VIA FARINA
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑
District: Downtown Omaha
Neapolitan-Style Pizza & Pasta
Perfect For: Date Night; Casual Dining; Drinks; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Pepperone Pizza; Egg Yolk Raviolo
There are two distinct portions of the menu at Via Farina: pizza and pasta. I’d love to tell you which I enjoy more, but that generally changes based on whatever I had on my last visit.
How is one supposed to choose between an authentic, wood-fired pizza or fresh, handmade pasta with wonderfully-constructed sauces? That’s the beautiful part about Via Farina; whichever side you choose, you’re going to leave the restaurant very happy. You’re also going to have a small sense of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and the desire to return soon.
The restaurant, though a bit small, has a very modern feel, and diners are granted full view of the open kitchen and the pivotal oven. Though the dining room feels upscale, it’s not stuffy and is quite approachable.
Let’s start with pizza. Whatever pie you choose, you can be confident it’s going to start with an amazing base. The dough, a combination of natural Italian flour and wild yeast, takes at least three days to create before its trip into the fiery belly of the oven. All the work shows in the final product—the inner crust is a bit loose, but it folds perfectly. It gains structure the closer you get to the pie’s edge, where the outer crust has pleasant air bubbles and pockets of char for added flavor. It’s near perfection.
Via Farina wisely doesn’t bury that beautiful base under a mountain of toppings; most have just 3-4 toppings, and the simplicity works brilliantly. The Pepperoni Pizza is an excellent example of this. The meat adds sharp bites of salt and fat, which are accented by the creamy pops of fresh mozzarella. The sweetness of the San Marzano tomatoes complements the salt and fat without interrupting.
The Paraggi Pizza (creme fraiche, tomato, Italian sausage, wood-roasted peppers, oregano cheese) and Salsiccia Pizza (sausage, fennel, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes) are both excellent as well, and the veggies especially add a nice pop. But the best of the bunch is the Fratello (featured in the header photo), which combines giant, thin discs of salty soppressata with a delicious drizzle of honey.
The pizzas are about 11″ in diameter, large enough to handle a hefty appetite or provide leftovers for someone not looking to gorge themselves. With minimal grease, the pizza feels light and fresh; one doesn’t feel gross or loaded down after eating one of these.
Yet as great as the pizza is, the pasta can stand up to it. Great pasta can shine on its own without being drowned in sauce or bludgeoned by meatballs, and Via Farina’s is near perfection. At just al dente, it has a nice chew to go along with a pleasant but not overwhelming saltiness. Whichever noodle type you choose, I can almost guarantee it’s going to be fantastic.
I feel it necessary to highlight the Malfalde Ragout, which jumped near the top of my favorite pasta dishes in Omaha the minute it touched my tongue. The dish includes smoked wagyu beef and duroc pork, and the meats combine to give the dish a pleasant savoriness. The application of meat is light, but the flavor is so intense it pops in every bite.
Also excellent is the Rigatoni d’Anatra, which pairs bouncy rigatoni noodles with a rich, savory duck bolognese, which is more meat than sauce. The duck adds a nice fattiness without being too heavy, Calabrian chile oil provides some heat, and the toasted bread crumbs atop the pile of pasta give texture that pulls the whole dish together.
One used to Midwestern portion sizes might find Via Farina’s to be a bit on the small side, but I think that’s more the fault of our outsized expectations rather than Via Farina’s offerings. These dish sizes are in line with what you’ll find in Italy; enough to satiate, but not to bloat the customer.
Another great thing about Via Farina is its determination to update the menu based on what items are in season. This not only ensures your dish will taste fresh and delicious, but means the menu periodically, which means there are constantly new dishes to try.
Whether you opt for pasta or pizza, you can’t go wrong at Via Farina. Allow that brilliant wood-fired oven and handmade pasta do their work and send you home happy.