Legendary Vegas pizzeria closes a shop after 37 years
Metro Pizza, one of the eminences of pizza craft in Las Vegas, is shutting its shop on East Tropicana Road. The last day of service is Friday. The pizzeria announced the closing on Tuesday afternoon in an Instagram post.
“After having a presence for over 37 years on the East Tropicana Ave. corridor, we are sad to announce that we are closing our restaurant at 1395 E. Tropicana Ave.,” the post reads. “We are deeply grateful to all of our Metro Pizza friends and family for your support over the many decades.”
Besides the pizzeria that is closing, Metro Pizza has four remaining locations across the valley.
A new Metro Pizza concept
“Naturally, we have a nostalgic attachment to the Tropicana location, so we are sorry to close it. The closing actually represents a positive move as we prepare for the January opening of our new Metro Pizza Sliceteria, the first of our destination slice shops,” John Arena, co-founder of the pizzeria, said in a statement for Neon.
The first shop will debut at the Bend development on West Sunset Road in the southwest, offering its namesake slices and whole pies.
Sliceteria aligns with what Arena called a global move toward “destination slice shops that are focused on high quality and variety,” with “slices that are worth traveling for. This has changed the way we think about that segment of the industry and created a new showcase for creativity.”
From New York to Vegas
Arena and his co-founder, his cousin Sam Facchini, arrived in Vegas in 1980. They had purchased a pizzeria here that they’d seen advertised in an Italian-language newspaper in their native New York City. Original New York Pizza was at Flamingo and Sandhill roads. By 1986, the business partners had decided to change the name, and the move to East Tropicana followed.
Arena has been the public face of Metro Pizza, and over the years, he has been celebrated for his knowledge of pizza styles from metro areas around the world. The pizzeria itself has been equally celebrated, garnering a host of recognition, including Arena being named a Legend of Pizza and a World Pizza Champion.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
This story has been updated from its original version.
