Varuni Napoli restaurant expands, brings a slice of Naples to neighborhood – the Southerner On-line

Varuni Napoli, a conventional Neapolitan Pizza Restaurant based in 2014 by Italian brothers Benny and Luca Varuni, opened its latest location in Dunwoody on Aug. 5, becoming a member of preexisting Midtown and Krog Street areas. 

The brothers emigrated to the United States from Naples, Italy 12 years in the past. Naples, or Napoli in Italian, is extensively thought to be the birthplace of pizza. Inspired by this, Luca, the eldest brother, determined to share a portion of his heritage with the Atlanta neighborhood alongside Benny, who took cost of the kitchen.

“My brother, Luca Varuni, started Varuni Napoli, motivated by his love for pizza and Neapolitan culture, to truly bring something authentic to Atlanta that represents our tradition and culture,” Benny stated.

The brothers opened their first location on Monroe Drive, and shortly captured the appetites of Atlantans searching for an genuine Italian pizza. Soon after, they added one other location in a nook of Krog Street Market and only recently one other venue in Dunwoody. But the brothers’ aspirations don’t finish there.

“We started with the ambition to open multiple locations, and our goal is to open more,” Benny stated.

Junior My’la Marshall, a daily diner on the Midtown location, stated she enjoys how welcoming the restaurant feels.

“I like the manager at Varuni,” Marshall stated. “He’s such a nice guy and knows all of his customers, [including] my family, and makes the experience way better than it already is.”

Maida Hanlon, Midtown alum and former Varuni worker, remembers the restaurant’s welcoming ambiance.

“Scott, who I believe still works there, is the bartender, he’s been working there forever,” Hanlon stated. “So whenever I would be doing takeout orders he would be behind the bar as well, he is extremely welcoming, he had a handful of regulars he’d talk to at the bar.”

Hanlon additionally remembers a light-hearted and typically aggressive atmosphere behind the counter. 

“Another fun part about working at Varuni was folding the pizza boxes,” Hanlon stated. “Me and the other people I worked with would have competitions to see who could fold them the fastest.” 

To stay devoted to the dish’s Neopolitan roots, the Varuni brothers use solely genuine imported Italian ingredients, particularly, recent tomatoes grown straight from the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius, a tradition in Neapolitan delicacies. 

“My favorite pizza was the Oro Bianco,” Hanlon stated. “It’s a white pizza with ham on top, and I swear I could eat a whole pizza by myself. I actually just finished my study abroad [in] Italy and can confidently say that Varuni’s pizzas are incredibly authentic to the pizzas you’d have in Naples.”

Marshall’s favourite pizza is the margherita pizza, which is legend to have been created in Naples in 1889 for Queen Margherita of Savoy.

“My favorite pizza on the menu is the classic Margherita pizza,” Marshall stated. “[I also] like the cannoli that they offer for dessert. They are extremely good and have many different options to choose from.”

Benny says his first expertise making the standard Neapolitan-style pizza was not simple.

“I made my first pizza around 15 years ago,” Benny stated. “Initially, I thought it was something easy, but there is a whole world behind Neapolitan pizza.” 

Neapolitan pizza’s moist, skinny base is in contrast to the thick New-York fashion pizza crust in lots of American pizza eating places. This unfamiliar texture can typically catch prospects off-guard.

 “Their pizza is very different to the pizzas we’re used to having here,” Hanlon stated. “The pizzas are ‘wet,’ often because of the thinness of the crust and the ingredients on top. They’re the type of pizzas you’d use a fork and knife to eat in Italy.”

Despite the brothers’ success, Benny recalled that enterprise has not been with out its struggles.

“With every first business, there are several challenges to overcome: financial, organizational and staffing,” Benny stated. “However, the more motivated you are and the more you truly believe in what you are doing, the more you can overcome the various obstacles.”

Now, 12 years after the primary Varuni Napoli opened its doorways, enterprise is flourishing, however one purpose nonetheless stays for Benny and Luca: to maintain sharing their ardour for pizza.

“[Our] goal is to bring our passion for pizza and our tradition to our customers, sharing stories and memories to create not just a meal, but an experience,” Benny stated.