This Miami Beach pizzeria that Lincoln Road shoppers loved just closed after 18 years
This one hurts.
Pizza Rustica, an institution on Lincoln Road for 18 years, is no more.
There was no announcement, no fanfare, just an empty restaurant with tables on their sides and folded-up chairs.
Back in 1996, Italian immigrant Pino Piroso opened the first Pizza Rustica on the corner of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue, which remains (yay!).
Piroso has said he wanted South Beach to have the same affordable, casual places like his hometown of Rome.
Both tourists and locals flocked to the late night spot after dancing and clubbing to grab deliciously gooey slices served in its signature rectangular shape.
The Lincoln Road location opened in 2003, adding other items to the menu such as paninis and salads to cater to well-heeled shoppers, Piroso told Voyage Mia. But with the lockdowns amid the pandemic, many of the stores that potential diners flock to have shuttered.
A handful of Pizza Rustica franchise restaurants are still peppered throughout South Florida. You can get your Rustica fix in Miami-Dade County at the Brickell and Sunny Isles locations. The one in downtown, across from Bayside Marketplace, is also closed.
All is not lost: A new pizzeria, called D’Oro Pizza Bar, has opened in that space, which offers similar hand-held, street-style slices.
And of course, you can always head to the one and only original Rustica on Washington. On Thursday evening, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and other local VIPs will toast to the 305 institution at a 25th anniversary party.
More info: Pizza-Rustica.com
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 2:40 PM.
