SOUTH END – Pizza and Wine Bar in Venice, CA

The Experience Magazine publisher Erwin and I stopped by this real Italian pizza place “SOUTH END” in Venice on Monday evening. The restaurant is located at south end of Abbot Kinney Blvd. (Is this why they called South End?)

Chef Mario Vollera opened SOUTH END in 2013. He is a wine specialist. This casual restaurant is not only popular for its rustic pizzas, but also for its wide selection of fine wines to go with the pizzas. If you like pizza pairing wine, this is the place! There are about 40 different wines from around the world to choose from!

It has been a whole year since we were not allowed to eat inside the restaurant due to COVID-19. Fortunately SOUTH END has been offering outdoor seating, take-out and delivery.

It was a windy evening, so we sat at the table right in front of the restaurant. There were 2 long tables right in front of the restaurant. I love the table design! ↑

We tried some of SOUTH END most popular dishes.
Rucola salad: arugula, gorgonzola dolce, apple, toasted pecans, lemons, balsamico
Vanguard pie: mushrooms, fontina, fresno chilies, pecorino, fine herbs
Kinney pie: crushed tomatoes, burrata, basil pesto, monini EVOO

Erwin tried their Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

I liked the Rucola salad. Plenty of arugula, a simple salad but the taste of gorgonzola, roasted pecans and balsamic is unforgettable. I felt that Vanguard mushroom pizza had a slight spiciness from the chili that enhances the taste. It also had a great cheese flavor. Kinney pizza looked so intriguing! This was another simple topping but it was made with fresh ingredients! I really tasted the nice basil pesto and extra virgin olive oil on Kinney pizza.

When I first saw the pizza, I thought it was a thick crust, but the center was thinner. I usually tend to leave the crust if the edges of the crust are flavorless, but their edge of crust was tasty! I was satisfied with the crust. Of course I ate them all!

Erwin commented the same about pizza.
“The real teste of a great pizza was the crust. The dough was fresh made and it was baked just just right. When the dough and crust are made correctly I will eat the whole thing. If not I leave the crust behind. I ate the whole thing which in my own estimation makes it perfect so I highly recommend the pizza.”

Before we got to our table, there was a couple eating at another table and they ordered something interesting. I asked the manager what it was. That was Tiramisu! I’ve never seen this type of Tiramisu before. One of my favorite desserts is Tiramisu and I knew I had to experience this Tiramisu!

The server brings the set of Tiramisu. He started pouring espresso over ladyfingers, and he separated the coffee maker, mascarpone came out from the boiler (bottom) part! (Wow!) For the final touch, he grated the chocolate and voilà, Tiramisu is ready! I was watching a cooking show! Very entertaining! I was very excited!

After enjoying the show “How Tiramisu is Made”, it was time to enjoy the taste! The espresso had soaked into the ladyfingers just right and softened them. Their mascarpone was absolutely tasty! And I found nutella at the bottom of ladyfingers!!! Ahh! This is a nice touch! Moreover, I enjoyed mixing the Tiramisu with the mascarpone that was left in the bottom part of the coffee maker too much! I was so happy and glad to get Tiramisu here!

Thanks to Mario and the server, we had a wonderful evening! Pleases check SOUTH END! We highly recommend! They have Happy Hour (4pm – 6pm), selected bottle 50% off and a glass of wine for $7! Nice deal!

SOUTH END has been awarded OpenTable‘s DINNER’S CHOICE for many years. They also received Yelp TOP RATED RESTAURANT in 2014 and 2016.

SOUTH END may be hard to find, it’s in a strip mall, behind the gas station. Close street is Washington Blvd. Here is the Google map location image. ↓