Pizzeria Vesuvio — Restaurant in San Antonio

Response to the owner will also be listed below.

TL;DR: As a returning customer, military veteran, and paying patron, I was profiled and interrogated by the owner after picking up two pizzas and returning to use the restroom. The experience felt racially motivated and left me feeling disrespected and unwelcome. I will not return.

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Full Review: I’m writing this review with disappointment and sadness, as Pizza Visuvio was once a place I truly enjoyed. As a Black male and military veteran, I never expected to feel so disrespected and unwelcome at a local restaurant I once supported.

I placed an order for two pizzas for pickup. After picking up my order and returning to my truck, I walked back inside to use the restroom before heading home. I was approached by a man who asked if I had been helped. I responded, “Yes.” He then asked what I had ordered. I repeated that I had already been helped, confused by the repeated questioning.

To my surprise, he continued to press me, asking again what I had ordered. Shocked and feeling targeted, I asked to speak to a manager. He informed me that he was the owner.

At that moment, I felt like I was being profiled—as if I didn’t belong there. Despite being a paying customer who had just walked out with two pizzas, I was treated with suspicion and interrogated without reason. The experience made me feel as though I was being judged not by my actions, but by my appearance.

I noticed they were also asking a homeless individual to leave, and perhaps the owner mistook me for someone who hadn’t purchased anything. But here’s the issue: the very employees the owner turned to and asked if he had done anything wrong were the same ones who had just helped me and watched me leave with my order in hand.

This place once held sentimental value for my family—my wife enjoyed Pizza Visuvio as one of her first meals after giving birth to our youngest. But after this experience, I cannot see myself ever returning.

To the owner: Treating customers with respect should be the bare minimum. Profiling someone based on how they look, regardless of intent, leaves lasting harm. I hope you reflect on how your actions affected me and ensure no other customer walks away feeling the way I did.

Customer’s Response:

Thank you for your reply, though I’m disappointed by its dismissive tone and lack of accountability.

To be clear, my review was not exaggerated or emotional—it was a factual account of what occurred. I detailed everything that happened because I believe context matters. I placed an order, picked it up, and returned to use the restroom before heading home. I was then approached by someone who, rather than politely checking in, questioned me multiple times in a way that felt more like an interrogation than customer service.

What your response fails to acknowledge is how your actions—combined with your tone when I was leaving—left me feeling disrespected and singled out. There was nothing courteous or neutral about how I was approached or spoken to. The tone used was distasteful, and it only added to the uncomfortable nature of the situation.

While I understand that business owners may deal with difficult situations, that doesn’t excuse treating a paying customer with suspicion. Mentioning the homeless individual does not justify the way I was treated, and only further highlights the assumptions being made.

Saying this had “nothing to do” with race or appearance doesn’t erase how I was made to feel. Intent matters, but so does impact—and the impact of this interaction was hurtful. Instead of showing empathy or reflecting on how things could have been handled better, your response focuses solely on defending your actions and denying any wrongdoing.

I shared my experience in hopes of promoting awareness and encouraging better treatment for all customers. Unfortunately, your response only confirmed why I walked away feeling...

Been coming here for years and never thought to post until I overheard someone talking about Versuvio. I’ll give the good then… Local eatery. Local owners. Hands down the best pizza in Texas. Very good pasta, breads, meatballs, and chicken on a stick. Dough and toppings ALWAYS fresh, made/rolled daily and toppings sliced per order. They treat you like family but with excellent service. All is made in-house, they will customize orders, without issue. If you aren’t satisfied, PLEASE tell them. Being local small business they strive to please. Atmosphere is chill. You will see tuxedos/evening wear, business casual, jeans, shorts, whatever. Indoor & outdoor (front/back) seating & private indoor dining space. TV’s inside, they will stream whatever you want, cool for game night and cool to just hang. MIDDLE - adult beverages consist of beer and wine; HOWEVER , no liquor license so you can bring it in (BYOB)!! THE BAD - not much is pre-made. You will not get a pre-made pizza or pre-fried anything; HOWEVER, you can order ahead of time; Been coming here for years and never thought to post until I overheard someone talking about Versuvio. I’ll start with the good then… Local eatery. Local owners. Hands down the best pizza in Texas (beats many other states too). Very good pasta, breads, meatballs, and chicken on a stick. Dough and toppings ALWAYS fresh, made/rolled daily and toppings sliced per order. They treat you like family but with excellent service. All is made in-house, they will customize orders, without issue. If you aren’t satisfied, PLEASE tell them. Being local small business they strive to please. Atmosphere is chill. You will see tuxedos/evening wear, business casual, jeans, shorts, whatever. Indoor & outdoor (front/back) seating & private indoor dining space. TV’s inside, they will stream whatever you want, cool for game night and cool to just hang. MIDDLE - adult beverages consist of beer and wine; however, no liquor license so you can bring it in. Meatballs, specialty breads, lasagna goes too quickly. One person will buyout entire trays. The chicken on a stick, unfortunately, a seasonal item (Fiesta). Family recipe!! The 10-12 oz. breast meat is unbelievably moist; the light batter is well seasoned and fried to perfection; not greasy/oily. It’s so much more than a chicken on a stick; it’s divine and miraculous. BAD - not much is pre-made. You will not get a pre-made pizza or pre-fried anything; HOWEVER, you can order ahead of time. otherwise, patients is a virtue and greatly appreciated!! Meatballs, specialty breads, lasagna goes too quickly. One person will buyout entire trays. Lastly, one toilet. Restroom is maintained but there is only one. There is a parking area beyond the back seating area;...

We ended up here tonight with my family by happy accident—and what a great surprise it was! We ordered the bastoncini di formaggio, the Vesuvio, and the Caruso pizzas. We were warmly greeted as soon as we walked in and seated right away.

After ordering our drinks and cheese sticks, we received our drinks quickly and then placed our pizza order. When the first pizza arrived, we mentioned that we hadn’t received the cheese sticks yet. The gentleman who brought our food was incredibly kind—he quickly found the cheese sticks, brought them out, and even removed them from our bill.

The first pizza and the cheese sticks were both absolutely delicious. The cheese sticks looked and tasted like they were made fresh in-house. The pizza had a thin, crispy crust, fresh mozzarella, and a sauce that was just right—not too sweet.

When the second pizza came out, it wasn’t the one we ordered. We let him know, and after checking the ticket, he confirmed the order was entered incorrectly. He apologized and offered to remake it, but honestly—it looked so good, we decided to keep it!

To make up for the mix-up, he removed the second pizza and the cheese sticks from our tab and even brought us two complimentary desserts. He was incredibly apologetic, and his kindness didn’t go unnoticed.

We genuinely enjoyed not just the food, but the hospitality. This definitely won’t be our last visit!

Side note: The pastas looked amazing, and even with a wedding going on in the back, the team still did an incredible...