Novanta
Novanta is a Neapolitan pizza restaurant at 8452 Old Sauk Rd., near Junction Road, opened on June 27, 2013, by Nick Mattioli, then 23, in partnership with Vincenzo Pugliese, the owner of Cafe Porta Alba, where Mattioli had been head chef for four years[1][2]. The name is Italian for "90", the number of seconds a Neapolitan pizza bakes at 900 to 1,000 degrees[2].
History
The first Novanta took the former Seafood Center (earlier the Sloppy Lobster Seafood Market) after a full remodel in which "the only thing that's the same is the floor". It opened with counter service, 38 seats and 12 outside, 10-inch pizzas, a mozzarella bar and no pasta[1]. The Capital Times' November 2013 review found the 900-degree oven turning out pizzas at $8.25 to $8.50 and judged that "Novanta does quick pizza better than most chains"[3].
A second Novanta was announced in July 2019 for 2903 University Ave., the former Party Port space[4], and was open by early November — with a second Italian-made Marra Forni oven, a much larger prep station, and more than twice the pizza-making capacity of Old Sauk Road, where customers had been waiting in long lines. The menu ran to about 16 pizzas[5]. It opened about three months before the COVID shutdown[2]. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada[2].
The University Avenue store's last day was June 28, 2025. Mattioli blamed high rent in the newer building and staff turnover, and consolidated at Old Sauk Road; no jobs were lost[6]. Osteria Novella, a southern Italian restaurant, opened in the space in November 2025 and kept Novanta's brick oven[7][8].
Pizza
- Neapolitan, from a wood-burning oven[2]. Pizzas named in the papers: the Salsiccia (Italian sausage, mushrooms, garlic, basil, house mozzarella)[2] and the Lombarda (pear, gorgonzola, arugula)[6].
Locations
- 8452 Old Sauk Rd., near Junction Road (June 27, 2013, to present)[1].
Former Locations
- 2903 University Ave. (late 2019 to June 28, 2025).
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kalk Derby, S. (2013, July 5). "Restaurant News: New Far West Side pizzeria Novanta has shades of Porta Alba." madison.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Kalk Derby, S. (2023, January 28). "2 Wisconsin pizza restaurants show up on Yelp's top 100, one in Milwaukee, one in Madison." madison.com.
- ↑ Christians, L. (2013, November 28). "Fast and fair-priced thin crust pizzas draw fans to Novanta." The Capital Times. p. 5. Newspapers.com image 520985802.
- ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2019, July 15). "University Avenue getting Novanta pizza clone." madison.com.
- ↑ Haase, N. (2019, November 6). "New Novanta pizzeria is twice as nice." The Capital Times. p. O25. Newspapers.com image 613239955.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2025, June 11). "Novanta restaurant on University Avenue closing after 5 years." madison.com.
- ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2025, November 19). "Bar Corallini chef opening Italian restaurant on Near West Side." madison.com.
- ↑ Rodriguez, A. (2025, November 26). Osteria Novella opens at 2903 University Ave. The Capital Times. p. O38. Newspapers.com image 1276855680.
