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Local restaurateur is filling one of City Plaza’s empty jewel boxes.
Raleigh has long been working to bring people back Downtown, especially in a postpandemic primarily hybrid- or remote-based world—and V Pizza’s Anthony Rapillo thinks pizza is part of the answer. Come mid-November, the former Happy + Hale jewel box in City Plaza gets a glow-up via Veloce Italian Market, a V Pizza sister spot designed to lure back the 9-to-5 and event crowd.
But for owner Anthony Rapillo—also of Flour & Barrel, La Taqueria and The Side Door fame—the concept is just as much about driving Raleigh’s thriving future as it is harkening back to his youth.
“I grew up with a market in Queens called Ragtime,” he recalls. “It was incredible. The smell when you walked in the door… I always imagined that was what Italy smelled like—olives, salads, breads, canned goods, cannoli, etc. That place was everything an Italian market is and should be, and I want that smell and that atmosphere to live in Veloce.”
Taking inspo from that mainstay memory, Veloce will specialize in 10- and 13-inch pizzas, crafted from V Pizza’s recipe and fired from the same oven—plus paninis, wings and provisions (think: pizza kits, housemade vodka sauce, dry pasta, fried chicken cutlets and more), with a grab-and-go section of sandos and salads rounding out the offerings.
“My favorite place in the world is Eataly,” says Rapillo of his muse. “It feels like back home in New York.” To wit, he intentionally chose a high-frequency spot—ideal for nearby office workers to pop in twice a day or a few times a week for lunch or a take-home pie or pizza kit.
And like Ragtime, the space’ll be compact—no chairs, just flavor, plus a full liquor bar spinning simple ’tails. Think Aperol spritzes and nice wines out of plastic Sip n’ Stroll cups, ready for roaming the plaza, fueling the wait or even while catching a Hopscotch set—when Veloce will keep the lights on late.
“I think it’s gonna do really well,” he muses. “Everything I do starts with pizza—and I really do believe we make the best Neapolitan pizza in the Triangle. Pizza is going to be what drives people Downtown to come into Veloce.” And while it might sound cheesy, it’s something Raleigh can certainly bet on. velocemarketnc.com
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Love this concept for this location and footprint. Can’t wait to grab, go, and even sip!
Since moving here from Connecticut 7 years ago, we’ve had a very hard time trying to find an authentic Italian deli and market where we could purchase some of our Italian favorites that we so often found on Arthur Ave in NYC. We’d love it if this market turned out to be one of those Italian specialty markets!