Villa Roma brings a taste of old Joe’s back to Bay Shore

As GLI previously reported, Villa Roma occupies the former Marcony Pasta & Pizza space, which was previously home to Joe’s Pizza & Pasta, a longtime Bay Shore staple that closed four years ago.

Parini said his goal was not only to reopen the location, but also to bring back elements of the neighborhood pizzeria many residents still remember.

One of those familiar offerings is the Brooklyn slice, an upside-down Sicilian-style pizza that helped make Joe’s a neighborhood favorite.

“The Brooklyn slice is what Joe’s was known for,” Parini said. “So we make it too. It’s very similar to L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn, cheese first and then the sauce. People told me it lives up to how they used to remember it.”

Villa Roma has also begun building a reputation for its expansive selection of specialty pizzas.

“We offer at least 30 different pies a day on the counter. No one has the variety we have,” Parini said. “We have 60 different pies on the menu, including a chicken and waffle pie, and we make others that aren’t even on the menu. And if someone asks for something that we don’t normally make, of course I make it for them.”

Parini said many of those specialty offerings are born through experimentation in the kitchen.

“It’s trial and error,” he said. “Just play around with all different combos. Some work better than others.”

Several creations have already emerged as customer favorites.

“Our No. 1 specialty is probably the honey garlic chicken and broccoli slice,” Parini said. “People love the sweet onion chicken teriyaki too.”

Parini is now focused on growing Villa Roma’s full-service dining room, which he hopes will become a larger part of the business moving forward.

For him, however, the restaurant ultimately comes down to a simple passion for the business.