Hey there, food lovers and wanderers. If you’re looking for real Italian food in Sedona, you can stop looking. Imagine stepping into a small restaurant in the back streets of Rome — the espresso machine going, someone shouting an order, bread that smells like it took time. That’s what we built here, on 89A in West Sedona.
Family Operated Since Our First Kitchen in 1996
We’re not one of the many restaurants around here. We’re family operated, we serve with humility and pride, and we cook the food we actually grew up on — Sicilian from Palermo, Piemontese from Torino, Roman by training. Whether you’re craving pizza, a memorable dining experience, or a pinsa romana after a long hike, Vespa is your go-to destination. No doubt.
Food Is Our Love Language
What Actually Makes Us Different
Seventy-Two Hours of Patience
Our pinsa dough is four ingredients — flour, water, yeast, sea salt — and it rests cold at 4–6°C for three full days before anyone touches it. That is what makes it light and crisp at the edge. We did the waiting so you don’t have to think about it afterward. How the dough works →
Flour From the Man Who Invented Pinsa
Pinsa romana was created in 2001 by Corrado Di Marco. We buy our flour from Di Marco — the original three-flour blend, not an American approximation. Milled outside Rome, certified non-GMO, screened for pesticide residue under European standards. Our pasta is made fresh in Italy and imported; we don’t pretend to do it better than people who have done it for generations.
Two Grandmothers
Nonna Pina taught this family the kitchen. Nonna Maria taught the coffee bar. That is why we are a café and not only a restaurant — the espresso here is its own discipline, handed down by its own teacher. Meet the family →
Easy on the Body
Long fermentation, clean sourcing, four ingredients, and a bread that sits lighter than standard pizza. Food that doesn’t sit on you for the rest of the afternoon — which matters more than usual when you’ve got a trail to get back to.
Perfect Location
1350 W State Route 89A, Suite 22 — West Sedona, not Uptown. Easier parking, and we’re open from 11am every day without closing between lunch and dinner.
A Culinary Journey Through Italy
Sicilian aubergine, Ligurian pesto, Roman flatbread, and the desserts that close an Italian meal properly. Our menu is a map of where this family comes from. See the full menu →
72-HOUR FERMENTED | FOUR INGREDIENTS | ROMAN FLATBREAD
NOT GLUTEN FREE: UNIQUELY BETTER.
Our menu is a trip through Italy — Roman flatbread, Sicilian aubergine, Ligurian pesto, and the desserts that end every Italian meal properly.
Some dishes live beyond the main list. Ask us what is available or explore our secret menu.
LA PINSA ROMANA
Roman Style Pizza
Ten varieties on a 72-hour, 85%-hydration dough. Oval, not round. Airy inside, shattering at the edge. Start with the Margherita if it’s your first time, or the Rucola e Prosciutto if it isn’t.
ANTIPASTI & INSALATE
Appetizers & Salads
Bruschetta Capri, Burrata Caprese, organic leaves with apple and toasted pistachio. Italian starters wake your appetite rather than blunting it.
SORRISI FARCITI
Sandwiches
Built on the same three-day dough, filled and folded. Lunch that doesn’t slow you down.
People come to Sedona and search for pizza. Then they find us and see the word pinsa, and reasonably wonder whether they’re about to be talked out of what they wanted.
You’re not. Pinsa romana is pizza — it’s the Roman version, and it’s older than the Neapolitan one everybody pictures. Round versus oval. One flour versus three. A few hours of rising versus seventy-two.
What that means when it arrives: a base that’s crisp underneath and open inside, with a bit of chew and no grease. It doesn’t fold like New York pizza and it isn’t soupy in the middle like Neapolitan. It’s its own thing, and once people have had it they tend to stop comparing.
We bake it on stone over gas at around 608°F. Not a wood oven — Neapolitan pizza wants ferocious heat for ninety seconds, and this dough doesn’t. It wants steady heat, held exactly, from the first order at 11am to the last one at night. So if you searched for the best pizza in Sedona and ended up here: you’re in the right place. It just took us three days to get ready for you.
Nonna Maria taught this family the coffee bar, so the espresso here is not an afterthought. Italian beans, pulled the way it is drunk in Rome — standing at the counter, quickly, no ceremony.
The wine list is short and chosen to sit alongside this food rather than to impress anyone. We keep a proper range of amari, the herbal digestivi that close a meal in Italy — a little sweet, a little bitter, and kind to a full stomach.
Espresso That Wakes You Up: We use the best Italian coffee beans to make espresso that’s rich, strong, and totally authentic.
Wines for Every Taste: Red, white, rosé – we’ve got a wine to match your mood and your meal. Let us help you pick the perfect one!
Cool Cocktails and More: From Italian NA sodas, classic aperitivos staples like Aperol Spritz and Campari soda, to Locally sourced Mocktails, and Classic Martinis and Craft Cocktails, we’ve got plenty of ways to quench your thirst.
Amaros (Trust Us): These herbal liqueurs are a classic Italian way to end a meal. They’re a little sweet, a little bitter, and totally unique.
Planning Your Visit
WALK-INS WELCOME | DOGS WELCOME OUTSIDE | OPEN 11AM DAILY
No reservations, and that’s on purpose
We don’t take bookings. Walk in and we’ll find you a table. The quiet window is 11am to 12:30pm — hikers come off the trails around 1pm and every kitchen in Sedona gets slammed at once. Come before noon and you’ll barely wait.
Bring the dog — here’s how it works
Dogs are welcome at our outdoor tables. It runs a little differently from inside: order at the counter, we pack it up for you, and you carry it out. There’s no table service outside, and Arizona liquor law keeps wine and cocktails indoors. But after a morning on the trail together, you and the dog get to sit down in the Sedona air instead of eating in the car — and that’s worth knowing before you drive over.
Order ahead or take it with you
Order online through Toast and collect, or call and we’ll have it ready. Everything on the menu travels — the pinsa in particular holds up far better than pizza does.
Open straight through
11am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday, 11am to 10pm Friday and Saturday. We don’t close between lunch and dinner, which in this town is rarer than it should be.
Finding us
West Sedona, on 89A — not Uptown. 1350 W State Route 89A, Suite 22. Free parking in the plaza lot, though it fills up around the middle of the day like everything else in this town. Another reason to come before noon. Directions and landmarks →
CUSTOMIZED MENUS TO SUIT YOUR EVENT | OFF & ON-SITE EXPERIENCE
We cater weddings, private parties, corporate events and retreats across the Sedona area — the same kitchen and the same 72-hour dough, wherever you are celebrating.
Every event is fully custom. Tell us what you are planning and someone will reach out within 10 minutes. Guaranteed. That is the thing our clients mention most.
CAREER GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT | EMBRACE THE VESPA SPIRIT
Join our team at Vespa. We value excellence, creativity and a real commitment to hospitality — the Italian kind, where looking after people is the job rather than a policy.
The Zacchino family came from Piazza Sant’Onofrio in Palermo, by way of Sanremo on the Ligurian coast, and opened its first American restaurant in Phoenix in 1996 — Tutti Santi by Nina, still going today. Vespa came later, and further north.
Leonardo is the patriarch. Matteo runs this kitchen. Over the years we have become the local’s favourite and a visiting must, and the reason is not complicated: we cook the way our grandmothers taught us, and we treat people like they have come to the house. More about the family →
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Best Pizza in Sedona! They use the special Pinsa Romana Dough method which is light, airy and melts in your mouth. Salads and entrées, excellent. They have the best Tiramisu I have had in ages. Highly recommend!
Rich G
26 February 2023
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Snowy day in Sedona changed our plans so needed a lunch place with GF food. Well done Vespa! The website was spot-on and the service personable.
Katie Broman
29 March 2022
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Grateful to have such delicious options! The ingredients are so fresh!
Linda M.
31 January 2025
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We had the most amazing lassagna and focaccia. The service was great. We will definitely be back and have already recommended it to friends.
Greg G.
7 April 2022
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Outstanding flavors. I got the 11 and added salami. The ingredients were just fantastic. Such bold flavors. I highly recommend. Also Mateo, the owner is really cool.
Amanda Amstutz
10 August 2025
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Remarkable. As good as the best Italian fare in Southern Italy. Will happily travel hundreds of miles to come back.
Summer
15 August 2026
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+5
We had such a wonderful dinner at Vespa Healthy Italian! The food was incredibly fresh, beautifully prepared, and made with amazing-quality ingredients. You can truly taste the care that goes into every dish.
And a huge kudos to Ray and Arien for their top-notch service! They were attentive, friendly, and made our evening even more enjoyable. Great food + great service = a fantastic experience. We’ll definitely be back!
Mike Parilla
11 March 2026
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Great food and very friendly people!
laila Ay
23 February 2026
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My husband and I recently visited Vespa Italian Cafe, and wow — what an incredible experience from start to finish!
It’s such a cute little place with amazing food, coffee, and desserts. We originally stopped in just to grab a quick espresso and cornetto, but we were completely blown away. The espresso hit the spot perfectly, and the pistachio cornetto was absolutely delicious. Alec was our waiter and had such a great personality — warm, welcoming, and attentive. We also met the owner, Matteo, who happens to be from Sicily like my husband. You can instantly tell he has a true passion for what he does and for representing authentic Italian cuisine.
We already had dinner reservations elsewhere that evening, but after looking over the menu and hearing so many amazing things, we decided to cancel our reservations and come back to Vespa for dinner instead — and we are so glad we did!
When we returned, Matteo greeted us again. The place was packed, but after a short wait, we were seated and taken care of by Emma, who was such a sweetheart. For those who complain about wait times — please remember this isn’t fast food. The restaurant isn’t huge, and they genuinely work hard to give every guest a great experience. The food is fresh, not frozen, and made with care. If you can’t wait 20 minutes for a freshly prepared meal, then go grab some fast food. In Italy, dinner is a 3–4 hour experience — it’s about relaxing and enjoying every bite.
We ordered a MELA & PISTACCHI salad and the Pinsa Siciliana Wow. The dough was out of this world — light, airy, and perfectly textured. The ingredients were incredibly fresh and flavorful. The homemade Italian salad dressing was delicious! To top it off, we were treated to a slice of tiramisu imported from Milan, Italy — hands down the best tiramisu I’ve ever had (and we’ve traveled all around Italy!).
Matteo, hats off to you! Job very well done. Mille Grazie!!!! We will absolutely be back whenever we visit from California. 🇮🇹✨
Mariam A.
17 November 2025
Verified
Amazing and quick service, and the dough is out of this world. All sandwiches, pizzas and croutons are made with the same delicious crispy dough. The toppings are great and the desserts too. The wine list isn't bad either.
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