At first glance, this looks like it could be any typical pizza shop. There’s a menu on the wall, a few tables and stools, and a guy behind the counter ready to take your order.

But look a little closer and you’ll see that the menu is actually beamed onto the wall by a state of the art projector, the tables are custom built with a live wood edge, and that guy behind the counter, well, he’s giving the food a delicious upgrade.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “We’re taking your classics, but we’re making them just a little more unique and better.”

For pizza and subs a thousand times better than your used to, you need to try Venice Pizza.

For decades, Venice Pizza was Dorchester’s neighborhood spot. When it closed in 2019, Josh Winer bought the place, and gave the atmosphere a fresh facelift, and the menu a mouthwatering makeover.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “The old Venice Pizza was a neighborhood staple. It’s been in the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Savin Hill Ave for almost 35 years now. And to keep this in the neighborhood meant a lot to us. But we want to provide the new residents and the old residents something different.”

And the big difference is in the food — ultra fresh, scratch made, and chef inspired.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “We’re making everything handmade from scratch. And you’re gonna see everything that you’ve grown up loving, just done with a better twist, and better ingredients. So our pizza dough is made from scratch, we ferment it for 48 hours slowly. We cut all our own vegetables daily. Our marinara is homemade. We roast our marinara for six and a half hours. We’re using a unique blend of cheese, provolone, mozzarella, and a little bit of brick cheese. So you’re gonna get a nice creamier cheese than you’re used to seeing.”

Each pie at Venice Pizza is pin rolled, except for the edges, so when it’s baked in the old school deck ovens cranked to 600 degrees, the base cooks up crispy, while the crust stays light and airy.

And while a classic cheese is always a good choice, it’s the specialty pizzas that really set this place apart. Like their Italian inspired take on Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Instead of using a vinegar based buffalo sauce, what we use is an Italian hot pepper buffalo sauce that we make here. We use a fromage blanc base, which gives it a creamy base that you’re typically going to want when you dip your wings in a blue cheese, and then the spicy chicken on top, you don’t have a typical buffalo chicken pizza. You’ve got a really unique, creamy, spicy chicken pizza, and then it’s topped with beautiful shaved celery and red onions.”

Other great options include the Pesto Caprese pizza, with fresh mozzarella, sweet grape tomatoes, and garlic. The Sausage and Bacon Alsatian, with gruyere cheese and caramelized onions. And a Hawaiian, upgraded with upscale ingredients.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Instead of using typical ham, we use a herb crusted prosciutto cotto, which is an Italian herbed ham with rosemary, and then we’re using pineapple, but instead of just throwing pineapple on the pizza, we roast it in vincotto which really amplifies the sweetness. So you have a nice cured salty ham, and a nice roasted sweet pineapple, which gives you a little more of that Hawaiian pizza flavor you love.”

If it’s cheese you love, the Super Cheese pizza is a must order.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “If you really like a cheese pizza, you want to try our super cheese pizza. It’s a combination of gruyere, fontina, fresh mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, with herbs. So it’s really your super cheese pizza. We loaded up with cheese too. So if you’re a cheese fan, this is the pizza for you.”

When it comes to subs, Venice serves them all on fresh baked seeded rolls. Like the classic Italian, with prosciutto, salami, mortadella, provolone, and housemade hots.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Instead of overdoing it on the ingredients, we pick quality ingredients, and really build the sandwich how you want each bite to taste. So instead of it being built to overflow, you’re getting every perfect bite with the hots, provolone cheese, delicious Italian meats, lettuce and tomato.”

If it’s a Steak and Cheese you please, Venice’s version just might be your new favorite.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Unlike just steak and cheese and onions like a simple Philly cheesesteak, we do it kind of as a loaded Cheesesteak. It’s got mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, onions, and that’s a shaved sirloin steak. So it’s a high quality of steak that we use. And then it’s finished with an Alabama white sauce, which is a sweet spice mayo that really gives a little bit of a zing and kick to it.”

Rounding out the menu here are some awesome apps, like big fat housemade Mozzarella Sticks with cheese that stretches for days, and outstanding Chicken Wings tossed in a house made Italian style Buffalo sauce, or with an addictively delicious Gunpowder Barbecue Dry Rub, made by Josh’s brother.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “You’re getting real nice spices, subtle coriander, paprika, turmeric. A couple other secrets we can’t really tell you about. And that’s just a unique wing that you won’t see anywhere else.”

Something else you won’t see anywhere else, Venice Pizza’s twist on Garlic Knots, stuffed with the good stuff.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “We actually roll out our pizza dough a little bit, we stuff it with homemade roasted garlic that we roast super slow. We add herbs, Parmesan cheese, and then we close up the bread knots, and then we bake them in the oven. So when you break open the garlic knots, you see the roasted garlic inside the bread and you get all the flavor right inside throughout the knot.”

There’s also a version filled with everything you’d find in an Italian Sub.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Each knot is almost like a mini Italian sandwich.”

You can even get some sweet Chocolate Knots for dessert.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “Once you bite into it, you get that gooey chocolate, and you dip right into that sweet olive oil icing. It’s a great way to finish your meal.”

And it’s a sweet way to experience a pizza shop that’s a slice above the rest.

Josh Winer – Owner, Venice Pizza: “There’s plenty of pizza shops out there. We want to provide you with a memorable pizza shop experience and elevated food. So you can come here and it’ll be different. It’ll be unique. It’ll be fresh. So it will really be a different experience without taking you drastically away from what you want from a pizza shop.”