Dine-In or Take-Out: Ph: 208.758.7997
In Riverstone, CDA 2385 N. Old Mill Loop, CDA 83814

Neapolitan Style
Wood Fire Pizza

Naomi Boutz, Proprietor

About Us

In April of 2020, Vine & Olive’s Executive Chef at the time was the one who planted the seed for a pizza concept after he walked by the empty space, which used to be Bullman’s Pizza and already had a wood fire pizza oven.  V&O was closed for dine in business due to the stay-at-home order during the Pandemic. Naomi recalls being so overwhelmed with uncertainty and mentally drained fighting for survival that her first response was “I’m not opening another f’n restaurant”.

But something in the back of her mind wouldn’t allow her to dismiss the idea completely.

So she quietly started researching pizza concepts. Riverstone does not have a pizzeria in the neighborhood. Given the foot traffic from the residential and commercial activity and the four hotels within walking distance, there’s room for another family friendly restaurant here. Plus, fast casual trends and delivery are only increasing in popularity. This could be a way to diversify and offer something different than what she created at Vine & Olive.

When Naomi found herself getting up at 6am to research potential names for the new restaurant, she knew it would be a go. She wanted a thoughtful name for her new venture. Nothing generic or expected but something that had special meaning. After writing out three pages of potential names, she found Vicino, which means near or close by in Italian.  Vicino is literally around the corner from Naomi’s first restaurant, Vine & Olive. It was meant to be.

Naomi Boutz, Proprietor
Vicino Pizza

Vicino Pizza opened in October 2020. To say opening a restaurant during the Pandemic was challenging, is an understatement! Between the labor shortage and supply chain issues this was not a project for the faint at heart. But with Naomi’s passion for hospitality and desire to continue to contribute to the food scene here in North Idaho, plus a big dose of stubbornness, quitting was not an option.

That same previous Executive Chef had opened a Neapolitan style pizzeria once before in the Bay Area. He gained valuable pizza experience working with celebrity Chef Akasha Richmond, who extensively studied with some of the most talented pizza dough specialists. It’s this experience that guided the recipes and menu at Vicino Pizza which are still used today.

With the remodel, Naomi transformed the space into a casual Italian Farmhouse theme. All of the artwork on the walls are black and white photos that Naomi took during her travels throughout Italy. Each one has a story. Vicino even offers a few of the wines from the properties where she stayed in Tuscany. There are 75 seats inside and 8 tables outside on the patio. Five TVs on the walls make watching college basketball and NFL Sunday Ticket easy from anywhere in the restaurant.

Vicino Pizza is the only restaurant in Coeur d’Alene to offer a 100% Italian wine list. Every wine has been curated to go with pizza and offers all the wine regions in Italy. We also installed a glycol draft system with a custom beer tower made from galvanized pipe for six draft beers with Peroni Italian Lager on as a permanent handle.

Vicino Pizza is open Tuesday – Sunday for dinner and offers lunch on Saturday and Sunday.  Online ordering and delivery are available from our homepage. In addition to several Neapolitan style pizzas, Vicino offers salads and small plates like fritto misto and polpette with nonna sauce.

In addition to running her two restaurants in the Riverstone neighborhood in Coeur d’Alene, this North Idaho Native is a proud Rotarian, and serves on the Executive Board for the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce. If she has any spare time during the week, it’s spent cooking big dinners at home, running, hiking and traveling around the world to find new inspiration to incorporate within one of her restaurants.

Vicino Pizza