South End, a New Neighborhood Wine Bar in Venice

Although chef Ben Gell's Mangu pop-up was supposed to become a permanent fixture at B1 Breadshop, chef Frank Fermin (chef di cucina at Pizzeria Mozza) and sommelier/partner Mario Vollera (Piccolo Venice, Barbershop) have overtaken the space and soft opened a chic new pizza and wine bar called South End. A HUGE aesthetic improvement over the B1 space. The cozy 28-seat eatery has a mix of communal dining and perched tables plus a black cement bar wine bar counter.

Baked goods and coffee are served in the morning, with a more extensive pizza, flatbread, salad, charcuterie menu for lunch and dinner. Remember, Vollera played around with pizzas back at Barbershop, and with a Mozza alum in the kitchen, these pies should be better than average. Vollera also curated the wine selects here which include two dozen international wines by glass and bottle, all under around $100. Hours of operation run 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. [EaterWire]