Pizza Di Roma

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Revision as of 13:52, 21 October 2026 by Jacques (talk | contribs) (Add the 2017 West Side opening and the owners (2015–2019 research))

Pizza di Roma (also spelled Pizza Di Roma and Pizza de Roma) was a pizza shop at 313 State St. for about 18 years, with a second store on the West Side. Both closed in 2020–2021[1][2].

History

The West Side store opened on June 15, 2017, at 439 Grand Canyon Dr., in the former Legends sports bar. The owners, Jimmy Pashaj and Marinela Manastirli, had then run the State Street shop for 14 years[3].

During the protests of late May and early June 2020, looters smashed the State Street store's windows and destroyed its phone and sales systems. The owner, Marinela Manastirli, moved its business to the West Side store on Grand Canyon Drive, and the State Street space was put up for lease[1]. The State Journal called it "a State Street staple for 18 years"[4].

The West Side store, at 439 Grand Canyon Dr., was "temporarily closed" by March 2021[5] and did not reopen. Mirch Masala, an Indian and Nepali restaurant, moved into the building in 2022 and took out the pizza ovens[2][6]. Little Sweet, a bakery and café, opened at 313 State St. in 2025[7].

Locations

  • 313 State St. (about 2002 to June 2020).
  • 439 Grand Canyon Dr. (June 15, 2017, to about 2021)[3]. Before Pizza di Roma it was Legend's Sports Bar[2].

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adams, B. (2020, June 21). "A changed landscape, worry and hope on State Street in wake of protests, amid COVID-19 pandemic." madison.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kalk Derby, S. (2022, April 29). "Indian-Nepali restaurant on State Street finds new home on West Side." madison.com.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2017, June 27). "State Street pizza place opens West Side location in former Legends." madison.com.
  4. ↑ Adams, B. (2020, August 23). "Fund launched to aid State Street businesses but challenges persist." madison.com.
  5. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2021, March 2). "'Community over competition': One pizzeria helps another after Sun Prairie crash." madison.com.
  6. ↑ (2022, December 7). Mirch Masala review: the former Pizza di Roma on Grand Canyon Drive. The Capital Times. p. O37. Newspapers.com image 902934910.
  7. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2026, January 16). "46 restaurant, bar and cafe openings in the Madison area in 2025." madison.com.
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