This family-owned pizzeria just opened about a week ago in The Shoppes at West Village, a popular…read moreopen-air retail center on Electric Road in Roanoke, Virginia, featuring stores, restaurants, and services. Conveniently located near Tanglewood Mall, this seems like the perfect spot for a pizza restaurant in the area. The owner, Alfonso Greco, and his wife and co-owner, Josephine, immigrated in 1986 from Calabria, Italy to Long Island, New York, and for over 40 years have been in the pizza business in New York, Miami, North Carolina, and now in Roanoke, Virginia, where they came to be closer with their family. In North Carolina, Greco currently owns three locations of his pizza shop, Franco's.
Today, as I was driving by West Village, I noticed that the pizza shop that had been in preparation for its grand opening, was finally open. So I quickly made a U turn and went to try it out. Located at a corner location of the building that also houses Café Asia 2, one of my favorites Asian restaurants, it has a beautiful and very impressive outdoor sign, high above its entrance.
Inside, it has the traditional counter with the ordering area up front, the pizza making counter on the side, and the kitchen in the back, where they have the oven, and also cook their appetizers and other Italian dishes such as their Homemade Lasagna, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo, just to name a few. Their dining area consists of tables and chairs (no booths) and some extra-large poster prints as well as some smaller framed photographs.
Their staff were all very friendly, starting from the owners themselves, who have done the perfect job of bringing the Italian hospitality into the ambiance of this cozy restaurant. I was asked to have a seat at any table and my friendly server shortly came by with a copy of the menu and to take my drink order. I ordered a Dr Pepper and my server also brought me a glass of ice to go with it. To dine I started with the Fried Calamari appetizer. The Calamari slices were from large-size Calamari with a very thick and crispy batter, and they were served with a homemade special sauce that was amazingly delicious. As my main course I ordered a Personal Franco's Special New York Style Pizza. It had all the ingredients listed on the menu, but it also included some red peppers, that gave it lots of flavor. The dough was freshly made in-house and had the right consistency. The only thing I didn't like was that the bottom of the pizza was a bit burnt, but other than that, it tasted delicious with all those fresh, quality, ingredients. Even though the wait time was a bit long, it is understandable since they are new to open and have been inundated with customers due to their novelty.
For dessert I had the Tiramisu. My server confessed that they bring it in from the outside and that the Cannoli is the only one they make in-house. Even so, I found the Tiramisu tasted delicious, almost like home made.
In conclusion, I like this pizza place, and the friendly and hospitable staff and owners make me want to support them even better. While the slow service and burnt pizza bottom are areas for improvement, I wish them the very best and encourage you to give them your full support.