Restaurateur Thea Goldman (formerly of Joey’s) branches out Downtown with Thea’s Pizzeria, a handsome new spot for pizza and wine. The stylish bistro is located adjacent to the UM Life Science and Technology Park and is an ideal spot for power lunches near downtown. The neo-industrial space is outfitted with molded black chairs, polished concrete floors and a striking Bisazza tile mosaic of flowers behind the bar. A window into the kitchen allows for view of pizza-making at a marble slab. The restaurant is open right now for breakfast and lunch only, with plans to roll out dinner in the next month. The grub: Thin-crust pizzas and gourmet salads. According to Goldman, this is a friendly spot to grab a glass of wine (most are $6 a glass) and a bit of pizza and charcuterie without breaking the bank. Most of the staff are veterans of Joey’s and the menu is short and simple: ten pizzas, a handful of sandwiches, five salads and five entrees. Prices are reasonable with pizzas $11-$14, salads average $7 and mains top out at $16.
There’s gourmet detail here: the Italian bread that comes in the gratis bread basket is made by a former baker at Mario Batali’s Eataly, the pizza maker uses Italian flour for pizza dough and everything seems sourced with quality in mind. Besides the margarita, which is a scrumptious mélange of dough, cheese and tangy tomato sauce, there’s the artichoke pizza made with artichoke purree, grana padano cheese and fresh arugula. Salads include a roasted beet with gorgonzola and walnuts and a oven-roasted tomato with goat cheese. Charcuterie boards come piled with prosciutto, salami and mortadella while mains include a salad Nicoise and a skirt steak. Dessert includes traditional canolli and gelato sourced from Amore Gelato in Brickell. An espresso granita is a playful spin on the usual espresso digestif.
1951 NW 7th Ave Miami, FL 33136. (305) 777-3777
