Metro Pizza Green Valley
Domenica Salad – Romaine Lettuce, Salami, Ham, Provolone, Cucumbers, Onions, Tomatoes, Housemade Italian Dressing
“The 718” Calzone – fried with Whipped Ricotta, Peppers, Meatballs, Fresh Mozzarella
86th Street Square Pie – Mozzarella Cheese, Tomato Sauce, Romano Cheese, Olive Oil, Old School Pepperoni
With Las Vegas consistently named one of America’s top ten cities for Pizza, it is impossible to imagine any of that would have happened without cousins John Arena and Sam Facchini, the two New Yorkers who opened Metro Pizza in 1980 and unknowingly ushered in decades of memories built on Flour, Tomato Sauce and Cheese.
Now with six locations, including outposts at McCarran International Airport and Ellis Island Casino, it is under the banner of “America’s Neighborhood Pizzeria” that the team at Metro Pizza has built a reputation based on Ingredients, practice and knowledge, Chef Arena’s accolades stretching globally to the point where he has even judged at the annual Napoli Pizza Village Festival.
Familiar with Metro Pizza on Decatur and Sky Pointe Drive, but on this date opting to visit the Green Valley store, it is upon entry that guests will recognize a floor plan carried over from up north, service every bit as friendly from hostess stand to seats while familiar radio hits play quietly overhead.
Recently introducing a new menu, less volume and more focus allowing staff an opportunity to highlight techniques best learned through repetition, it was while sipping Iced Tea that lunch began with Metro’s Domenica Salad, a traditional “Chopped” upgraded with Housemade Italian Dressing that plays well off the combination of Produce, Cheese and Meat.
Always happy to let John cook, and more so enthralled by his encyclopedic knowledge of Pizza, it was after declining complimentary Bread that course two arrived in the form of Metro’s “718” Calzone, a subtle nod to Brooklyn gifting guests with lightly fried Dough on this day filled with Peppers, Meatballs and molten Whipped Ricotta.
Impressed that something fried can eat so light, Metro Pizza’s lengthy fermentation process combined with Chef Arena’s 50+ years of experience assuredly responsible, it was by request that a whole 86th Street Square Pie was served next, and just as with every taste since 2016 this take on a traditional Sicilian continued to set the global standard by which every other square Slice is judged.
FIVE STARS: Serving Las Vegas for 37+ years and continuously evolving the concept while slowly growing the brand it would be difficult to say anyone has contributed more to Sin City’s love of Pizza than John Arena, and from Salad to Metro’s standard-setting 86th Street Square Pie guests can always expect something great across six locations
RECOMMENDED: “The 718” Calzone and 86th Street Square Pie are both mandatory.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Love Pizza? Consider the Metro Pizzalover’s Club with free Sign-up at Metro Pizzalover’s Club and also check out the calendar of events and specials here.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://metropizza.com/
