When you enter this small restaurant on rue de la Coupe, you won’t be able to miss the good smell of pizza that emanates from it. The pizzas at San Gennaro are like the ones in Naples, thin crust, fresh food and one minute in the pizza oven at 400 degrees!
The chef’s specialty is his homemade Neapolitan pizza. “I start with a red tomato sauce, then I add pieces of crushed buffala mozzarella then I add a drizzle of olive oil. After being in the oven, I finish the pizza with fresh basil,” describes Jonathan Mendonça, the manager, better known by the nickname “Mendo”.
The restaurant offers a large pizza menu but also pasta dishes and Italian specialties.
An evidence
Jonathan, 37, has embarked on the challenge of his life by opening his own establishment in the center of Mons, the San Gennaro. “I’ve been in the catering industry for a few years and I learned to make pizzas a bit by chance, because the pizza maker at the restaurant I worked in left us. I was straight away hooked and loving it. I had wanted to start my own establishment for a while so it made sense to start a pizzeria,” explains the original Cuesmois.
And why this name for the pizzeria? “It made sense,” says Mendo. “Gennaro is the name of my two and a half year old son. In addition, San Gennaro is the patron saint of all saints and every year festivities are held in Naples in his honor. It’s a bit like the Neapolitans’ comfort blanket! » A name full of meaning and also a lucky charm for Jonathan who is embarking on this great adventure!
A completely renovated building
This dive into Italian flavors takes place in Mons, right in the city center. The manager took over the premises which hosted Mémé Tartines, on rue de la Coupe (n°16). “I looked for a building in Mons for about a year and it was pretty dismal. Finally, we found the one on rue de la Coupe but we decided to redo everything from the cellar to the commercial ground floor. In two and a half months of work, we transformed the place into something chic and cozy,” explains the manager.
By going there, you will discover a completely renovated premises with modern and warm decoration. On the wall, the bottles of wine that you can taste are displayed! “It’s important to realize what we’re buying, we don’t want to mislead the customer,” says Mendo. From the room, you will have an eye on the kitchen where you can see the team working and making your pizza in a magnificent oven dedicated to this culinary art.
In total, the restaurant can accommodate around twenty seats on site. “It is also possible to take away,” reassures the manager. For him, it was important to favor quality rather than quantity.
During the ducasse
The restaurant opened its doors for the first time this Tuesday and welcomes its customers from Tuesday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For Doudou, you can already discover the restaurant’s specialties at lunchtime. The rest of the day, you can have a drink in front of the completely renovated San Gennaro building.
