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Fire & Hops is located at 1 N. Belmont Ave. in the Museum District. The sign was designed by Richmond's Sure Hand Signs. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Fire & Hops is opening in the former Stuzzi space. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Fire & Hops co-owner Joe Conigliaro has owned Sergio's Pizza & Craft Beer in Midlothian for almost 30 years. (Photo courtesy Joe Conigliaro)
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Inside Fire & Hops (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The focus at Fire & Hops is on pizza, tacos, sliders and suds. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The pizza oven at Fire & Hops is gas-fired, a method Conigliaro believes leads to a more consistent pie. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Out with the pie, in with the pie.
Fire & Hops Pizza Co., a new restaurant expected to open at the end of January, is breathing new life into 1 N. Belmont Ave., the space formerly occupied by the wood-fired pizza emporium Stuzzi.
Fire & Hops owners Joe Conigliaro and cousins Antonio and Filippo Altadonna are all experienced restaurant owners. Joe opened Sergio’s Pizza, Pasta & Craft Beer in the Brandermill neighborhood of Chesterfield with his wife 27 years ago; Filippo owns Pietro’s Pizza & Italian in Chester; and Antonio opened Arianna’s Italian Grill on Sheppard Street before selling the restaurant; he also owns the Lakeside location of Arianna's.
All three of the restaurants have one attribute in common: establishing a regular customer base of neighborhood diners. The goal is the same for Fire & Hops.
“I want this to be a local spot, and [Sergio’s has] been open 27 years because of that, because of regulars,” Conigliaro says. “They know each other and interact with each other and staff and come in four times a week. We’re hoping to become that place.”
Conigliario says the walkability of Fire & Hops and its location between Carytown and the Museum District were part of the space’s appeal.
“We were lucky to be at the right place at the right time,” says Conigliaro. “This is the restaurant I’ve always wanted to do, and we’ve had so much interest from the people walking by.”
Fire & Hops focuses on its namesakes — pizza and beer — but also plans to offer tacos, sliders and a handful of pasta dishes including gnocchi carbonara and lobster and crab ravioli.
Slider choices range from Greek-inspired lamb to Nashville hot, pork belly banh mi, and muffuletta on rosemary focaccia, while tacos include a carne asada, fried oysters and a house-made salsa.
As for pizza, Conigliaro says they’ve opted for the gas-oven route over wood fire.
“The problem with wood-fired is the consistency of temperature," he says. "The cooking will always be different, and you tend to get it charred or burnt on one side; this will eliminate that. It’s not the wood that gives the flavor, it’s the high temperature.”
Pizzas will take roughly three minutes to bake, and the menu features Italian classics such as the salsiccia e friarielli, i.e., sausage and broccoli raab, and a bianca, or white pizza, with potatoes and rosemary, along with vegan and margherita options and a carnivore pie featuring pepperoni, soppressata and sausage.
The tap system will be a mix of 24 Richmond-, Virginia- and nationally brewed suds that are expected to rotate frequently, particularly with the restaurant's crowler program that allows canning of beer on premises.
“We’re hoping to do a lot of to-go,” says Conigliaro. “Take a pizza, grab a crowler, and you’re ready to go — you can walk home with a pizza and beer and be ready to watch a game or movie.”
Although pizza and beer are the focus, Conigliaro believes by keeping the menu small, it will allow for them to get creative in the kitchen and introduce daily specials that keep diners interested.
“We want to do a lot of comfort food, too, like mac and cheese and turkey sandwiches with stuffing around Thanksgiving — bring back memories.”
Still, Conigliaro is aware of the power of the pie.
“Everybody eats pizza,” he says. “We’ll do things a little different. I think it’s about making people feel comfortable and for them to come here and say, ‘This is our spot.’ I want to see the faces of the customers, and I thrive on getting to know them and making them become regulars.”
Fire & Hops will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
