Just in time for the busy sports season of the fall, Austin Italian restaurant It’s Italian Cucina opened a new Roman-style pizzeria earlier this year. Pizzeria Sportiva is found next door at 1500 South Lamar Boulevard, Suite 120 in the Zilker neighborhood as of April.
Pizzeria Sportiva focuses on stone-fired Roman-style pizza, a type of long, rectangular pie popular in Rome, Italy. The pies are available in small and large sizes with options like the Sciara (pesto, burrata, prosciutto, and zucchini), Toscano (a fig condiment, goat cheese, ham, pears, grapes, and onions), pepperoni, and Tre Pepe (spicy calabrese, jalapenos, and pepperoncini). There are also gluten-free iterations.
There’s also the house-made fresh lasagna, and a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, calzones, and desserts. There’s also brunch on Sundays with breakfast pasta and frittatas. The bar menu offers an extensive wine list, as well as beers, aperitifs, and cocktails, including margaritas and Negronis on tap.
Service-wise, the restaurant works as a casual dining destination and a sports bar. “My vision is that one does not have to settle for fast food to watch their favorite team,” owner and chef Al Fini writes via email. For the non-sports fan, there’s also weekly trivia on Wednesday nights from 7 to 9 p.m.
Fini opened East Austin Italian restaurant It’s Italian Market and Cafe in 2016. He closed that business in 2017 and opened It’s Italian Cucina in 2017. The North Italian restaurant specializes in traditional Piedmont fare, such as Venetian-style tapas, veal chops, fish, pastas, cheeses, and sweets. There are also cocktails, wines, and beers.
Pizzeria Sportiva is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 3 to 10:30 p.m. Friday; and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services; takeout orders can be placed online; and there are Uber Eats deliveries available.