Crust Simply Italian looks at Avondale and Surprise for future growth

Crust Simply Italian is considering future restaurants in Avondale and Surprise. The Arizona brand has already opened in Peoria this year and is still moving ahead with its Mesa project at The Grid.

Crust Simply Italian is weighing new Valley locations in Avondale and Surprise. No site or opening date has been shared for either city, but the search comes after the brand's Peoria opening earlier this year and continued work on a Mesa restaurant at The Grid in Downtown Mesa.

Founder Michael Merendino has expanded Crust around neighborhood dining and family cooking. The Mesa project slowed down because of construction and development problems, but it is moving forward again.

Merendino is a first generation Italian who grew up on Long Island, and the menu pulls from dishes his parents passed down, with Sicilian and Abruzzi influences. Crust serves New York style pizza along with Italian comfort food, salads, pasta, wine, local beer, and handmade cocktails.

Regular menu picks include Pizza Rustica, Chicken Parm, Lobster Ravioli, burrata starters, and house made meatballs. Since opening its first Scottsdale location in 2007, the company has added restaurants in Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Peoria, and future stores in Avondale or Surprise would push the brand farther across the Valley.