Villaggio Pizzeria — Restaurant in South Salt Lake

I came into this place at the recommendation of a buddy of mine. When I try a new place for the first time, I almost always get the cheese pizza, because if they can't do that right, I don't have high hopes for anything else. As I was explaining this to a guy I was with, the owner chimed in and said something along the lines of: "If they can't do a cheese pizza, then they can't do pizza!"

Hearing that gave me a major boost in confidence that one large cheese pizza was going to be WELL worth that $25 between two people. When the owner of the shop says that, THEY MEAN BUSINESS!

Then, I got the pizza and took my first bite. Immediately, I said "yep... this is good!"

Half a large pie later, and I wanted to get up and do a frickin' dance in the middle of the restaurant. I can honestly say: this is currently THE BEST NY style pizza I have had west of the Mississippi river so far! It is also one of the best I have had in YEARS!

The thin crust has a nice exterior golden brown crisp, yet a soft enough interior that's gentler on the teeth, and virtually no gum line. That crisp extends all the way to the center of the pizza, so you will get some nice crispiness with every bite. The crust is on par with the likes of Mack & Manco's pizza in Ocean City, NJ (now Manco & Manco's).

There was some freshly grated, full-fat dry mozzarella on that pizza, true to the craft! Look at the grease on the plate! There was enough cheese on there to have a bold impact on the flavor, but not enough to be overwhelming. Many times, a pizza place will somehow find a way screw this up, but not Villagio's! They nailed the cheese quantity and quality!

And last, but certainly not least, the sauce! It was perfect! It has the garlic! Its got the oregano and more! All the sauce's rich flavors are balanced, and it's sweetened just a smidge to cut out much of the acidity from the tomato's flavor. I didn't feel like I need to skip on dessert for the next 2 weeks.

Oh, and I have been back several times! The ferragosto pizza? TOP TIER! MASTERCLASS!

First time here, I had a small chat with the owner after eating. And man... No wonder why the pizza is as good as it is! All of the ingredients are sourced from the tri-state area. There is a water purifier in the back for the dough. He is clearly from NY himself, and there's 80 years of multigenerational wisdom that goes into it.

I'd be hard pressed to find a better place in Utah, as even some of the "best" serve medigan pizza. Nonetheless, I will be back for more!

Congrats! You made it to the end! If you haven't had Villagio before, then I highly recommend going! They deserve your money, and you deserve to have one of the best...

Anyone enjoy the, what was then the $1 Slice in Midtown NYC?? I did in 2019 and again in 2022, (think it raised to $1.50). Those visits ruined me. My search for the Utah equivalent came up short. Honestly, I did get close with a couple, but there was always something lacking; the crust was lame and/or absolutely rubbish cold. And who doesn't love a cold slice once in a while? So, let me stop here on the past and bring you to the present. Today one of my coworkers, knowing of my search for the perfect NY slice, shared a short video on a place right here in Salt Lake City. For the hour or so before I was able to leave for the day, all I could do is think of what to get and whether or not to call it in or order in house. My thoughts were, if I order to pick it up how will I feel if I get it home and the family is disappointed. The decision is clear. Order in house after partaking of a slice. Good call. So I scurried south and parked just outside the doors. Ok. First impression, there is a line outside. I am officially intrigued. Small chit chat outside with a gentleman about the joint was only fueling my excitement. I noticed the line was moving forward smoothly. After 10 minutes and 10 or so patrons who had ordered or gathered their square boxes, I was finally at the counter. Greeted with a friendly "What can we get you?" The new kid, (obviously older than a college dude) smiled and took my order. " large Cheese and a large Margarita Calamata, please". "That's it?", he questioned. I felt like I need to try something new. "Please suggest something.", I replied. In a half turn he looked and pointed at the menu. "This is my first day. I love the San Genarro. It's delicious and my favorite." "Hook me up, good sir!" I exclaimed. Not really. I said something to the effect of, "ok. Large please." Now, how do I describe the absolute joy/euphoria that shuttered through my very soul at the first bite. I can't. It is the closest I've been to NYC without leaving the Utah Valley. Speaking quickly with the owner/operator, I am delighted that he brought us together. The Margarita Calamata is a game changer! The meatballs on the San Genarro are just spicy enough to beg for seconds. The Cheese Slice hot from the oven was to die for. Perfect combination of garlic and Motz and the crust was beautiful to consume as to look at. Do I recommend Villaggio's?? No. I insist that you make time to enjoy the friendly staff and a quick slice of heaven. I promise, you will be happy that you did. If you happen to see me there, say hello and I'll buy you a slice and share a table with you. Enjoy...

Lol, just look at the owner's reply to get an idea of the kind of service you'll receive here - went and proved my point for me. I did not make fun of anyone's accent, I typed out word for word what I received. Same words, every time I ordered something new. I was able to remember them and type them out because on ordering five items, they asked the same thing over and over. For telling me to "stick to fast food," it's funny that they did the same thing fast food does at the drive-thru. "Will that be all? Will that be all? Will that be all?"

Am I supposed to be gracious when you run my card 3x, refuse to answer the phone because you're busy - and no, you never said Villagio. I was driving at the time and phone was on bluetooth - and I'm the guy that has my music up to 11, all I heard was silverware and then hang up. 4x in a row. That's not a fluke, that's the stereotypical, "we're too busy, make that phone shut up" play.

I was even pretty gracious about the food in my initial review, but what can I say - the owner's reply left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overview: Terrible customer service. Ordered this place a few times, food is always decent - however, their service is just... Awful.

My first time here, everything was good. Can't complain. Saw it, walked in on a whim, ordered a calzone - pretty good..

My second time, however, they TRIPLE charged my card for like 30 dollars! I immediately went in and basically just got "on our end of things it looks like it declined twice and went through once because we only see one charge, just wait and see what happens I guess." Which, I don't even understand how that happens at all. Took almost 2 weeks to get my sixty bucks on the overage back.

This time, just tried to place a pick up order - had to call 4x. The first 3x, someone clearly picked up the phone and immediately hung it up. Could hear talking and silverware. The 4th time, someone very irritated answered and rushed me through my order. Every time I said something, in very broken English, "okay that be all? What your name?" I was ordering 5 items, every time I said something, same lines, rushing me.

I get food service places get busy, I do,...