Now open! Vitta Pizza on Central Entrance
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza
Ooey, gooey, crispy, cheesy, spicy . . . everyone has their favorite style of pizza, crusts and toppings. Vitta Pizza brings diners back in history to Naples, Italy, and the storied origins of Italy’s contribution to this worldwide, popular food.
Owned by Duluth natives Brad and Christie Erickson and located in Duluth’s Canal Park, they now have another Vitta Pizza location at 23 W Central Entrance, also featuring their classic Neapolitan fare.
The menu for the Central Entrance has exactly the same items as the Canal Park location. “We wanted to keep things simple and not change what customers are already loving and craving,” Christie said. The Ericksons anticipate that the customer base for the new Central Entrance restaurant may be more locals than tourists. "We are most excited to offer the first & only drive-up window for pizza in the Northland. Simply order online & receive a notification when your order is ready for pick up."
Vitta Pizza is family-owned by Brad and Christie Erickson who were born, raised and live in Duluth with their children Luisa and Jaeger. Submitted photo.
Neapolitan is a style of pizza with a chewy crust, made with crushed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. "Our oven is completely fired by wood & can cook a pizza in 97 seconds due to the intense heat" says Christie. "Our new oven also came directly from Italy for the Central Entrance restaurant and delivers that same unique wood-fired flavor,” said Brad.
The 1000º woodfire oven at Vitta Pizza cooks the pizza in 97 seconds. Painted by local artist Brian Olson. Submitted photo
The Neapolitan pizza was “invented” in the late 19th century, featuring its classic wood-fired crust. In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples. They were served a pizza named in honor of the queen whose colors mirrored those of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil leaves). This is now known as the classic wood-fired baked Neapolitan pizza today.
“We also import many of our ingredients from Italy, including Double Zero Caputo flour, tomatoes, and olive oil. helping us to maintain the true Neapolitan flavor,” she added.
For eleven years, locals and tourists have made the Canal Park restaurant a favorite family dining experience, enjoying its creative menu of ten different 9” specialty pizza options.
The Canal Park Vitta Pizza is located at 307 Canal Park Drive. Submitted photo.
Patrons can also create their own pizza with a choice of 27 different toppings, including arugula, artichokes, mushrooms, peppers, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, black, kalamata and green olives, and a variety of meats, including Italian sausage, ham, pepperoni, prosciutto and salami (soppressata).
“A diners’ favorite and one of my personal favorites is the ‘Tomasso,’” said Christie. It features prosciutto, goat cheese, garlic, crushed red pepper and arugula.
The Tamasso pizza from Vitta Pizza. Submitted photo.
Kiddos can choose their own 5” pizza, selecting from the Sophia, cheese pizza; the Jago, pepperoni; and the Luisa, sausage. Luisa and Jago are the names of Brad and Christie’s children.
According to Brad, diners can add to their pizza selection with garlic breadsticks, an antipasto platter and four different salads. “People love the Caesar salad with the house-made Caesar dressing we also sell by the bottle.”
Dessert lovers will be excited about the refreshing ice cream and ice cream sandwich options made fresh locally by Love Creamery. Christie said, “We especially love working with them locally for our delicious dessert choices.”
In addition, Vitta has a wide selection of local craft beers and traditional Italian wine, such as chianti.
Patrons can choose from curbside pickup, take-out, dine-in, and online ordering and delivery from Food Dudes. “We aremost excited to offer the convenience of the drive-up window on Central Entrance and introduce more of the Northland to Neapolitan Style Pizza," Christie said.
Vitta Pizza's new location on Central Entrance features a drive-thru pick-up window. Submitted photo.
The decor at both locations has a kicky sixties European vibe, with neon signage and a brightly colored mural of Sophia Loren painted by local artist Brian Olson, with another huge mural on the inside. Each place also has an authentic Vespa and other decorator items that look straight out of an Italian movie.
Visit their website for menu, and hours and to order at vittapizza.com
