Merchants Wood Fired Pizza & Bistro

Merchants Wood Fired Pizza & Bistro is an American-Italian restaurant at 564 Merchants Road in Rochester's North Winton Village neighborhood. Opened in November 2015 by Steve Costanza and Donna DiMarzo, the restaurant occupies a space that previously housed several other Italian dining concepts, including Luna Piena Bistro and Porcini Bar & Bistro. DiMarzo brought more than 15 years of experience in wood-fired pizza to the venture, along with a family tradition of pasta-making rooted in her grandparents' kitchen. A major renovation prior to opening expanded the kitchen to fit a large wood-fired oven, which remains central to the menu.

The dinner menu spans wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, and a selection of entrees and appetizers. Pizza options include a Traditional Margherita, Prosciutto & Artichoke, a Funghi pie, and the namesake Merchant's Pizza. Pasta dishes feature house-made ricotta gnocchi, Bucatini Carbonara, White Bolognese, and Orecchiette, alongside entrees like Chicken Marsala, Pork Milanese, and Tuscan Mussels & Shrimp. Appetizers cooked in the wood oven — including jumbo chicken wings and lobster arancini — round out the menu. Gluten-free pizza and pasta options are available.

The restaurant operates Tuesday through Saturday, with bar service beginning at 3 p.m. and food service starting at 4 p.m. A full bar offers beer, wine, and craft cocktails. On Wine Wednesdays, guests may bring their own bottle with no corkage fee, limited to one bottle per table.

Merchants Wood Fired Pizza & Bistro is built around its wood-fired oven, which drives both the pizza menu and several appetizer preparations. The house-made pasta program — drawing on DiMarzo's Italian family roots — sets it apart from typical pizzerias, blending a neighborhood pizza spot with bistro-style dining. During the pandemic, DiMarzo extended that pasta focus by opening The Pasta Shoppe on nearby Winton Road, a retail store selling fresh pasta and sauces made without preservatives.

The restaurant sits on Merchants Road in North Winton Village, a residential neighborhood on Rochester's east side near the intersection of Merchants Road and Winton Road. The area has seen steady interest from younger residents alongside long-established families. The restaurant offers a front patio for seasonal outdoor dining. Seating is first-come, first-served with no reservations accepted.