Focaccia 14th Ave in downtown Vero Beach has pizza

Focaccia 14th Ave in downtown Vero Beach also serves pizza in teglia, a style of Roman pizza baked in a large rectangular sheet pan.

Maribeth Renne
| Special to TCPalm

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Few will disagree when I say that pizza is one of the most favored foods out there. Who doesn’t like some form of pizza?

Pizza comes in so many different variations, but the original pizza sprung to life in Naples, Italy. First popping out of ovens in the 18th century, pizza was the answer to an age-old problem: poverty. Those trying to quiet the hunger pains discovered they could take a few common, meager ingredients and produce pizza, a food both delicious and satisfying.

Some people think of focaccia as a variation of pizza, but the big difference between focaccia and pizza is that focaccia is left to rise after being flattened while pizza is usually baked immediately. I think of focaccia as bread, and, when I exclaim that my rosemary plants are growing out of control, my daughter always reminds me to make focaccia, a soft and pillowy bread we top with rosemary, olive oil and sea salt.

Both pizza and focaccia are so good that you may struggle to choose between the two. Which one to order? At a new little eatery, Focaccia 14th Ave, you don’t have the stress of choosing between the two because you can buy either by the slice!

There is lots more on Focaccia 14th Ave’s menu to contemplate. We started off with three tender, juicy meatballs stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with Focaccia’s amazing marinara sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil ($9.95). When I say this is an amazing marinara sauce, I mean that it is so good I could sit down and eat a big bowl of it, slowly savoring every delicious spoonful. Yep, it’s that good.

We moved on to a mozzarella caprese salad ($13). The mozzarella served at Focaccia 14th Ave is a quintessential fresh Italian semi-soft cheese, but the bland tomatoes did not live up to the high quality of the cheese. With fresh spring vegetables and basil, this nonetheless was still a lovely dish we enjoyed.

Not sure why we don’t usually order stromboli, but this excellent stromboli ($13) was so yummy with pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions.

But I just wanted to get back to talking (and eating) pizza with charming and friendly owner Vincenzo Iengo. His Margherita pizza is a culinary work of art. A true Neapolitan pizza with thin dough rising to high edges, his pizza is tender and fragrant, crunchy yet soft. It is topped with Focaccia’s elevated marinara sauce, chopped fresh basil leaves, a splash of extra virgin olive oil and slices of fresh mozzarella — the colors of the Italian flag! This pizza is very carefully and lightly charred to enhance all the flavors. We ordered the 12-inch pie ($13.95). Perfetto!

Note that a gluten-free cauliflower crust is available at the same price.

Pizza in teglia, a style of Roman pizza baked in a large rectangular sheet pan, also is available at Focaccia 14th Ave and is on my list to try in the future, along with cold and hot subs.

This little eatery, located in the site of the former Barefoot Café on 14th Avenue in downtown Vero Beach, has been all spiffed up and white-washed and is sparkling fresh and ready for Treasure Coast pizza lovers!

Focaccia 14th AveCuisine: ItalianAddress: 2036 14th Ave., Suite 100, Vero BeachPhone: 772-770-1733Hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday (closed Sunday)Website: focaccia14thave.com

Maribeth Renne dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm. Contact her at maribeth.d.renne@gmail.com.