Villa Rose Pizza (Hollywood)
***** Villa Rose Pizza, 1114 State Road 7, Hollywood, Florida 33021, (954) 983-7660.
Can’t Explain it!
For years, Jeff Eats has been hearing some terrific things about Villa Rose Pizza (its been around since 1957) and the fabulous pizza that it makes—yet in all those years, I never got over there to try its pizza or food. Like I just said, can’t explain this!
Anyway, last night Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats were doing a “takeout” from Spadini’s Pizzeria in Boca Raton and while waiting for our order, we-got to talking with a lovely couple with two young children…blah blah blah and business cards were exchanged. Later that evening, Jeff Eats received the “below” e-mail from Chris Florea who we had spoken with earlier that evening. As you’ll read, he is a HUGE fan of Villa Rose Pizza.
Chris has now got Jeff Eats’ juices pumping…and I plan to get down to Villa Rose sometime in the next 30-days.
If you have been to Villa Rose, drop me a note on the joint…if you haven’t, Jeff Eats’ “gut call” says Villa Rose is a must-try.
You can check www.villarosepizza.com for menu/prices/other stuff.
Villa Rose Pizza is open Sunday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-11pm.
*****
Update, January 7, 2014…
Last night, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats “finally” made it down to Villa Rose Pizza and suffice it to say–the pizza was spectacular…thin crust, dynamite cheese with a sweet sauce. In addition to the pizza we also ordered Greek salad, -veal parmigiana sub, penne ala vodka–and I gotta tell you like the pizza, delicious–not “spectacular” delicious but neighborhood “mom & pop” red sauce-delicious.
For you Fancy Dans out there, Villa Rose is definitely not for you…this is the consummate “hole in the wall” with a handful of tables, small eat at bar-counter and a decor that has to date back to when the joint first opened in 1957…
Villa Rose Pizza is a homerun…can’t believe I didn’t get to it sooner!
*****
From: Chris Florea
Subject: Best Ultra Thin Crust Pizza
Message Body:
Hey Jeff , met you tonight at Spadinis pizza in Boca Raton. You were taking out
and I was with my girlfriend and kids. Have to tell you about Villa Rose and the
incredible little gem of a pizza joint it is. Its right up your alley, trust me
on this one. The place is located in Hollywood Florida on 441 ( SR7) just north
of Hollywood Blvd. They have been in the same hole in the wall location for over
50 years and I have been enjoying that pie for at least a third of that time
whenever I am down that way! I have gone there for one thing and one thing
only!! Their signature ultra thin crust pizza, which in my opinion is the best
around! I havent found anything close to the quality of that pie! Especially
for a conventional oven baked pizza. The pizzas come to the table round and cut
in squares. The pie has a tangy/sweet delicious sauce and topped with quality
mozzarella. I prefer cheese with green pepper, onion, and pepperoni ( never
never and never soggy or wilting). The pie is
just incredible, especially when partnered with an icy cold pepsi or coke. The
plain pie is also delicious. I am not able to fill you in on the rest of the
menu because the pizza is all I ever eat there. You HAVE to try this pie!!!
Every single person I sent packing down to Hollywood to try this out has raved
about it afterward. I hope you give a whirl and I look forward to reading your
posts about it!! Happy Eating, Chris
Jeff, been eating there for years. best pizza going. they also make some real solid pastas etc. this is a real mom & pop operation. a real hole in the wall. you will love it. http://www.villarosepizza.com.
Amazing hole in the wall free standing restaurant in Hollywood. Been going there since I was a kid in the 70’s; I use to have my friend ship me a couple plain pies while I was in law school in Michigan. You have to try the garlic bread and the eggplant parm sandwiches, they are outstanding!
Jeff,
Go there. The consummate hole in the wall red sauce joint. Pizza is incredible.
The pie is ok not a fan of my pizza cut in squares unless it’s sicilian.
Jeff, as a chef and ex Long Islander who grew up in the Italian food business, my taste in Pizza and Italian foods are a bit developed as I love a real NY Pizza and even get and Love a Chicago Deep dish, but even at the recommendation of the Mayor I was vey disappointed by this place.
Menu says deep dish and its thin crust and getting that in a delivery is just awful, why post deep dish when its really not..(Hear that South Florida) what really sank this ship was the undercooked and not bread crumb coating on the eggplant parmegiano that was sent swimming in a huge pool of canned red sauce, this was actually disgusting and was in the garbage before even a second bite was taken, oh and this was a meal for 4 with all the others reaching for the Chinese take out menus after the first bite!!
You know what they say Let the Buyer beware!!
what are you talking about.. they don’t offer deep dish.
Never said this was a Deep Dish joint! Believe me, I love a New York slice, a Sicilian slice, and even a Chicago deep dish slice. But this is a THIN CRUST joint! One that has been in the business a very long time! The overall food there might not be good, but I am in it for the pizza. The pie is round and cut in squares. The pizza is crispy, crunchy, and chewy all in one pie. Its like eating something you cant wait to get the next bite of and it doesnt stop until you are full! I remember picking a medium cheese pie up there after seeing my parents and before I got on the turnpike heading back up to Springs. I killed the pie just as I was passing the Hard Rock. I was smiling how satisfying that was! If you are looking for a new york slice or even a deep dish slice, you surely will be dissapointed. Thin crust is not for everybody! But for me and God only knows how many others, this is the best in the world!! Never ever was I dissapointed! The pizza hasnt changed in over 50 years and that speaks volumes in the pizza industry!! Its definitely a go to spot when you have a thin crust craving!!
im with chris, absolutely amazing pizza. been eating there for 21 years.
Jeff
Eat it there and get the sausage… Here is my review from yelp.
Amazing it took me 9 years to hear of this place. Right down the road from the Hard Rock, this is the best thin crust in Florida… At least from a Chicago guys perspective . I can’t stand the East Coast “Pie” where they fold the slice like a sandwich.. This Pizza is cut in squares with a nice crisp crust. The sausage is crumbled the way it should be . For you novices that means Italian Sausage meat , not the crap they slice onto a “Pie”. The place is kinda a dive, but I did take out and ate it on my drive home:)
their pizza is delicious same for the rest of their food. a real divey place and that makes it even more enjoyable. you’re in the know and most people aren’t.
With all due respect, please, Jeff. Do not go to Villa Rose – you will not like it.
Villa Rose makes CHICAGO STYLE pizza. Chicago has two styles of pizza. The first and most well-known is deep dish, and you either love it or hate it. New Yorkers hate it. That being said, New Yorkers tend to think of New York style pizza being the only legitimate style of pizza. (Meanwhile, everyone else in the world, including Italians, are of a different opinion.)
Chicago also has its own thin-crust style pizza. I will list some of the differences between New York and Chicago style THIN pizza:
CRUST:
New York – The outside rim of the pizza crust is thicker than the inside of the pizza, and the crust is doughier and more bread-like, allowing the pizza to be folded without cracking or breaking.
Chicago – The crust is uniformly thin and crispy for the whole pizza, and the outside rim is the same thickness as the middle. To try and fold a piece will result in the crust snapping and breaking; thus, Chicago style thin pizza is not meant to be folded. The crust is also rolled or thrown much thinner than New York style pizza, making the crust almost cracker-like crunchy. Chicago style pizza crust is also often made with butter or fat, making it more pastry-like and crunchy as opposed to the more bread-like New York style. I find that Chicago style pizza also tends to go heavier on the cheese and toppings in general.
CUT:
New York – cut in pie-shaped triangular slices.
Chicago – Cut into squares. Yes, because the pizza is round, this will result in a mixture of different sized pieces – some pieces will contain the outside crust, some will be strictly “middle” with no crust, and there will be four tiny triangles that are mostly crispy crust. The toppings are applied all the way to the edge of the pizza, and there is less of a “dough border”.
THE “SLICE” FACTOR:
New York – New York pizza can be purchased by the individual slice. The toppings are on top of the cheese when ordering pizza as a “slice”. A typical pizzeria will have a cheese pizza ready, and then add the toppings the customer wants on their slice.
Chicago – There is no such thing as a “slice” due to the pizza being cut in squares. For a smaller sized “individual” portion, the pizza is simply made smaller, for example, an 8-inch pizza.
ITALIAN SAUSAGE AS A TOPPING:
New York – Basically is done the same way as pepperoni. A cooked Italian sausage is cut into thin slices and arranged on the pizza.
Chicago – The ground sausage is pushed out of the casing and applied onto the pizza raw, resulting in different sized sausage crumbles. This also makes the sausage greasier for some reason.
Which is better? It depends on who you ask. Comparing Chicago style thin crust pizza to New York pizza makes no sense, because they are so different. You might as well compare pizza and a pancake (they are both round, right?) Some people like New York style, some people like Chicago style, and some people actually like both.
As a native Chicagoan, I actually like both, but I am SOOOO sick and tired of people complaining about Chicago style pizza when they don’t even understand what it is that they are eating.
So please Jeff, do yourself a favor, as well as Villa Rose and all us Chicagoans, and do not go to Villa Rose because it will not meet your New York expectations. You are going to end up trashing it, and it will be doing a disservice to Villa Rose, who, as I can assure you emphatically, are the ONE AND ONLY joint serving 100% AUTHENTIC Chicago style thin pizza in South Florida, if not Florida, or if not the entire Southeastern United States and Eastern Seaboard. I say this as a Chicago native who has tested and I kid you not, each and every pizza joint claiming to have Chicago style pizza in the Tri-County area.
Note to “Gourmet Gardener” – Please brush up on your reading skills, because NOWHERE in the menu does Villa Rose claim their pizza is deep dish. Because you don’t know enough about Chicago pizza to know that it is more than deep dish, you just assumed that it was deep dish when you read “Chicago”. Being from New York does not a “gourmet” make, nor does it make one’s taste automatically very “developed”, which you have wonderfully demonstrated. Also, I chuckled to see how you fell right into the pathetic cliche of the typical loudmouthed and arrogant, yet unsophisticated and ignorant, New Yorker, by referring to New York style pizza as the “real” kind. That being said, I’m glad I won’t run into you at Villa Rose. I wish people like you would just stay in New York and stop trying to turn Florida into Lon-Guyland.
Cubs Fan:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
Hopefully your pizza “analysis” is more accurate than apparently your reading ability.
Jeff Eats ate at Villa Rose on January 6th as indicated in my January 7th update.
So your request for me not to try Villa Rose is 19 days too late.
Thanks for reading…
Hi Jeff,
No need to get snippety. I did in fact miss the part where you said you went. I’m glad you liked it. It’s nice to see a New Yorker with an open mind to other styles of pizza.