The Violet Stone pizzeria to relocate to larger space in Crescent Heights
/The violet stone, known for its well-done pizza, will relocate to the MLK corridor in St. Pete’s crescent heights neighborhood | The Violet Stone
The Violet Stone’s well-done Philadelphia-style pizza, with its crispy edges, generous layers of cheese, and fresh tomato sauce, has generated an incredible following since the pizzeria's debut last year. So much so that it has quickly outgrown its Kenwood shop.
The Violet Stone, which opened a brick-and-mortar location in 2023 at 2134 9th Avenue North, will relocate later this year to 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North in St. Pete's Crescent Heights community.
The space formerly housed the House of Pipes and Cigars and vegan cafe Neighborhood Joe, which relocated two blocks away to a space next to Trip’s Diner.
Neighborhood Joe’s former space and the cigar space the Violet stone will occupy and also add new signage on the property | St Pete Rising
"When we first started as a food truck business, we served Crescent Heights. We love that neighborhood and thought there weren't many sit-down restaurants on MLK," The Violet Stone founder and owner Daniel Fekete said to St. Pete Rising.
Customers are often seen devouring the cheesy pies on the hood of their cars in the parking lot as the existing shop only has a few chairs and tables inside and no air conditioning.
The Violet Stone’s new family-friendly "old school pizzeria" will offer 110 seats with indoor and outdoor dining, additional pizza ovens to increase volume, and an HVAC system.
Additionally, Fekete plans to remove the walls between the cigar shop and the former vegan restaurant and create an open kitchen that will give customers a behind-the-scenes look at The Violet Stone's dough-making process.
"This isn't going to be a typical St. Pete 'Instagram’ type of restaurant. That's not what we are going for. It will be beautiful, but we are spending our money on the food and things that matter," Fekete said.
The violet stone uses all-fresh ingredients for its well-done pies | the violet stone
He is targeting a September 2nd Labor Day opening for the new shop.
Fekete said in certain aspects, the team works the pies in a Neapolitan style and uses focaccia bread rather than the standard dough.
They also use high-end organic tomatoes and a fresh mozzarella blend, never resorting to frozen bagged ingredients.
An expanded kitchen and dining space became an even bigger need after the owner of Barstool Sports and well-known pizza critic Dave Portnoy visited The Violet Stone earlier this year.
The Violet Stone's pizza received a 7.9 rating from Portnoy, who is a notoriously harsh critic. Portnoy also hit up a few other local pizzerias while in town for his popular “One Bite Pizza Reviews” series.
The Violet Stone staff and dave portnoy (far right) | the violet stone
"This is the best food that I've had so far in Tampa [Bay]," Portnoy said of The Violet Stone during his live review, which happened to fall one day after the pizza joint’s first year anniversary.
He also reviewed The Violet Stone's popular cheesesteak, rating it a high 9.2 and calling it a "real deal Philly cheesesteak."
Fekete and his team of 11, including his wife, pride themselves on perfecting the dough for the cheesesteaks and going beyond the typical New York pizzas that others try to emulate.
"We make the cheesesteak rolls fresh every morning,” said Fekete. “We don’t cut any corners.”
Unlike many chefs, Fekete didn't grow up in a kitchen and receive professional culinary training.
"My family are very harsh critics. The way my mind works is trial and error. We try new things until we like it. I'm still making most of the pizzas. It's a 24-7 operation."
The violet stone’s purple neon light | the violet stone
Fekete expects to hire additional kitchen staff for the new location, which will be open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will be closed on Tuesdays.
Street parking will be available and similar to the current shop, pizza delivery will not be offered.
"This is really about having a place where people can sink into a chair and eat some good (but not so healthy) food," Fekete said.
"We want our business to be like Mazzaro's Italian Market - become a staple in the city for generations," added Fekete.
Be sure to follow The Violet Stone on Facebook and Instagram for the latest store news and announcements.
