipping (like in Italy), and even the music playing inside Via Veneto is Italian. Buon appetito!

Origin story: The Stevanonis purchased the two buildings at the corner of 500 East and 900 South, which have been vacant for a while now, and are putting restaurants in each of them. The one that was built in 1908 and used to house Beltex Meatsis now the home of Via Veneto. The couple opened it to the public in March after doing a heavy-duty remodel that involved exposing all of the building’s lovely brick. They plan to put a restaurant with international influences in the building where Tradition used to be.

The vibe: The outside and inside of the building at 511 E. 900 South has been given a makeover, with the exterior painted a vibrant orange-red, and the interior painted in crisp white and sage green that works with the brick nicely. The mood is bright and upbeat, the perfect place to breeze in and enjoy a slice of pizza at the edge of Liberty Park. There’s a great patio that will surely be a favorite hangout spot in the summer.

The menu: Via Veneto specializes in pizza al taglio, which is a traditional, Roman-style pizza that’s crispy outside and soft inside, and semi-thick but still light. “Al taglio” means “by the cut,” and the square slices are cut with scissors and sold by weight according to what toppings are on it. The pizzas will already be made when you arrive. You just point out what you want and how big of a slice you want, and then they heat it up for you in a small oven. It’s fun to get around four smaller slices and try out a lot of different toppings. To read about my order, scroll down to “Dish of the Week.”

The hours: Open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

• Now is the time to get tickets to the 2026 Queer Food Festival, being held May 8 from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Red Rock Brewing Beer Store, Mountain West Hard Cider and the Utah Film Center (all three of these locations are within walking distance at 400 West and 400 North in Salt Lake City). A $65 ticket gets you two drinks, entertainment and food from all of the LGBTQ- and ally-owned food businesses in the lineup. Tickets available online, 21+ only.

• Throughout the month of May, Park City is holding its Spring Dine About, where local restaurants will be offering prix fixe dining specials. There will be two-course lunches for $15, $20 or $25 per person; three-course dinners for $30, $45 or $65 per person; and apres cocktails and bites for $20. To see the full lineup of participating restaurants, visit ParkCityRestaurants.com.

Closings:

• The Chili’s restaurant at 668 E. 400 South in Salt Lake City will close on Monday, an employee there confirmed Tuesday. There are seven other Chili’s locations along the Wasatch Front, so there are still places to get fajitas and baby back ribs. The Salt Lake City location has a bit of folklore attached to it: It’s the place where Tan France, the fashion expert from TV’s “Queer Eye,” made the decision that he would move to Utah.

• An Eater reported that Pepper Lunch, a Japanese teppanyaki chain, has closed its Riverton location in the Mountain View Village shopping district less than a year after opening there in March 2025. A company spokesperson confirmed the closure happened in mid-February, but also said Pepper Lunch plans to open more locations in the Salt Lake City area in the future.

Has a restaurant opened or closed in your neighborhood? Let us know at food@sltrib.com.

Dish of the Week

I tried four different slices at Via Veneto Pizzarium, but my favorite by far was the humble margherita slice, made with tomato sauce, basil and fior di latte, which means “flower of milk” and is a fresh cheese made with cow’s milk.

The gentle tang of the tomato sauce, the herbaceousness of the basil and the creaminess of the cheese came together in a beautiful way, and I could’ve eaten several more slices of that pizza.

For dessert, I enjoyed the semifreddo, which is half-frozen mousse studded with amaretti cookies and dark chocolate, and sandwiched between two Italian wafers. I can’t wait to eat some of this on the patio in the summer.

(Note: If you like your pizza a little more seasoned, like I do, take advantage of the salt by the bottles of olive oil. It might suit your fancy a bit better.)