Omnivore - Varuni Napoli opens tonight

• Laura Sullivan
• The bar at Varuni Napoli, part of its "everything-on-display" design.

Varuni Napoli opens in Morningside tonight. Situated near the corner of Piedmont and Monroe, and with a snazzy walk-up, take-out window, Varuni-Napoli is Atlanta's newest Neapolitan pizzeria, brought to you by Antico alum Luca Varuni and owner Giancarlo Pirrone.

The Naples-born chef is obsessed with authenticity. The dough, made from the powder-fine Doppio-Zero flour so revered in Southern Italy, is made with natural yeast and allowed to rise in a temperature and humidity controlled room. The San Marzano tomatoes come from the "volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius" - and Pirrone says he has 12 tons of the things stuffed in every available hiding place in the restaurant. The Sorrento olive oil, Fiordilatte mozzarella and more all hint at an appropriate amount of obsession over fine, simple ingredients.

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The pizza menu is wide-ranging, with 10 artisan pizzas and four classic pizzas on offer. The Mamma had cherry tomatoes, deeply smoked buffalo mozzarella, bright arugula and thin, artfully sliced prosciutto. The Amore Mio was a hit, topped with fresh, roasted artichokes - not the bottled, marinated variety - that were rich and roasty, along with sopressata, mushrooms, black olives, buffalo mozzarella and pecorino romano. The menu also includes street food, like Arancitti (fried rice balls) and Panzerotti (mozzarella stuffed dough), and large fresh buffalo mozzarella platters.

Varuni Napoli stands out for its polished, smartly designed interior. A bar surrounds the kitchen and the two enormous 900-degree tiled ovens (straight from Italy, of course) so that patrons can pony up and take in the magic. The wine list is short but strong, with all Italian DOC and DOP wines, including a $5 Super Tuscan.

Varuni Napoli. 1540 Monroe Drive. 404-709-2690. varuni.us. Dinner: Tues.-Wed., 6 p.m.-midnight; Thurs.-Sat., 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.-midnight Brunch: Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Entrees: $14-$21. Beer and wine. Lot parking.

• Laura Sullivan
• The Mamma artisan pizza.

• Laura Sullivan
• The classic, in all its glory, at Varuni Napoli.

• Laura Sullivan
• The pizza ovens at Varuni Napoli have been seasoned for the last 2 months.

Note: Creative Loafing attended the soft-opening as a guest, but all opinions in this post are our own.