Capone's Coal Fired Pizza newest restaurant announced for Hamlin

HORIZON WEST  Legendary mobster Al Capone always said he supplied a demand. Now, a restaurant inspired by his story plans to supply the Hamlin area with coal-fired pizza.

23 Restaurant Services, which also operates the Ford’s Garage restaurant chain, announced this week that it is opening the second Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza storefront in late 2018. 

Capone’s is a Prohibition era-themed restaurant, true to the type of establishment Capone himself might have frequented, restaurant officials said. The ambiance is set through warm wood and iron accents, exposed brick coal-fired ovens, Tiffany glass chandeliers, a speakeasy-style bar and artwork of the mobster himself. 

Perhaps the signature feature Capone’s boasts is an underground vault encased in glass beneath the dining-room floor. This stems back to the 2014 construction of the original location in Fort Myers: The vault was created from a hole that an old elevator shaft had left in the floor.

In Fort Myers, the former elevator shaft now acts as a model of Al Capone’s mysterious vault in the floor of the restaurant, with an engraved plaque explaining the story.

The Hamlin location will measure 6,000 square feet, and the photography to be featured in it was done in Alcatraz — where Capone was imprisoned — to capture the essence of his jail cell.

“We want to create a dining experience and not just a meal with all of our restaurants,” said Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services, which operates Capone’s and several other restaurant concepts. “Hamlin is an excellent location for Capone’s and Ford’s Garage because of the combination of families and professionals in the community.”

Aside from paying homage aesthetically to the Prohibition era and incorporating Capone’s story, the restaurant is known for its 800-degree coal-fired ovens and “pizza so good it should be illegal.” 

Aside from pizza, other menu items include Italian favorites such as antipasto, bruschetta and Mama Capone’s meatballs, as well as coal-fired sandwiches, house-made pasta, custom calzones and salads. Also offered are “Capone’s favorite” cocktails and selections of draft beer, red and white wine and more.

“23 Restaurant Services’ dedication to creating memorable experiences for its customers is why we’re eager for them to join the Hamlin community,” said Scott Boyd, President of Boyd Development Corporation, the developer of Hamlin. “Capone’s is a unique concept that residents and visitors will very much enjoy.”