Students who had hungrily awaited the relaunch of Vito’s Pizzeria, which opened its doors for the first time since shutting down mid-September for remodeling, got a taste of the newly expanded and renovated restaurant last night.

The popular pizza joint saw a steady stream of dinner and carry-out business after its 5 p.m. reveal, and although the restaurant’s reopening was delayed last week, owner Vito Riccio said last night’s opening was just a part of the plan to transform the space into a late-night hangout.

The soft-opening featured a limited menu of subs, half-price pizzas and beer. While the lack of individual slices sent at least one patron out the door, students for the most part got what they came for: a pizza to share with friends and a place to watch Monday Night Football on the shop’s new flat-screen televisions.

For several students, the end of the weeks-long closure was a big relief.

“It’s the best pizza place in College Park,” said junior finance and accounting major Tom Stevens.

But the renovation is still a work in progress: Although the TVs attracted sports fans, no menus were displayed and few decorations were hung. In at least one corner, an employee was still rolling paint over the walls in the restaurant’s new shade of gray.

While many patrons said they liked the restaurant’s clean look, complete with a new bar and stylish chairs and tables, most patrons thought the blank gray walls were less than welcoming — one customer was even confused, wondering if he was in the right place with no menu displayed on the walls or slices of pizza on the counters.

“They really need to get posters up or something,” Stevens said.

Many thought the new venue was an improvement over the other downtown bars and restaurants, which often boast sticky floors and dirty table tops.

Riccio, who recently received a license to serve liquor, beer and wine, hopes to set himself apart from the typical Route 1 bar. But first, Riccio needs to get his hands on the kind of beverages that will attract late-night patrons.

Although he can start to serve wine next week, city officials barred Riccio from selling liquor for six months — a decision Riccio said he plans to appeal.

Riccio said he will strictly card the bar’s patrons, separating the lounge area with a rope and keeping security and ID scanners on hand to keep out those under 21.

Many students said it would be good for Vito’s to crack down on underage drinking because the measures would actually bring in older students who have outgrown the other downtown bars.

“Turtle’s always crowded, Cornerstone is always crowded, Bentley’s is crowded,” said senior kinesiology major Jason Friedman. “Hopefully [Vito’s] will divert the crowds.”

Some thought Vito’s brought something different to the College Park scene.

“I think it’s pretty commonly stated that the bars are overcrowded and can get pretty trashy and dirty,” said junior government and politics major Richard Baker. “Vito’s is less of a cluster f—. It’s more laid back.”

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