Osteria Capri restaurant reopens for lunch with new menu and extended hours

Naples, FL: (October 23, 2024) . . . Osteria Capri, the renowned waterfront Italian restaurant on the Isles of Capri, has reopened for pranzo (“lunch” in Italian), unveiling a new menu and extending lunch hours from 11 am until 3 pm. The star of pranzo is a brand-new Vegan Pizza, crafted to satisfy the growing demand for plant-based options without compromising on the rich, authentic Italian flavors Osteria Capri is known for. With its crisp, handmade dough, fresh local ingredients and a savory house-made vegan cheese, topped with a Bolognese sauce made of fresh carrots, onions and lentils with a blend of aromatic herbs, the Vegan Pizza is both a nod to Italian traditions and a step forward into modern, sustainable cuisine. 

“It is important for us to offer dishes that meet our guests’ preferences,” says Chef AJ Black, the culinary mastermind behind Osteria Capri. Chef AJ carefully curated the pizza to appeal to both plant-based diners and traditional pizza lovers. “By opting for vegan pizza, you enjoy a tasty and delicious meal, but you also make a good choice for your health,” he says.

The secret to Osteria Capri’s pizza’s authentic and traditional taste lies in the dough. Chef AJ sources his flour from the prestigious Caputo Mill in Italy. Caputo flour is a durum flour made with a blend of up to 7 or 8 different varieties of whole wheat grains. “Caputo flour produces greater volume than semolina and is a healthier choice. Better heart health and lower cholesterol levels,” he adds. 

Pizzas are baked in a brick oven where temperatures reach 800°F, much hotter than a conventional oven. This intense radiant heat from the heated brick dome allows the pizza to cook very quickly, in just 2–3 minutes, which gives the crust a perfect balance of crispiness on the outside and chewiness on the inside.

The new lunch menu expansion includes antipasti, insalate, sandwiches, chicken and meat entrees, six varieties of fish (prepared blackened, fried or sauteed), house made pastas and signature sides like truffle fries, risotto parmigiano and spaghetti Aglio e Olio.
 

About Osteria Capri

Chef AJ Black grew up in Sicily, trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris — the Parisian cooking school whose name is synonymous with culinary excellence — and honed his skills under the legendary Chef Paul Bocuse. He was the chef in several upscale New York City restaurants, owned restaurants in Nantucket, MA (Arno’s), Yarmouth Port, MA (Primavera Ristorante), Naples, FL (Amore) and Sanibel Island (ll Tesoro) before bringing his artistic talent and culinary expertise to Osteria Capri, formerly The Blue Heron. Sister restaurant Osteria Capri on Marco Island opened in February 2024.

Founded in 2019, Osteria Capri features authentic Italian cuisine with a modern sophisticated twist, specializing in organic seafood, seasonal local vegetables, natural beef, brick oven pizza and vegan and gluten-free options with hundreds of Italian wines. The waterfront restaurant’s bistro-style setting is located at 387 Capri Boulevard in the Isles of Capri, two miles north of Marco Island between the Marco River, Tarpon Bay and the Johnson Bay with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.

            Visit www.osteriacapri.com.Open daily for lunch 11 am until 3 pm; tasting menu 4:30 pm - 6 pm and dinner 4:30 pm until 9 pm. Reservations recommended by calling (239) 970-5721.