Elkhart Lake, Wis. (August 14, 2023) – Harry’s Pizza e Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar will open on August 22, 2023 as the first pizza restaurant in Elkhart Lake’s 100+ year history and the only certified Roman-style pizza restaurant in the state. Welcoming locals and tourists, restauranter Avni (Al) Latifi and his wife Laurie are set to open the full-service restaurant with saloon-style bar during the peak of the summer tourism season. The restaurant will serve dinner offering dine-in and carry-out from 4-9pm. The renovated space offers seating for up to 50 patrons and is located at 111 East Rhine Street, previously home to Subway.
The Latifis bring Roman pizza back to Wisconsin. The restaurant’s specialty is certified Roman-style Pizza – a unique style of pizza that has a crunchy, yet airy crust made with Roman dough that is high in hydration and fermented for up to 96 hours. The time-intensive dough-making process allows gluten and carbohydrates to be broken down making the cooked pizza crust easier to digest.
The family first introduced Roman pizza to Wisconsin when Al and Laurie transformed their Sheboygan diner Harry’s Diner at Interstate into Harry’s Pizza Market in July 2020. Following one year of operation the couple closed the restaurant to focus on finding a more appropriate location. After months of searching, the Latifis found an ideal location to reopen under a new name and in a new town.
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“We are thrilled to bring Roman pizza back to Wisconsin and to Sheboygan County in a location with so much history and moreover that is hungry for pizza!” said Al. “Excited to service the area with a unique locale for destination dining and sharing our pizza for carryout and delivery – from downtown Elkhart Lake to Road America and all points around and in between!”
Roman-style pizza making is a trained skill and there are only 50+ Roman pizza restaurants in the United States. Al received his certification in making Roman-style pizza in a week-long full immersion course at The Roman Pizza Academy, Miami, Fla. in 2019 alongside his nephew Adrian Latifi, owner of Harry’s Prohibition Bistro in Sheboygan. Adrian and Al were of the first 100 chefs in the United States to earn the Roman al Taglio Pizza accreditation. They are the only two certificate holders in the State of Wisconsin. The certificates were presented by Massimiliano Saieva, Lead Instructor of Roman Pizza Academy, LLC.
The introductory menu at Harry’s Pizza e Vino will feature 12-inch personal size pizzas with specialty toppings. Signature pizzas will include:
WALNUT – oven-roasted walnuts, walnut-puree, sliced mushrooms, fontina cheese, and cream cheese, finished with an extra virgin olive oil drizzle.
PUTTANESCA – San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olives, hot soppressata, calabrese peppers, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil.
In addition to pizza, the dinner menu includes appetizers, salads and desserts. A feature on the appetizer menu is The Winners Circle – an array of farm fresh vegetables and chef-made pesto with burrata cheese served with Roman bread. The menu includes lush salads served atop a baked pizza crust. Noteworthy desserts are Peanut Butter Panna Cotta – thickened sweet cream on top of a peanut butter crust and Affogato – espresso poured over ice cream.
The bar will feature specialty cocktail drinks, beer, and spirits along with an array of vintner-selected wines. The vast selection will highlight vintages sourced from Macedonia to honor the Latifi family heritage.
Harry’s Pizza e Vino will be open for dinner year-round. Hours and days of operation may vary by season. For up-to-date information follow the business on social media at @harryspizzaevino on Instagram and Facebook.
