I hear the New Buff location is now open, anyone tried it?

Haven't been to the New Buffalo location yet...I will this summer. The local New Buffalo newspaper had a very positive article/review...will post the online link when I can locate it.
http://harborcountry-news.com/main.asp? ... cleID=3978

#4 opening in Orland Park soon...not sure of the date or address.

Rumored #5 will be opening in Plainfield in partnership with Al's Beef...combination Al's Beef & Villa Nova...double yum yum!

ChicagoTRS wrote:Haven't been to the New Buffalo location yet...I will this summer. The local New Buffalo newspaper had a very positive article/review...will post the online link when I can locate it.

#4 opening in Orland Park soon...not sure of the date or address.

Rumored #5 will be opening in Plainfield in partnership with Al's Beef...combination Al's Beef & Villa Nova...double yum yum!

Don't get your hopes up to high, The Al's Beef franchise locations are nothing like the original on Taylor. Several locations including some combined with Nancy's pizza have already closed

I thought the New Buffalo location had a pretty good pizza.I have never eaten at the mother ship so I have no idea how it compares.Between this and Stop 50 the pizza bar has been raised in the area.All I know is after reading posts for years a franchise or offshoot or branch of an original virtualy never gets marks approaching the original.It just seems like its a given so maybe needs to be looked at in a different manner.

According to the obit in the Tribune, the late owner was known as "pizza man" for the "family":

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi- ... 5510.story

It's been pretty well documented that Al 'The Pizza Man' Tornabene was a high up mob member. I've been following the Chicago Outfit for years and in the last big mob trial "Operation Family Secrets" Al Tornabene name was brought up a lot. It mentioned that he owned a pizza place but it wasen't until recently the news paper mentioned the name of it.
A lot of pizza places and Italian Beef stand in and around the Chicago area are owned by members of the Chicago Outfit.
Marco's III beef stand at Fullerton and Austin used to be owned by Chicago Outfit street boss Marco D'Amico.

But... How was the pizza.

A big problem with Villa Nova pizza in Stickney is they use canned mushrooms. Unacceptable.

d4v3 wrote:I thought to myself, “If Burt made thin-crust pizza, it would be like this”.

High praise indeed and one of the motivating factors in our trying Villa Nova.

d4v3 wrote:Roosevelt Road and Archer Avenue, in the part of the land where they seem to really love their pizza.

That area contains a stunning number of pizza joints, though I might not have noted just how disproportionate if not for your post.

Villa Nova lived up to expectations, thin crisp crust with character, quality cheese, tasty sausage and a eat-in area reminiscent of 1960's suburban rec room complete with jukebox and video game.

Villa Nova, Stickney






French Onion soup was a pleasant surprise, oniony beef broth bubbling hot cheese, nice size portion for $2.20, pizza bread and garlic bread crispy served blisteringly hot and Chef's salad, while simple construction of lettuce, cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, was fresh crisp and served with house-made dressing.

Pizza Bread



Villa Nova was jumping on Friday evening, light on dine-in, jumping takeout/delivery.



Had a chance to try a few slices of Bruno B's delivery, these were some of the biggest pizzas I had ever seen, 24-inches. Sauce skewed sweet, crust crisp though bland, but good sausage and decent cheese. Not quite in the league of Villa Nova, Vito Nick's, Marie's but I'd be happy if they delivered to my house.

Villa Nova was a terrific recommendation ,efficient service, top tier pizza and hyper reasonable prices, 6 of us over ordered pizza and appetizers drank at least ten cans of soda and the total with tax and tip was $12 per person.

Villa Nova Pizzeria, count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

Villa Nova Pizzeria
6821 Pershing Rd
Stickney, IL 60402
708-788-2944

Bruno B's
5043 West 111th Street
Alsip, IL 60803
708-636-5911

villa nova looks great planning a ride over there soon.

i also tried the bruno b's pie that was hugh. loved it
i really liked the sauce

It's about time Villa Nova gets recognized for what they are- the single best example of Chicago style thin crust pizza with homemade Italian sausage. Everyone I've ever introduced to Villa Nova over the years has always walked away saying that was the best thin crust pizza they ever had.

Their sausage is truly the best around. Only Pat's on Lincoln Ave. comes close. Their large chunks of sausage go perfectly with their perfectly melted cheese. As much as I love deep dish pizza, I grew up on Villa Nova, and I'd put Villa Nova up against any of the thin crust legends out East ( i.e. Di Fara and Grimaldi's in NYC and Sally's and Frank Pepe in New Haven ).

Americans really need to discover Chicago style thin crust pizza, for far too many Americans still think of Chicago style pizza as deep dish. As much as I love deep dish pizza ( yeah, it's my favorite ), our thin crust is every bit as legendary and should be recognized as such, whether it be Villa Nova, Vito and Nick's, or Pat's ( insert your favorite here.....).

deepdish wrote:It's about time Villa Nova gets recognized for what they are- the single best example of Chicago style thin crust pizza with homemade Italian sausage. Everyone I've ever introduced to Villa Nova over the years has always walked away saying that was the best thin crust pizza they ever had.

I wouldn't go that far. I enjoyed my visit to Villa Nova, and if I lived in their delivery zone I would order from them often, but as a sit down restaurant, it leaves much to be desired. In the immediate area, I still think V & N's is a step above Villa Nova by any measurable criteria, but Villa Nova is certainly good pizza.

deepdish wrote:Americans really need to discover Chicago style thin crust pizza, for far too many Americans still think of Chicago style pizza as deep dish. ... our thin crust is every bit as legendary and should be recognized as such

No argument from me there. I've been fighting that fight for a long time, both here on LTH and elsewhere.

G Wiv wrote:Villa Nova, Stickney

I don't do Villa Nova a lot. I like it, but I have other places I dig more. If they were a little less salty (I'm pretty sure it's the cheese,) it would be my go to spot. Funny thing that lead me to post this: I won't say which one, but one of the ppl in this photo is my next door neighbor's offspring. I really should ask if I can get some kinda sweet deal on pizza from them.

Assuming you told them about LTH for the picture, and they take a peek:
Hey, you in the picture with the dog named Angel: Your neighbor to the south likes sausage and hot giardiniera well done.

I agree with Steve. The pizza is awesome but the dining area isn't that great. Some of the weekend teen employees could be more friendly also.

In my opinion the whole "Chicago Style Deep Dish" makes me cringe . I call it "Tourist Pizza". I can think of 3 great thin crust places for ever deep dish place.

Phil wrote:In my opinion the whole "Chicago Style Deep Dish" makes me cringe . I call it "Tourist Pizza". I can think of 3 great thin crust places for every deep dish place.

Ditto!

I have been a lifelong Chicagoan and had never tried stuffed, deep dish or pan until a place in Elmwood Park called Godfather Pizza opened in the 70's. It was a novelty and pretty good and became a part of our usual pizza rotation.

Villa Nova is solidly in what I consider great Chicago thin crust with the quality and flavors in all of the right places.

I really enjoyed Villa Nova! Highlights for me were the tiny little one-bite pieces in the middle with the sausage in the center and the pepperoni that tasted like crispy bacon. Most of all, I enjoyed the rare balance of crispy crust to savory sauce to fresh toppings to flavorful and properly meltable cheese. Wish they were in my 'hood b/c there is NOTHING like this in the city that I've found--Pat's went downhill years and years ago and I've tried probably 20 places looking for exactly what Villa Nova puts out and come up woefully short. Looking forward to a return trip!

I'll bet it is not just me. Yesterday, the Travel Channel ran a "Pizza Off" show, with the usual NYC vs. Chi vs. LA fluff, showing Uno and Lou M. deep dish as "Chicago Pizza". These pies have their places, to be sure. But that place is not as representative of what good pizza is in our area. Put up Vito and Nicks, Villa Nova, Maries or your favorite thin crust and let this style speak us. It is certainly more representative of what people here are eating every day. Speaking of Villa Nova, I foresee a VN pie in my plans for today's Bears game: Large Sausage, onion and mushroom crispy, and please brown the top.

stevez,

I'm not alone in my assessment of Villa Nova being the best example of Chicago Style thin crust. Everyone I know swears by Villa Nova over Vito and Nick's by a very large margin. Yes, I said it- a very large margin. That said, I, like you, enjoy Vito and Nick's. The ambiance is far better at Vito and Nick's. I also think the servers at Vito and Nick's are much nicer as well; but, when push comes to shove in terms of the quality of the sausage and the crust to cheese ratio, I'm going to choose Villa Nova much like everyone else I know and have grown up with.

I know Vito and Nick's gets all the love on this site, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't expect Villa Nova to ever be nominated as a GNR because their dine in experience definitely lags way behind places like Vito and Nick's. However, when it comes to the pizza itself, I firmly believe Villa Nova is the better pizza by any measureable standard.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about today's excellent pizza at Villa Nova was the toppings application and slicing style: precisely two lumps of sausage on each and every piece.





I found myself explaining that was the reason I was photographing our pizza. "That's nothing. The other day we had people in here taking pictures of us making pizzas. Weird."

Villa Nova Pizzeria
6821 W Pershing Rd
Stickney IL
708-788-2944
708-788-2992
708-788-2702
708-788-2720
708-788-3149

Rene G wrote:Perhaps the most impressive thing about today's excellent pizza at Villa Nova was the toppings application and slicing style: precisely two lumps of sausage on each and every piece.

That is the reason for my comment that if Burt made thin crust pizza, it would be like Villa Nova's. The toppings are carefully placed with attention to detail and proper restraint resulting in a well balanced pizza, much like Burt's. If there is one complaint I have about VN's pizza is that it is a little on the salty side, but not bad enough for me to forgo ordering one everytime I visit Berwyn. Luckily, I have friends who live nearby, so I pick one up and bring it to their house when I visit, thereby avoiding the lack of proper dine-in facilities, although it is a lot of fun to watch them making pizzas, especially when they get busy. I am sure there are bars in the area that would allow you to bring a pizza in with you.

deepdish wrote:stevez,

I'm not alone in my assessment of Villa Nova being the best example of Chicago Style thin crust. Everyone I know swears by Villa Nova over Vito and Nick's by a very large margin. Yes, I said it- a very large margin. That said, I, like you, enjoy Vito and Nick's. The ambiance is far better at Vito and Nick's. I also think the servers at Vito and Nick's are much nicer as well; but, when push comes to shove in terms of the quality of the sausage and the crust to cheese ratio, I'm going to choose Villa Nova much like everyone else I know and have grown up with.

That's fine--I admire your enthusiasm--but equally in my neighborhood I would bet you Vito & Nick's wins out to Villa Nova. They're both great examples of the style. It's good that we have choices. But I clearly prefer V&N's, no question. I think the crust and the cheese on V&N's pizza is better. (Villa Nova has a little more cheese than I like on the pizza, but nowhere near some of the more ridiculous melted cheese discs you get at other pizzerias, which is a good thing.) But "better," especially in such contentious subjects as pizza, is often strongly shaped by what you grew up with. It's obvious you and your family and friends grew up with Villa Nova's, and that has been your yardstick for what a Chicago sausage thin crust should aspire to be. And that's a perfectly good yardstick.

Binko,

Agreed. Off topic, have you or anyone else on this site ever tried Joe's Italian Villa in Bridgeview off of Harlem and 87th ? Just wodering.....

There's a brief mention of it with pictures in this thread. I still haven't gotten a chance to get around to trying it.

In regard to Joe's Italian Villa, their sausage is homemade, and is truly outstanding. Usually one of the owners is there during the day or at night, and both owners participate in making the pizza themselves, with help from loyal employees. It's always a well done pizza ( the cheese is always browned ), which is very different from Villa Nova. Nevertheless, it's a very good pizza in its' own right. A Joe's Italian Villa pizza always has a smokey taste due to the outstanding sausage, and the well done finish.

I can attest to several very good thin crust pizza joints on Archer Ave., having grown up in the area. My usual go to place when I lived there was Obbies, followed by Villa Rosa. Every once in a while I would venture further east on Archer to Just a Pizza. Our family went to Vito and Nicks at least twice a month and that is still my favorite.

For deep dish the best by far is Cipriani's. I think the owner was originally trained at one of the first Giordanos on 63rd and Kedzie. I only get it occasionally because I prefer the thin crust.

Obbie's
6654 W Archer
Chicago
773-586-2828 - knew that one by heart

Villa Rosa
5786 S Archer
Chicago
773-585-8367

Just a Pizza
5136 S Archer
Chicago
773-585-8505

Cipriani's
5840 W 63rd St
Chicago
773-582-3747

I think only Villa Rosa has a dining room but you can go to any of the numerous taverns that line Archer Ave.

Hi,

I thought the bar down the street for Villa Nova named, "He's not here" was an especially good name. It could generate quite a lot of entertaining and frustrating conversations.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I thought the bar down the street for Villa Nova named, "He's not here" was an especially good name. It could generate quite a lot of entertaining and frustrating conversations.

Regards,

When I lived in Roscoe Village there was a bar called He Just Left.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I thought the bar down the street for Villa Nova named, "He's not here" was an especially good name. It could generate quite a lot of entertaining and frustrating conversations.

Regards,

I wonder if the owner's name is Dave? (a gratuitous Cheech and Chong reference for those of us over 50)

PS. don't know if it has been mentioned, but the Lockport VN is already up for sale.

d4v3 wrote:PS. don't know if it has been mentioned, but the Lockport VN is already up for sale.

In Villa Nova's waiting area, there is information on the Lockport's availability.

Regards,

Villa Nova just got a nice little write up in the Chicago Tribune "The Stew"

In Stickney, thin crust pizza you can root for...

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... t-for.html