You can get good pizza anywhere in Vancouver, but you can only get pizza like this in East Van.
Pizza Napoletana, or Neapolitan pizza, is lauded for its rustic simplicity, its traditional wood-fire cooking method and its celebration of Neapolitan ingredients. While these seem like general guidelines, true Pizza Napoletana follows the rules quite closely, making it extremely hard to come by outside of Italy.
Unless you’re in East Van.
Via Tevere Pizzeria Napoletana makes traditional Neapolitan pizza according to the rules of the Associazone Vera Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), a non-profit organization and was founded to preserve the tradition of authentic pizza making just as it was done over a hundred years ago in Naples.
These rules include using key ingredients like double zero flour and San Marzano tomatoes, using a wood-fired domed oven, cooking at 485°C for no longer than 60 to 90 seconds, and kneading the dough of every single pizza by hand. The result is delicate, soft, and mouthwatering pizza with the perfect amount of bite, char and of course, cheese.
“We aim to respect the guidelines of the AVPN”, says Dom Morra, who owns and operates the restaurant alongside his brother Frank. “In order to honour both our heritage and Vera Pizza Napoletana, all of our prep and our ingredients follow classic techniques and recipes that you would find in Naples.”
As first generation Canadians with deep family roots in Naples, the team at Via Tevere has had the privilege of experiencing vera pizza Napoletana on a regular basis. It began in a small palazzo on Via Tevere, a street in the heart of Naples where Dom’s father and his four sisters were raised. Throughout childhood and to this day, Dom and his brother have spent countless summers on Via Tevere, where they quickly learned about the importance of food in the Neapolitan way of life.
That way of life is on full display at the cozy East Van neighbourhood restaurant. Via Tevere Pizzeria has provided their customers with a true Neapolitan experience, serving pizzas (and a variety of sides, salads, pastas and desserts), made from their gorgeous, light blue tiled wood fired oven since 2012. You can view their full menu HERE.
If you’re looking for an authentic Italian food experience, but don’t want to jump on a plane, Via Tevere Pizzeria Napoletana may be the destination for you.
Buon appetito!
Via Tevere Pizzeria Napoletana is located at 1190 Victoria Dr. To learn more, visit viateverepizzeria.com
