Nicolitalia Pizzeria - Hands Down, The Best Pizza Restaurant in Provo
October 10th, 2006 by 
Cameron
I think anyone who has grown up, or even lived outside of Utah for an extended period of time, has at one point or another felt the pinch of being pretty limited to large corporate chains when you need some pizza, especially in Provo. Well, my friends, no longer do you have to settle for mass-produced and conveyor-belt-cooked pies. Nicolitalia is so good, that one man alone could never possibly describe the awesomeness, so, we will attempt to get the point across with two people. That’s right, for the first time ever on this humble weblog, you will read the opinion of both Cameron and Matt in the very same post. Are we allowed to do that? I don’t know, but if anyone is deserving of this preferential treatment, it is Nicolitalia Pizzeria. I have never met anyone who has tried the pizza and didn’t love it. If such a person exists, please stand and be counted by leaving a comment, and even then I may just find it impossible to believe you. So, without further ado…
Cameron says:
“Homemade Boston Italian Style” in the language of Nicolitalia translates directly to “Wicked Awesome and Much Awaited Authentic Eastern Style Pizza in Utah”. Owner Nick brought the heaven sent recipes with him straight from Boston, and thanks to him, you and I can not only get real pizza pies now, but real calzones and cannolis too. In fact, he has not only got me hooked on his pizza (I am a thin crust guy by the way), but now every time I go I’ve got to get a side salad, because the dressing is so unbelievably good. It’s ridiculous, I am not even a side salad guy. You’ve also got your other staple Italian foods. The subs, wings, pastas, chicken and eggplant parmesans, and foccaccia bread are all there, and just as good as you would expect. However, I highly recommend you try the pizza and calzones first. Just a suggestion.
Other than great food, you can look forward to a great atmosphere. Nick always seems to be there, and he will always greet you with a smile and a big “Hi theah!”. There are photos of his customers on the wall and some killer music playing on the overhead speakers (you gotta love “Mambo Italiano”). Basically, all the necessary ingredients of sights, smells, and sounds to make you feel right at home. It makes for a great destination whether you are on your lunch break, a hot date, or a weekend family outing.
What it boils down to: I have declared Nicolitalia Pizzeria to be the best pizza restaurant in Provo. That just happened! And you have no excuse not to find out for yourself. With combo meals for around $5.99, you can get a personal pizza or a calzone (among other options) and a chance to try the dressing that has a guy talking about how good a salad is. You also get a drink with that. So go give it a try, and I am there often enough that I will probably see you there.
‘Til we eat again
Matt Says:
I’m going to disagree with Cameron right off the bat…. The thick crust is better. Its good better, or better good, delicious good better tasty yum wanna eat it now. Understand? I used to have to drive to Salt Lake to get good pizza (The Pie is wonderful) but now I get fantastic pizza in Provo, all thanks to Nicolitalia.
Here’s the short n’ skinny of my suggestions. Get the thick crust the first time, thin the second. Then you’ll know when to get which depending on your mood. The specialty pizzas are great, but I’m gonna suggest getting something old school your first time, whatever you like, pepperoni, mushroom, keep it simple the first time (my wife is all about the plain cheese there).
The meatball calzone is AMA-ZA-ZING. Its huge and delicious and I kid you not there are 2 million meatballs inside it. Get an appetizer of the “scapa? scapi?” bread, something like that. It’s Nicolitalias delicious version of cheesebread, say something close and they’ll understand. The foccacia bread is great, but don’t get it with pizza, it just doesn’t flow right. Save that for when you come back to get some delicious pasta.
Finally, get a Canoli on the way out. There’s maybe two or three places around here that you can get a good one, this is one of ‘em, if you eat it inside you’ll be surprised when you walk outside and your not back east.
Pros: Best pizza in Provo, fair prices, nice atmosphere, lots of options other than pizza, great lunch deals.
Cons: Don’t plan on walking in and out. Ive had a thick crust take a half hour to cook, but hey, good things take time. I reccomend calling ahead after you’ve been there a few times and know what you want
Final Verdict: Best Pizza in Provo.
Nicolitalia Pizzeria
2296 N. University Pkwy (”The Diagonal”) Provo, UT 84604
Next to Pudding on the Rice
(801)356-7900
Posted in Provo |
October 26th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
I have eaten at NicolItalia and it was good, but certainly not my favorite.
I do however highly recommend this pizza to every red blooded american. They load the cheese on in mass amounts and toppings are not spared at all. It’s all fresh and made to order! You’ll get a good laugh from one of the employees who is obvisously from Chicago, but listen well when he hollers your name, you most likely won’t hear him the first time.
If you want to try my favorite Pizza go to SmokeHouse Pizza & BBQ, just up the raod from NilolItalia in Orem off Univ. Pkwy behind Village Inn. I always just order a slice with Tomatoes, Basil, and Artichoke hearts. If you have eaten Pizza in Europe and loved it, this is the closest I have came to pizza that taste anything like it.
November 17th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I’m from the Empire State, so obviously I take pizza very seriously. Nicolitalia is an answer to my prayers. People that have never been East have a hard time understanding why I only get pizza from two places in Provo (Nicolitalia and Pier 49 is the other - the Nob Hill is outstanding, and I feel the quality of their ingredients are second only to Nicolitalia), but to me the difference in taste and quality is obvious. The only downside to Nicolitali is that it doesn’t keep as well as hoped. Much better to eat it fresh, because it loses a lot after it has been in the fridge for a day. True to all places, but its noticable from Nicolitalia.
Here’s a good easy-to-use guide to assessing immediately if a pizza place is worth your time.
1. Does the name sound Italian?
Nicolitalia. Oh yes it does.
2. Is it easy to identify the owner/boss, and if so, does he look like he’s enjoying himself and cares about his pizza?
Yes.
3. Do the ingredients appear to be a cut above the rest?
Absolutely.
4. Does the menu offer additional items that require more skill than putting something sweet or cheesy on pizza dough?
I can personally vouch for the canolis and fried mushrooms. I’m eager to get through the rest of the menu. In any event, the answer is yes.
5. Is parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper easily accessable for additional seasoning of your order?
I am happy to say, yes. This is critical. People that understand pizzerias will wonder why these things wouldn’t be available some places.
Follow those 5 steps and the higher the affirmations, the better your pizza will be. I’m sorry to those that like them, but places like 5 Buck Pizza or Big Daddy’s are an abomination. They have their place if you want a quick meal, but if you want pizza, you go to Nicolitali or Pier 49.
And don’t argue with me about this. You’ll lose. Every time.
November 20th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
“I have eaten at NicolItalia and it was good, but certainly not my favorite.”
Georgia, I am not actually a doctor or a psychologist, but I am confident in my diagnosis. You are dead inside. Sorry to be the one to break it to you.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Let’s be fair, while Nicolitalia does have good pizza, it’s not the best. I recently discovered La Dolce Vita and WOW. I’ve been eating pizza all my life and never had a pizza like theirs. So simple yet so delicious. Their pizza sauce is unlike any other. I highly recommend their Margherita. I’m sorry Cameron, Matt, and Rutkowski but La Dolce Vita is the place to go for pizza. Best in Provo!
January 11th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Since I’ve not eaten at Nicolitalia yet but have been looking for a good pizza, I’m going to pull the before and after comment. After reading the blog I’m expecting good things–though am not going to get my hopes up. This week, aye, with a lady, I will eat at Nicolitalia and then share my candid thoughts. A presto.
January 12th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I have eaten at Nicolitalia’s multiple times now and am completely addicted. Such amazing pizza! And a much better variety than a lot of places. They even have some pretty funky ones (the Lugano, which involves a mustard-based dipping sauce. Yum!) which are all worth a try. I urge all Utah County residents to please please please support this place so it doesn’t end up going out of business like so many other independently owned establishments. Local (albeit imported) flavor like this is too valuable to lose. And believe me, I have tried Smokehouse, Pier 49, La Dolce Vita. All of them are great too, (the mac and cheese at Smokehouse is craving-inducing) but if you’re looking for straight-up pizza, go straight to Nicolitalia’s. It beats the other places’ pizzas hands down. Unless you’re dead inside, in which case you won’t mind eating somewhere else.
March 22nd, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I love Nicolitalia. The first time we went i have to admit i thought it would be awful, but i was so surprised! It was wonderful! everything i have gotten there makes me want to go back. I would highely recommend the Mahgarita pizza and the Meatza Chiena. They by far the best choices i think. You cannot beat their amazing sauce and crust. The salads are great too. I think you need a pizza but the salads have the good stuff in them (cheese etc) and go perfectly with the pizzas. i think this is best eastern pizza i have had since i went to boston. visit it you wont be dissapointed.
April 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
i live just down the street from nicolitalia and that place just rocks the house. my roommates and myself are all totally hooked on it. When we are deciding where to eat and someone mentions pizza, we all think Nicolitalia. By far it is the best pizza place in p-town. I’ve got three other roommates who will agree.
Also, I love the guy who works there. He is the coolest guy!
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I like pizza a lot and love the pizza you can eat in Italy (I’ve lived there for a few years) and Nicolitalia is my next favorite pizzeria.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:26 am
This place is lousy; I have never had the food, but the service there is horrible. I brought in one of their coupons — still valid, and they wouldn’t even honor it. They showed no form of courtesy to me and were very rude. Perhaps they were having a bad night, but it was still very rude of them to treat me and my friend in such a manner as they did. We left and have not been back since. The food might be exceptional (although I may never know), but their customer service on a scale of 1-10 deserves a -10 (and yes that is minus 10). I do not intend on going back to a place where they are not only lacking in integrity but also customer satisfaction and service. Nicolitalia Pizzaria you and your pizza are not worth the hassle of your service.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:36 am
We go there for the house dressing - a creamy Italian like no other! You can buy a pint of it to take home. Not only is it great on salads, but also to dip bread in or on pasta. It is the best!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
LOVE LOVE LOVE the pizza here, i may so exaggerating but it’s tru. I love the thin crust (heard he made it with secret ingredients!) and the meat portion is just right. The dessert are just downright awesome, i always order canolis when I’m there. I always bought a pint of salad dressing when im out of it, it’s that good.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
The pizza at Nicolitalia’s is ok, if you like a cornmeal flavored crust, but if you want really great pizza you should go to Nina’s Original NY Pizzeria & Juice Bar. Their pizza is huge one slice is bigger than the personal pizza at Nicolitalia’s and only $3.00. With a drink it cost less than $5. As for quality, Nina’s makes everything from scratch. You can see them make the pizza with semolina right in front of you, no corn meal there. Their Big Apple tastes even better than a lot of the pizza I had in New York. Probably because Nina and her husband Bill (who has the most amazing New York accent) actually owned pizzerias in New York. Plus, Nina makes the best cannoli that I’ve ever had. Even better than Ferrara’s in Little Italy! She said its her great-grandmother’s secret recipe.
Another bonus, Nina’s always treats their customers like gold. They have a karaoke night every Friday with a professional set-up. On Thursdays they show movies. And they give their customers free food for advertising for them. I just won a $50 gift certificate in one of their contests. I will definitely be entering their next contest that begins on July 10th.
For the best East Coast Pizza and the only New York pizza in Provo, go to Nina’s Original right next to BYU.