In a world where restaurants come and go with the seasons, Nicolosi’s Pizza stands as a monument to grit, tradition, and the perfect crust. Since 1964, this family-owned powerhouse has been a staple of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
In a recent episode of the Pizza Story podcast, host Erica D’Arcangelo sat down with Angelo Nicolosi, a third-generation owner, to pull back the curtain on sixty years of “blood, sweat, and tears.” From its Brooklyn roots to becoming a North Jersey legend, Angelo shares why “keeping it simple” is the secret to surviving six decades.
The Man Who Brought Pizza to the Valley
Angelo’s grandfather immigrated from Trecastagni, Sicily, landing in New York and learning the trade from his brother. After stints in Brooklyn and Queens, a chance visit to a wedding in the Lehigh Valley changed everything.
In 1964, he opened a tiny shop in a Phillipsburg strip mall. Back then, “pizza” wasn’t what it is today.
“He basically invented pizza in the Lehigh Valley,” Angelo says. “Before him, people were eating parbaked pies, like the ones you see in a supermarket, and finishing them at home.”
The “War Zone” of a Friday Night
Nicolosi’s is famous for its limited menu: Neapolitan and Sicilian. That’s it. Over the last 25 years, they’ve only added two toppings: bacon and garlic. Why? Because when you’ve been successful for 60 years, you don’t mess with the formula.
Angelo describes a Friday night at the shop as “Broadway without a ticket.” With four gas ovens and a crew of four (one on the register, one pulling slices, one stretching, and one tossing), the energy is electric.
The Secret is the fresh dough. Unlike many modern shops that cold-ferment dough for 48-72 hours, Nicolosi’s uses fresh dough that rises for 3-4 hours and never sees a drop of oil or a tin. The Challenge is that fresh dough is incredibly soft and difficult to handle. One wrong move and you’ve got a hole. It’s a “touchy-feely” art form that requires decades of experience.
Lessons from the Old Country
Angelo’s family history heavily influences how the business is run today. Having lived through the poverty of post-WWII Sicily, his grandfather viewed waste as a sin.
Consistency Over Expansion
Angelo is wary of opening second locations. He believes maintaining the original product’s consistency is harder than building the business in the first place.
The “Stern but Fair” Rule
Angelo shared a hilarious story of his grandfather scolding an employee for leaving the water running while washing dishes. In the Nicolosi household, every penny and every drop of hot water mattered because they knew what it was like to have nothing.
Giving Back
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the shop donated four hours of the proceeds from the entire dinner rush to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
The “Battle of the Bridge” and Social Media
While Angelo handles the dough, his sister Selena has taken the legacy into the 21st century. As the social media mastermind, she’s grown the shop’s presence on TikTok and Instagram by leaning into the shop’s quirky, authentic personality.
One video of Angelo throwing away a pineapple-topped slice (an “illegal” topping at Nicolosi’s) garnered 200,000 views and plenty of backlash. Angelo’s response? “You’re never going to please everybody. I gave that pie to someone in need after the video ended, but people only see what they want to see.”
How to Find Nicolosi’s
If you want a taste of authentic North Jersey history (just don’t ask for pineapple!), visit them at:
Location: Corliss Avenue, Phillipsburg, NJ
Hours: Daily, 11 AM to 10 PM (Cash Only!)
Instagram: @nicolosispizzanj
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