Born and raised a New Yorker, the owner of Pizzeria DeVille, had a life-long dream of opening his own pizza joint, a place that locals and visitors would find warm, cozy, and welcoming. His dreams became a reality with the development of Pizzeria DeVille, a rustic-Italian style restaurant that serves authentic brick-oven pizza, baked pasta, meatballs, salads, and antipasto.

The 4,200 square foot 1950’s building, located in the heart of Libertyville’s “restaurant row”, had been the home to numerous small businesses over the years and lacked character and warmth. During the design investigation period, we were pleased to discover hidden wood-bowstring trusses that were covered for years under drywall. The exposed trusses required minimal restoration and provided the natural beauty, warmth, and openness the space desperately needed. The restaurant layout is deceptively large, accommodating 64 diners on the main level and bar seating for 10 in the middle of all the action. Stacked wood is elevated from a “useful” source of heat for the pizza oven to a rustic design element, separating the dining room and entrance. The lower level is where you will find the prep kitchen and a private dining/bar space that can accommodate up to 48 guests.

Guests seated near the open pizza kitchen are served up an extra level of entertainment as the chefs lay it out for all to see, handcrafting pizza in the old traditional manner. Wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizzas are baked at 800-900 degrees in an authentic Italian brick oven, creating a crispy outside and soft “fresh bread” inside texture.

The resulting space is a one-of-a-kind rustic Italian pizzeria.

© The Photographic Artwork of Jacob T. VanVooren