A new sit-down Italian restaurant has opened its doors on Rocky Ridge Road in Vestavia Hills, bringing handcrafted pasta, classic dishes and a gelato flight to a city that didn’t have one before. Pazzo Italian, located at 2516 Rocky Ridge Road, began serving customers the week of August 19 and has quickly built a following around dishes like rigatoni Bolognese and chicken piccata.
The restaurant is the second Pazzo location in the Birmingham metro area, joining Pazzo Big Slice Pizza on Montgomery Highway in Hoover, according to bhamnow.com. That sister pizzeria, which its own website lists at 1678 Montgomery Highway in Birmingham, serves hand-tossed pizzas, Sicilian thick-crust cheese pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmigiana hot sandwiches and salads, plus delivery and takeout. Pazzo Italian, by contrast, is built as a full sit-down experience rather than a grab-and-go pizza counter.
A 40-Year Restaurant Veteran Behind the Stove
Pazzo Italian is owned by Mohammed Ezez, known around the restaurant as “Mo,” who has worked in the restaurant business for 40 years, the bhamnow.com report notes. Ezez told the outlet that rigatoni Bolognese has emerged as a standout since the doors opened, saying, “Rigatoni Bolognese is one of the most famous dishes so far since we opened.” He also said Pazzo plans to periodically change its menu and roll out daily specials, keeping the offerings from going stale for regulars.
According to the Vestavia Voice, the menu includes handcrafted pastas, Italian meats and cheeses, crispy calamari, salads, grilled vegetable lasagna, shrimp scampi, chicken parmigiana and gnocchi, alongside rigatoni Bolognese, chicken piccata, burrata salad and a baked spinach and goat cheese soufflé. StyleBlueprint’s rundown of new Birmingham-area restaurants echoes several of those classics, describing rigatoni Bolognese, gnocchi, chicken piccata and burrata salad as staples of the menu.
Dessert, Wine and Cocktails Round Out the Table
For dessert, Pazzo Italian offers tiramisu, limoncello cake and a gelato flight, per the Vestavia Voice. The same StyleBlueprint piece notes diners can round out a meal with a selection of wine and cocktails, giving the Rocky Ridge Road spot a more adult, date-night feel than a typical neighborhood pizzeria.
Pazzo Italian is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., according to bhamnow.com’s report. The restaurant lists a contact number of 205-326-7478 for anyone looking to call ahead or ask about the rotating specials Ezez mentioned.
