The violet stone’s new location at 2609 dr. mlk street north in crescent heights | st. pete rising

St. Pete’s favorite Philly-style pizza joint, The Violet Stone, has officially opened in a much larger, more prominent location. So say goodbye to long lines, sold-out signs by noon, and eating pizza on the hood of your car.

The new restaurant, located at 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North, debuted on Wednesday, and brings with it an expanded menu, upgraded kitchen, and seating for up to 100 guests, both indoors and out.

The Violet Stone has come a long way since it launched as a food truck in 2022. After outgrowing the truck, owner Daniel Fekete set up shop in a small 800-square-foot space in Kenwood.

That original space had no air conditioning and just a few chairs and tables. Now, the team is settling into a 2,100-square-foot spot that finally matches Fekete’s vision for the restaurant.

the violet stone is known for its well-done Philadelphia-style pizzas | st. pete rising

“It’s a completely new environment for us,” said Fekete, who personally designed the new space to reflect the kind of Italian restaurants he grew up visiting. “In the dining room, we went with a rusted look and covered every square inch of the wall with framed paintings.”

The restaurant is split into two sides, takeout on the left and dine-in on the right, with the dining area also available for private events.

The takeout side features murals by local artist Matt Kress of nostalgic Philly references, including nods to “Benny Franks” (Ben Franklin), the Phillie Phanatic, and the Philadelphia skyline.

The kitchen is now equipped with two brand-new pizza ovens, in addition to the two ovens brought over from the original location. With a 24-foot hood system, the team can now make over 100 cheesesteaks an hour, doubling their previous output.

The dining room designed to reflect the kind of Italian restaurants the owner Daniel Fekete grew up visiting | St Pete Rising

“We’re no longer just a pizzeria, we’re more of a full Italian restaurant now,” Fekete said.

In addition to the Philly-style pizzas and cheesesteaks, The Violet Stone now offers a menu of appetizers, salads, pasta, and sandwiches.

Appetizers include hand-breaded fried mozzarella, broccoli rabe and ricotta crostini on focaccia, cheesesteak eggrolls, and longhot peppers stuffed with sausage, ricotta, and mozzarella.

The pasta menu includes classics like chicken parmesan and new specialties like The Spicy Rig, which is rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce, and Baked Crab Fusilli made with a cheesy crab sauce and topped with fresh crab.

The open kitchen and take out counter at The Violet Stone | st. pete rising

The pizzas are always well-done with a slightly thicker Neapolitan-style dough, made using Bianco DiNapoli whole peeled tomatoes and a house-made mozzarella blend.

Standouts include the Sticky Fingers, which contains spicy vodka sauce, mozzarella, chorizo, and hot honey; the Spicy Boi, made with arrabbiata, sausage, long hots, ricotta, and hot honey; and the Italian Stallion, which consists of béchamel, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, sausage, and ricotta.

“Everything we do is a pain in the ass,” Fekete admitted. “We make our own mozzarella every single day, do our own sausage, make all of our sauces from scratch.”

Even the fries are fried in beef tallow, “Old-school McDonald’s style,” Fekete said. “This is how they did it back in the day when they were kings.”

The Violet Stone’s Philadelphia mural created by local artist Matt Kress | st. pete rising

The Violet Stone first captured national attention in early 2024 when Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports and a notoriously tough pizza critic, visited the shop.

He awarded the pizza a 7.9 and gave the cheesesteak a glowing 9.2, calling it “a real deal Philly cheesesteak.”

“This is the best food I’ve had so far in Tampa [Bay],” he said in the video review.

The Violet Stone’s new location is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Be sure to follow the Violet Stone on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for the latest menu offerings and announcements.