Since 2018, Venti Food Truck has been keeping Italian culinary traditions alive and on the go, serving up delicious Italian specialties at its four-wheel Exchange Place outpost. Now, this beloved food truck officially has a permanent home near the Journal Square neighborhood at 203 Academy Street. The new storefront will expand the Venti food truck menu, with a broader selection of house-made eats + “the freshest mozzarella around.” Read on for what we know about the permanent Venti Italian Specialties brick-and-mortar location, one of the newest additions to Jersey City.
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Putting Down Permanent Roots
On March 27th, 2023, Venti Italian Specialities took to Instagram with a little bit of mystery. The post featured an unmarked door with the caption “Soon,” accompanied by a Jersey City hashtag. Jersey City is a master class in the food-truck-to-storefront pipeline (and we love ’em all), so what might be a nondescript doorway to some was confirmation for local foodies that a permanent location was coming — who showed out (in thousands) with congratulations on the IG post.
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A few days after that, Venti shared another update — work at the new Jersey City location, 203 Academy Street, “is progressing well.” Per the post, equipment at the upcoming storefront was starting to arrive, and everything was “beginning to feel real.”
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Per a DM sent to The Hoboken Girl earlier this week, the new permanent storefront, Venti Italian Specialties, is now open in Jersey City. The Italian specialty shop did share on IG earlier this year that the new menu will be an expansion of the long-standing food truck’s menu, which since 2018, has served up varied Italian sandwiches + salads (including a stunning meatball parm special).
The team took to Instagram to express how much they have appreciated Hudson County locals’ support of the food truck over the years, saying “We want to thank all of you for the overwhelming love you showed us the last two days of the food truck! We truly appreciate every single one of you and thank you for taking this crazy ride with us and giving us the opportunity to pursue our goals. We’re excited to welcome you into our new home and provide even more tasty foods and the best service anywhere. Thank you! Nick, Joe and Christian.”
“La Famiglia” Behind The Food Truck
In 2018, brothers Joe and Nick Ciancimino put the pedal to the metal and introduced a new food truck in Jersey City — Venti Italian Specialities. The idea to open a food truck was born out of the brothers’ mutual interest in paying homage to their Italian roots and more importantly, their family. The Ciancimino brothers are first-generation Italian-Americans, whose parents and grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sicily. Beyond teaching them how to cook and prepare delicious Italian specialties when they were younger, Joe and Nick’s parents and grandparents instilled in them a passion for food, and along with that, a love for fine, fresh ingredients.
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In Italian, Venti means 20. Growing up, the Ciancimino brothers lived on 20th Street in Bayonne. The name, just like the inspiration for opening up an Italian specialty food truck, ties back to the family. “Venti” pays tribute to the neighborhood Joe and Nick grew up in, but more specifically the house they grew up in. The house they lived in on 20th Street wasn’t just where they called home, it was the foundation in this country for Nick and Joe’s grandparents when they first came to the United States. The name also signifies the brother’s commitment to making people feel at home when they take a bite out of anything from Venti Italian Specialties Food Truck sandwich. Joe says, “Even though we are a food truck we want our customers to feel at home and give them a sandwich they’ll truly enjoy.”
Committed to Quality
Venti Italian Food Truck is certainly a family affair. Both Joe and Nick work the truck on a daily basis, ensuring they’re providing the highest quality ingredients and experience to their loyal customers. Their commitment to quality runs deep. In 2020, Joe shared with The Hoboken Girl that, “Venti Italian Specialties has always taken pride in our food and who we are, and in what our food represents. We work hard each day to preserve the Italian-American deli tradition and to bring each of our customers a taste of what is familiar, a taste of what they remember when they were growing up. We enjoy interacting with our customers and getting to know them.”
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Every morning, the Venti Italian Specialties team prepares fresh, homemade mozzarella, sauce, and chicken cutlets from scratch. The ingredients are sourced from only the finest distributors and every sandwich ordered from the truck is made to order. The menu ranges from hot to cold sandwiches and salads, all piled high with the ingredients of your liking. Often, there are other delicious Italian delicacies to add on to your order like fresh olives, homemade chips, cannolis, or Venti Tomato Sauce to-go.
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According to the Ciancimino brothers, their “signature and most popular sandwiches are our chicken parm with vodka sauce, our spicy Italian, our classico, and our chicken cutlet made with housemade bruschetta and fresh mozzarella.” With options like these, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one.
