New pizzeria ' V Pizza' offers Sicilian slices

Since its opening last week, V Pizza in downtown Gainesville has offered slices of Sicily to hungry locals.

The newly opened pizza parlor caters to customers hoping for something more than an average pie, said David Villmow, a managing partner at V Pizza.

“Our claim to fame is authentic Napoletana-style pizza,” he said, adding that the restaurant’s cooking methods date back nearly 2,000 years.

Located at 115 SE First Ave., the shop opened Aug. 28. It has three other locations in Jacksonville, Villmow said.

For the past week, V Pizza has seen a couple hundred customers every day, said Derek Burns, the front-of-the-house manager.

In addition to menu options that range from pizza to stromboli, the shop’s location near the Hippodrome State Theatre has served as a “big pull for people,” Villmow said.

“It’s the perfect spot for us,” he said.

With about 75 percent of the restaurant’s ingredients shipped directly from Italy, pizza prices range from $14 to $18, he said.

“Once you try out the food, you get it,” he said. “It’s completely different.”

Gainesville resident Duncan Kabinu tried V Pizza for the first time Thursday. After eating a sausage-topped pizza, he said the crust and authenticity of the parlor’s pies set it apart from others in the city.

“There’s nothing like a wood-fired pizza,” he said.