East Vancouver and the neighborhood just off The Drive has gone through some major changes since I grew up and lived in the area. One place that has become a destination restaurant is located in the most unlikely of places, Via Tevere Pizzaeria Napoletana is definitely a place worthy of You Gotta Eat Here status. The show was recently featured in the current season of You Gotta Eat Here but they have been on my list since opening last year. For this visit Adrian and Jeremy of The Food Gays were kind enough to take me for my birthday, they celebrated Adrian’s birthday here and had a great time-big hugs to the boy’s for suggesting Via Tevere! The doors open at 5pm sharp and there is usually a line up starting at 4:30, I arrived at 4:45 and it was snaking around the side of the building. We were started quickly and our orders were taken promptly, the staff is great at answering any questions you have about the menu and dishes.
They bring basil and chili oil to the table if you’d like it, the basil was delicious and complimented my pizza. They have a beautiful pizza oven and as you can see from the pictures it produces some beautiful charring that is a characteristic of properly done Neapolitan pizza.
Adrian got the classic Margherita pizza. This is the standard pizza I usually get when I first visit a Neapolitan pizza joint, it’s a good test to see the quality of their ingredients. I tried a piece and was very happy with what I tasted, the cheese was creamy with a nice stretch and the sauce was pure fresh tomato flavor.
Jeremy got the The Salsiccia e Rapini pizza with red sauce. I’ve heard good things about this pizza from friends and from what I tried it was really good. Ingredients wise it had sausage and sautéed rapini along with cheese, everything tasted great together but it was on the slightly salty side but I will say the sauce made the difference because of the tang and worked with that saltiness.
My choice was the Filetto pizza. This pizza doesn’t have tomato sauce on it and instead the tomato flavor comes from San Marzano tomato fillets, the rest of the pie is thinly sliced garlic, basil and creamy fior di latte mozzarella. I really loved this pizza and it’s recommended for someone who likes big garlic flavor. The tomato fillets were juicy and added just the right amount of tang and flavor, they reminded me of the hand crushed tomatoes my Mom would put in her baked pasta.
For dessert Adrian got a Giraffe con Nutella. This baby is a big deep-fried Italian doughnut coated in sugar and topped with melted Nutella. The doughnut was light with a slight yeast note to it, combined with the melted Nutella this was really good!
My choice for dessert was the Tiramisu. This was a pleasure to eat and I loved how light and airy the tiramisu was. The mascarpone cream was slightly boozy and the lady fingers were perfectly soaked and not mushy as you can see. this was one of the lightest tiramisu’s I’ve ever had and would recommend it to anyone.
Jeremy chowed down on the Torta Caprese. This rich chocolate dessert was like a combination of cake with the denseness and richness of a brownie. From what I tried it’s a chocolate lovers dream and sure to put a smile on your face.
The dinner at Via Tevere Pizzeria was absolutely awesome, the food rocked, the company and conversation was amazing. If you’re looking for a true Neapolitan Pizza experience Via Tevere is a must visit and should be on your Must Eat List.
