Nicolitalia Pizza Express
If you’re looking for authentic Italian pizza with unique flavor, stop by Nicolitalia Pizza Express in Draper and get ready for some fantastic food. Voted Best of State for the last three years, Nicolitalia Pizza Express specializes in East-Coast-style mouthwatering pizza with recipes handed down straight from Naples, Italy.
Pizzeria owner Nicola Dellacioppa, Jr. learned all of his pizza-making techniques from his father who emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1967, and opened a pizzeria in Maryland in 1972. Nicola opened the first Nicolitalia Pizzeria in Provo in 2005 and now brings his enticing and tasty pizzas to residents along the Wasatch Front.
“They’ll love the food and they’ll love the environment,” Nicola says. “It’s a nice, warm atmosphere in the restaurant with nice, warm colors. We tried to create a cozy atmosphere and I think Draper has done that.”
Baked in a hearth brick oven, Nicola’s pizzas are creative and even have some healthy components like less oil and part-skim mozzarella cheese. Nicola’s favorite pizza is the Mark Anthony which consists of chicken cutlets and spinach smothered with Romano and mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with crushed hot peppers and bacon.
Customer favorites include the Italian Stallion (with pepperoni, steak, spinach and garlic) and the Nicolitalia’s Special (with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and peppers). Pizzas are reasonably priced and pizza dough can be purchased for only $1.99 so customers can create their own pizzas at home.
“We found that a lot of our customers liked taking [the dough] home and making their own pizzas,” Nicola says. “This dough gives really good results. My dad uses the dough for pizza, calzones, fried dough and he actually even made apple pie with it.”
Located at 592 East 12300 South, Nicolitalia Pizza Express offers a drive-thru service for convenience and will soon be able to take online orders. The pizzeria is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. A complete list of menu items can be found at www.nico-express.com. The Nicolitalia Pizzeria in Provo is located at 2295 North University Parkway. For more information, call 801-938-9229 (Draper) or 801-356-7900 (Provo).
But pizzas aren’t the only thing on the menu. Nicola also serves his specialty zacos, which are a cross between a calzone and a fresh salad. Other menu items include chicken or eggplant parmesan, ravioli, spaghetti and ziti. Dessert pizza is a great way to end your meal, or indulge in a cannoli made with homemade ricotta cream served in a delicious pastry shell.
Nicola says he believes the idea of a family legacy, passed down through tried-and-true recipes, is a great way to share his heritage and love of food with the people of Utah.
