Slice Shop pizzeria brings slice of New York to downtown Naples 

Slice Shop introduces a more approachable dining option to Fifth Avenue South. 

The new casual pizzeria with dozens of slice selections has been well received since opening Aug. 27 in an upscale environment in downtown Naples. The line snakes out the door some days for lunch and dinner. Early patrons, especially employees of other restaurants and shops on Fifth, are thanking co-owner Rob Guercio for providing a dining experience as simple as a slice of pizza and a drink. 

“The response has been wild. They’re thanking me for being here, which is cool,” Guercio said. “The buzz is out there. Everyone says it’s down season, but we really haven’t felt that.” 

Rob and Nicole Guercio and their three young children relocated to Naples a couple of years ago to launch Slice Shop, a pizzeria that aims to emulate similar ones in New York City. The couple also owns Pizzeria G on Long Island. 

Although their new restaurant has a Fifth Avenue address — 720 Fifth Ave. S. — entrances to the pizzeria are off Fifth in the rear alleyway — Cambier Park Way — behind the city park’s bandshell, as well as in the breezeway that separates the building from next door’s Vergina restaurant on Fifth Avenue.  

Major renovations have transpired since Shea’s on Lansdowne Street relocated from that space in 2020. Fire inspections were their biggest hurdles to opening, Guercio said. 

“It was a very long process. We did a lot of work,” he said. “There was a big bar in the middle that we took out. One of the major things we did, obviously, was adding the open pizza kitchen in the front. That was a major addition.” 

The open pizza kitchen and a “line forms here” sign with an arrow are the first things patrons see when they open the large wooden doors to Slice Shop. Then, patrons see the dozens of pans of pizzas displayed in three tiers in a line of glass cases. 

Pizza options include classics such as Margherita, Sicilian and a New York slice, and many other varieties such as buffalo chicken, burrata, chicken bacon ranch, chicken vodka, eggplant ricotta, grandma, grandma vodka, sesame chicken, stracciatella and truffle burrata. Some other pizza options in the case are not easily identified by name, but brief descriptions beneath their names help identify them. 

MVP is shorthand for marinara, vodka and pesto, topped with fresh mozzarella. Upside Down is a Sicilian slice with cheese on the bottom and sauce on top. The Portnoy, with an ultra-thin crust to impress Barstool Sports founder and One Bite pizza reviewer Dave Portnoy, is simply made with mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil. 

Portnoy raved about Guercio’s pizza on Long Island a few years ago, so Guercio expects Portnoy to find his way to Slice Shop to rate his namesake pie sooner or later. 

“I know a couple of people who know him, and I heard that he already found out about us, so I think it’s a matter of time before he comes in,” he said. “He has a place in Miami." 

The Booch pizza slice has been extremely popular. The square pizza made with pepperoni cups, stracciatella, vodka sauce, mozzarella and hot honey is named after the Guercios’ son. 

“His name is Christian but when he was younger, we use to call him Booch,” he said. “I don’t know how it happened, but it just kind of took off from there, so we named a pizza after him.”  

Guercio’s favorite slice is soppressata hot honey. “Soppressata is a type of pepperoni, a little bit on the spicier end, and we do it with some red pepper flakes and hot honey,” he said. “It’s really, really good.” 

Although pizza is Slice Shop’s headliner, a stellar supporting cast prepared by the Guercios’ chef from New York rounds out the menu. 

“Most pizzerias have the normal chicken parm sandwiches and pasta with red sauce, but we have an elevated pizzeria menu,” Guercio said. “We have a full kitchen in the back where we do sandwiches, salads, some cool small plates and, for right now, just one dessert.” 

Lemon zeppoles — miniature Italian doughnuts with powdered sugar — are for dessert. House-made pasta dishes feature fettuccine with fire chicken or shrimp; agnolotti pasta stuffed with sweet corn and ricotta; spicy mezzi rigatoni with vodka sauce and ricotta; and spaghetti in a lemon garlic butter sauce. 

Small plates include meatball sliders on bao buns, carbonara capellini cakes, baked clam dip, fried gnocchi cacio e pepe and wings. Slice Dip Trio features semolina crostini with honey butter, stracciatella and spicy soppressata spread. 

Sandwich selections include a cheesesteak and shrimp po’ boy, as well as the Slice Smash with Kobe beef, caramelized onions and American cheese; and the Slice Shop Parm Sandwich with a choice of chicken cutlet, fried shrimp or eggplant topped with vodka sauce and fresh mozzarella. A trio of salads with protein add-ons also are available, as well as beers on tap and rosé, red, white and sparkling wines. 

“We noticed that people are coming back the next day or another day to try the kitchen food, which is great,” Guercio said. “The first big hit really is everyone, obviously, just wants to try all the pizza. That’s what we want.” 

It sounds deceivingly simple, but deciding on one pizza slice from the long case of options is daunting. The welcoming menu board on the wall wishes patrons good luck and encourages them to “take a deep breath.” The 25-plus pizza slice options available for the shop’s inaugural run will stay for now, although specials will be added occasionally. 

“They’ve all been selling, so it’s not like one is going to come off the shelf anytime soon,” he said. “We’re going to have the same pies definitely until the end of season, and then we’ll kind of reevaluate if something’s selling or not selling and maybe add something that customers might be asking for.” 

To achieve a New York state of pizza, the Guercios installed a water filtration system and use authentic ingredients. “We use a really, really good Italian flour — no GMOs, no bromates, no bleach,” he said. 

The Guercios decided not to name their new Naples location Pizzeria G, as originally planned. 

“I just felt like it didn’t fit the space,” Guercio said. “The New York store is the New York store. I felt like I wanted to start this brand here in Naples. As we were building it, we wanted to make this a different name.” 

The name Slice Shop immediately connotes that the business is a casual spot to grab a bite. But, don’t expect the first slice to be the last slice. The Guercios plan additional locations of Slice Shop in the Naples area. 

“We’re going to start looking now,” Guercio said. 

For now, the new Slice Shop is open 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, although the pizzeria may stay open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays in season.