A beloved Las Vegas pizzeria from the 1970’s is about to be resurrected in the East Side of Las Vegas. Opening at 5821 E Charleston Blvd., Rizzo’s Pizzeria & Grill is a tribute to owner and chef Mike Rizzo’s father, who owned the original Rizzo’s decades back.
“I grew up in my dad’s Italian pizzeria here in Vegas,” Rizzo told What Now on Tuesday. “I was making sauce and pizzas with my Uncle Tony when I was ten. I’m kind of like a kid who’s finally getting to live out his childhood dreams.”
Rizzo says Rizzo’s Pizzeria & Grill will be a throwback to the mob-run Vegas of the seventies, with tributes to the original Rizzo’s throughout, including menus from the old restaurant, Frank Sinatra vibes, and the same Godfather painting that once hung from the Rizzo’s wall.
The menu will feature tributes to Rizzo’s father’s restaurant, too, offering classic Italian pizza-shop favorites alongside new menu items drawn from Mike Rizzo’s long career in Las Vegas steakhouses.
“It won’t be your typical pizzeria in that way. Dad can get himself a cajun ribeye, and Mom can have the salmon,” Rizzo said. “We don’t want to do anything too fancy. I don’t want to do fine dining. I want to do fun dining, a place where you can some good food and everybody’s having a great time.”
Rizzo’s Pizzeria & Grill will also fill a need for tasty, affordable food on the East Side of Vegas.
“The East Side gets a bad rap. We only get fast food and corporate chains. I want to change that,” said Rizzo.
Rizzo’s will open with a comfortable, spacious dining room, in the retail center on the southeast corner of East Charleston Boulevard and South Sloan Lane.
