Pizzeria Limone is not your father’s pizza parlor
Zuppa and crostas at Pizzeria Limone.
The Viola pizza at Pizzeria Limone in Lehi. The Viola features house marinara, five cheeses, prosciutto, blackberries, olive oil and basil.
The Pera pizza at Pizzeria Limone in Lehi. Ingredients on the Pera include an olive oil base, garlic, five cheeses, red onion, sliced pears, prosciutto, pistachios and basil
Prepare to have your pizza preconceptions blown.
If you are the adventuresome type of diner, one who is perfectly willing to expand your previous horizons of what ingredient combinations work on a pizza, then visiting Pizzeria Limone should definitely be on your agenda.
The restaurant’s lofty goal to produce “the best Neapolitan style pizza on the planet” is proudly stated right on its Web site. While that goal may or may not be realistically out of reach, this much we can say — we loved the innovative flavor of each and every bite we sampled during our Monday visit.
Pizzeria Limone — which boasts six Utah franchises — recently opened its first Utah County location on Main Street in Lehi. The restaurant is nestled in a little strip mall hub that features several other new dining establishments, which I’m sure we will be visiting in the months ahead.
The restaurant is much roomier inside than one would expect from most such strip mall locations. There were half a dozen booths along one side of the interior, which would seat six quite comfortably, as well as many tables and larger booths in the middle. A back room featured a large round table with seating for 12, which would be great for parties and larger groups. There was also additional outside patio seating, which appeared to be shared with the other restaurants in the vicinity.
Orders are placed at the front, and patrons follow along a counter making a few additional choices along the way.
We were initially in a bit of a daze looking over the large wall menu near the front counter as we prepared to make our selections. We couldn’t help but be a bit surprised to see pizzas — which measure in at 10 inches — that listed some out of the ordinary ingredients. Blackberries? Pears? Lemons? Pistachios? Yes, yes, yes and yes!
A worker came over to help explain the menu, and noted that the restaurant’s two most popular pizzas were the Viola (which featured blackberries) and the Pera (which included sliced pears). Throwing culinary caution to the wind, we took his word for it and ordered both. He also talked us into a “secret pizza,” which is not on the printed menu. That turned out to be the Ferrari — which is the Pizzeria Limone version of a meat-lover’s style pie.
After rounding our order out with a few other items, we selected a booth and settled in to wait for our food. The wait proved to be only a few minutes, which was much quicker than we expected.
When it comes to the pizzas at Pizzeria Limone, our advice would be simply to trust the chefs with the combinations they have created. As weird as items like blackberries and pears initially seemed to us in terms of putting them on a pizza, the tastes were utterly fantastic.
The Viola — which features house marinara, five cheeses, prosciutto, blackberries, olive oil and basil — was my initial favorite. However, it was eventually eclipsed by the Pera — which includes an olive oil base, garlic, five cheeses, red onion, sliced pears, prosciutto, pistachios and basil. These were both simply delicious, and every bite was a taste bud adventure.
The Ferrari was also excellent, and its main ingredients included pepperoni, salami, grape tomatoes, onions, sausage and five cheeses.
We also felt compelled to sample the Zuppa — a rich-tasting, house fire-roasted tomato soup that also contained mozzarella cheese, creme fraiche, pistachios and basil. It was accompanied by four pieces of crosta, a baked pizza crust-like substance, which were anxiously dipped into the soup for maximum enjoyment.
We wrapped things up by sharing samples of Gelato (which comes in several flavors — we had Limone) and the Limone Brownie, which was augmented by a lemon buttercream on a rich chocolate brownie.
Pizzeria Limone is definitely a restaurant we will enjoy returning to in the future.
PIZZERIA LIMONE
Where: 1249 E. Main St. #120, Lehi
Prices: $3.95-$8.95
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Info: (801) 331-8820, pizzerialimone.net