5 years after closing, popular Boise pizzeria promised return. It didn’t. So I snooped.

Casanova Pizzeria has had a lot more success making videos than making pizza in the past 11 months.

After promising its return in two YouTube videos, the Boise restaurant was supposed to reopen in a new spot this summer after a five-year absence.

Instead, hungry customers are chewing on silence.

The pizzeria known for clam-and-bacon pies has clammed up.

The good news? After stopping by Casanova’s planned new location and peeking through the glass, I can report that the project appears to be alive. Restaurants get delayed. Especially during a pandemic.

When might Casanova open? No clue. I’ve tried emailing. I’ve reached out through Facebook. Casanova’s website and Facebook page haven’t provided an update in over four months.

Not even a pepperoni-sized morsel of news.

A refresher: After operating at 1204 S. Vista Ave. for a decade, Casanova closed in 2015 after losing its lease. (Red Bench Pizza now operates there.) At the time, it was a definite bummer for the neighborhood. Owner Dan Guild, who grew up in Connecticut, had earned a die-hard following with his East Coast-style pies. In 2017, Casanova finally posted on its website that it had given up hunting for a new spot.

Or so disappointed fans thought.

Casanova unexpectedly reemerged in December 2019 with a “Godfather”-style promotional video. Casanova teased its reincarnation in a 2,102-square-foot space at 2431 W. Fairview Ave., the Adare apartment complex. Building buzz, Casanova released a second hype video in July, indicating it was “coming August 2020 (hopefully).”

Casanova’s website still claims “Coming this summer!”

Meanwhile, Boiseans are dusting off their snowblowers.

Progress has been made in the new space. I noticed furniture. I spotted Casanova’s architecture blueprints flopped on a table.

But there was no sign outside. And work still to be done inside.

Either way, watching Casanova’s promotional videos for the umpteenth time won’t alleviate your cravings. Not for “big chunks of smoky bacon and tender bivalves set in place by gooey fresh mozzarella,” as the Statesman described its house specialty in 2006.

With luck, maybe Santa will leave some clams and bacon under Boise’s tree this year.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 9:34 AM.