Il Lazzarone

a family-owned, AVPN-certified authentic Neapolitan pizzeria in Kansas City’s River Market. Chef/owner Erik Borger (a New York City native) opened the first location in St. Joseph, MO in 2014 and the River Market location in March 2015, earning official Verace Pizza Napoletana certification for strict adherence to Neapolitan tradition. Tier 1 (independent, chef-owner-operated).

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Description

Il Lazzarone is a family-owned, AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizzeria in Kansas City’s historic River Market at 412 Delaware St, Ste A.¹² It serves wood-fired pizzas made to strict Verace Pizza Napoletana standards — soft, chewy centers and leopard-spotted crusts from a blazing oven — alongside a full bar with craft beer and Italian wine.³²

Founder and chef-owner Erik Borger, who grew up in New York City obsessed with pizza, fell for Neapolitan pies at Motorino in the East Village and took a 6,000-mile road trip to 23 Neapolitan pizzerias before opening his own.³ He opened the first Il Lazzarone in St. Joseph, MO in March 2014 (1628 Frederick Ave) and the River Market location on March 1, 2015.³² Both carry official AVPN certification, verifiable in the association’s member registry.⁴¹

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Ownership and history

Ownership timeline

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
2014 → present	Erik Borger (independent, family-owned)	Founded St. Joseph 2014, River Market 2015; both AVPN-certified.23

AVPN certification

At opening, the St. Joseph location was reported as the only AVPN-certified pizzeria in Missouri and one of roughly 11 in the Midwest.³ The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana member registry lists both locations as Pizzeria Associata AVPN — St. Joseph (member since 2014) and River Market (member since 2016).⁴¹

Related venture

Borger also founded Pizza Tascio, a New York-style concept that he brought to North Kansas City in January 2022; the concept later expanded under additional operators (Borger founded it but may no longer be its sole operator).⁵

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Menu

Last verified: 2026-07-13 · Source: official site (illazzarone.org/menu) · URL(s): https://www.illazzarone.org/menu · Confidence: High (itemized directly from the official menu page)

AVPN-spec Neapolitan pies built on San Marzano tomatoes, sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and leopard-spotted crust — split into red (rosse) and white (bianche) pizzas, with antipasti, salads, and dessert flatbreads alongside.⁶

Antipasti

• Bruschetta — flatbread, diced tomatoes, basil, roasted garlic, balsamic glaze ($12)⁶
• Burrata — flatbread, tomatoes, pesto, burrata ball ($13)⁶
• Caprese — mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, sea salt ($13)⁶
• Pane — flatbread, Parmigiano Reggiano, oregano, balsamic glaze, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($10)⁶
• Charcuterie Board — flatbread, pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, capicola, feta spread, Parmesan Reggiano, olives ($30)⁶

Insalata

• Caesar — romaine, shaved parmesan, croutons, house-made caesar dressing ($8/$12)⁶
• Foglie — mixed greens, red onion, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese crumbles, aged balsamic vinaigrette ($8/$12)⁶
• La Rughetta ($9/$12)⁶
• Panzanella — French bread, goat cheese, tomatoes, red onion, basil, red pepper, parsley, red wine vinaigrette ($8.50)⁶

Pizze Rosse (red)

• Marinara — San Marzano tomatoes, oregano, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($12)⁶
• Margherita — San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($14)⁶
• Margherita D.O.C. — San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($17)⁶
• Margherita Mascarpone ($16)⁶
• Margherita Stracciatella — tomato sauce, basil, stracciatella, olive oil, sea salt ($15)⁶
• Calabrian Pepperoni — tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Calabrian chili oil, spicy honey, sea salt ($17)⁶
• Pepperoni — pepperoni, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($16.50)⁶
• Carne — San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($16)⁶
• Salsiccia Italiana — Italian sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($15.50)⁶
• Pesto — house-made basil pesto, mozzarella, Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($17)⁶
• Rucola — tomato sauce, capicola, arugula, black pepper, olive oil, sea salt ($15)⁶
• Siciliano — mozzarella, pepperoni, hot cherry peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($16.50)⁶
• Supremo — San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, red onion, garlic, basil, Brussels sprouts, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($16.50)⁶
• Vegano — artichokes, Brussels sprouts, olives, red onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($15.50)⁶

Pizze Bianche (white)

• Bianca — mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, sea salt ($12.50)⁶
• Lazio — mozzarella, diced tomatoes, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($13)⁶
• Funghi — mozzarella, mushrooms, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($13.50)⁶
• Ricotta — mozzarella, ricotta, basil, oregano, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($14.50)⁶
• Formaggio — mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, arugula, lemon, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper ($14.50)⁶
• Bruxelles — Brussels sprouts, mozzarella, bacon, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($14.50)⁶
• Crepa — mozzarella, applewood smoked bacon, balsamic glaze, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($14.50)⁶
• La Roccia — mozzarella, fresh arugula, diced tomato, red onion, mushroom, olive oil, sea salt ($15)⁶
• Quattro Formaggio — mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, Parmigiano Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($15.50)⁶
• Speziata Mascarpone — mozzarella, mascarpone, capicola, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($15.50)⁶
• Uovo — mozzarella, salami, farm-fresh egg, basil, garlic, black pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt ($15.50)⁶
• La Rughetta — mozzarella, fresh arugula, diced tomato, prosciutto, lemon, olive oil, sea salt ($16)⁶
• Patata — mozzarella, garlic, basil, potatoes, onions, sausage, olive oil, sea salt ($16)⁶
• Mortazza — stracciatella, basil, arugula, mortadella, olive oil, sea salt ($16)⁶
• Pizza Caprese — mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, balsamic glaze, basil, garlic, olive oil, sea salt ($16)⁶
• Greco Formaggio — feta cheese, beef sausage, olives, red onion, artichokes, fresh spinach, sea salt ($16.50)⁶

Dessert (flatbread / dessert pizzas)

• Fumoso — marshmallow fluff, graham cracker crumbs, Nutella, flatbread ($8.50)⁶
• Mela Alla Cannella — baked apples, cinnamon, sugar, mascarpone, flatbread ($14)⁶
• Nutella Pizza — Nutella, strawberries, bananas, powdered sugar ($15)⁶
• Pistachio Paradise — pistachio butter, crushed pistachios ($15)⁶

Add-on extras (vegetables, cheeses, proteins, condiments) available. Full bar — Italian wine + craft beer; beverage list not itemized here.³

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Sources

(The itemized menu footnote [^menu] is defined at the bottom of the ## Menu section above.)

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Disputes

(None active.)

Footnotes

1. AVPN member registry — Il Lazzarone (River Market), member #598. https://www.pizzanapoletana.org/en/associati/548-il_lazzarone — asserts: AVPN-associated pizzeria; 412 Delaware St, Ste A, Kansas City, MO 64105; membership dated 2016. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Il Lazzarone — official site. https://illazzarone.org — asserts: family-owned Neapolitan pizzeria; St. Joseph opened March 2014 (Frederick Ave); River Market opened March 2015; “THE BAR” program. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Feast Magazine — “Chef Erik Borger on How He Fell in Love with Neapolitan Pizza.” https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/columbia/chef-erik-borger-on-how-he-fell-in-love-with-neapolitan-pizza/article_f8460434-bdf8-11e4-abc3-df6faa6ef172.html — asserts: Borger born/raised in NYC; River Market opened March 1, 2015; St. Joseph was Missouri’s only AVPN pizzeria / one of ~11 in the Midwest; menu of ~20 Italian wines + ~30 craft beers (2015 figures). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. AVPN member registry — Il Lazzarone (St. Joseph), member #506. https://www.pizzanapoletana.org/en/associati/456-il_lazzarone — asserts: AVPN-associated pizzeria; 1628 Frederick Ave, St. Joseph, MO 64501; membership dated 2014. ↩ ↩²

5. Startland News — “Pizza Tascio.” https://startlandnews.com/2024/03/pizza-tascio/; Johnson County Post (2022) https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/07/28/pizza-tascio-overland-park-150210/ — asserts: Borger founded Pizza Tascio (NY-style), brought it to North KC Jan 2022; concept later expanded under additional operators. ↩

6. Il Lazzarone — official menu, https://www.illazzarone.org/menu (accessed 2026-07-13). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶ ↩³⁷ ↩³⁸ ↩³⁹ ↩⁴⁰ ↩⁴¹ ↩⁴² ↩⁴³ ↩⁴⁴