Now Open: Gasper's Casual Italian Dining

Hungry for some pizza?Gasper's Casual Italian Dining just opened last week in the 16th Street spot that used to be Zest. Since the building sat vacant for quite awhile, it's refreshing to see signs of life there again. Owner Gasper Manno, co-founder of Sapori D'Italia in Fountain Hills, renovated the space...

By Michele Laudig

July 8, 2010

Audio By Carbonatix

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Hungry for some pizza?

Gasper's Casual Italian Dining just opened last week in the 16th Street spot that used to be Zest.

Since the building sat vacant for quite awhile, it's refreshing to see signs of life there again. Owner Gasper Manno, co-founder of Sapori D'Italia in Fountain Hills, renovated the space (check out the slideshow on the restaurant's website) and created a "pizza bar" where he makes all the Neapolitan-style pies.

Manno tells me he also hired chef Travis Watson, who cooked up delicious Mediterranean food at Avalon before a more recent stint at Culinary Dropout.

Dinner service is from 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, and Sunday, and from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and features a limited menu of pizzas and antipasto.

Manno plans to offer lunch starting this fall.

Michele Laudig

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