Novanta - Revision history

Jacques: Add the 2010–2014 years from the newspaper research recorded in the database; earlier text kept

2026-10-21T17:13:07Z

Add the 2010–2014 years from the newspaper research recorded in the database; earlier text kept

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:13, 21 October 2026
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	'''Novanta''' is a Neapolitan pizza restaurant on Old Sauk ~~Road~~ near Junction Road, opened in 2013 by Nick Mattioli, then 23~~. He had been head chef at~~ [[Cafe Porta Alba]] ~~at Hilldale~~ for four years<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100">Kalk Derby, S. (2023, January 28). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_4e3fe170-1d9e-57ae-a7d1-ba8cc550982c.html "2 Wisconsin pizza restaurants show up on Yelp's top 100, one in Milwaukee, one in Madison."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. The name is Italian for "90", the number of seconds a Neapolitan pizza bakes at 900 to 1,000 degrees<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.		'''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<ref name="mc-2013-07-05-novanta-opens">Kalk Derby, S. (2013, July 5). [https://madison.com/lifestyles/food_and_cooking/article_e5deb680-c350-51f2-b21b-de8f20bd4751.html "Restaurant News: New Far West Side pizzeria Novanta has shades of Porta Alba."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100">Kalk Derby, S. (2023, January 28). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_4e3fe170-1d9e-57ae-a7d1-ba8cc550982c.html "2 Wisconsin pizza restaurants show up on Yelp's top 100, one in Milwaukee, one in Madison."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. The name is Italian for "90", the number of seconds a Neapolitan pizza bakes at 900 to 1,000 degrees<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.

	==History==		==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<ref name="mc-2013-07-05-novanta-opens" />. 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"<ref name="ct-2013-11-28-p5">Christians, L. (2013, November 28). "Fast and fair-priced thin crust pizzas draw fans to Novanta." ''The Capital Times''. p. 5. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/520985802/ 520985802].</ref>.

	A second Novanta was announced in July 2019 for [[2903 University Avenue\|2903 University Ave.]], the former Party Port space<ref name="mc-2019-07-15-novanta-clone">Kalk Derby, S. (2019, July 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_81a86135-0cc0-5906-a0ff-abc422f6d73f.html "University Avenue getting Novanta pizza clone."] ''madison.com''.</ref>, 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<ref name="ct-2019-11-06-pO25">Haase, N. (2019, November 6). "New Novanta pizzeria is twice as nice." ''The Capital Times''. p. O25. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/613239955/ 613239955].</ref>. It opened about three months before the COVID shutdown<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.		A second Novanta was announced in July 2019 for [[2903 University Avenue\|2903 University Ave.]], the former Party Port space<ref name="mc-2019-07-15-novanta-clone">Kalk Derby, S. (2019, July 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_81a86135-0cc0-5906-a0ff-abc422f6d73f.html "University Avenue getting Novanta pizza clone."] ''madison.com''.</ref>, 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<ref name="ct-2019-11-06-pO25">Haase, N. (2019, November 6). "New Novanta pizzeria is twice as nice." ''The Capital Times''. p. O25. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/613239955/ 613239955].</ref>. It opened about three months before the COVID shutdown<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.

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	==Locations==		==Locations==
	* Old Sauk ~~Road~~, near Junction Road (2013 to present).		* 8452 Old Sauk Rd., near Junction Road (June 27, 2013, to present)<ref name="mc-2013-07-05-novanta-opens" />.

	===Former Locations===		===Former Locations===

Jacques: Add the 2019 University Avenue opening in detail (2015–2019 research)

2026-10-21T13:52:29Z

Add the 2019 University Avenue opening in detail (2015–2019 research)

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:52, 21 October 2026
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	==History==		==History==
	A second Novanta ~~opened~~ in ~~late~~ 2019 at [[2903 University Avenue\|2903 University Ave.]], about three months before the COVID shutdown<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.		A second Novanta was announced in July 2019 for [[2903 University Avenue\|2903 University Ave.]], the former Party Port space<ref name="mc-2019-07-15-novanta-clone">Kalk Derby, S. (2019, July 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_81a86135-0cc0-5906-a0ff-abc422f6d73f.html "University Avenue getting Novanta pizza clone."] ''madison.com''.</ref>, 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<ref name="ct-2019-11-06-pO25">Haase, N. (2019, November 6). "New Novanta pizzeria is twice as nice." ''The Capital Times''. p. O25. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/613239955/ 613239955].</ref>. It opened about three months before the COVID shutdown<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.

	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<ref name="mc-2025-06-11-novanta-closing">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, June 11). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_475b8b79-ef31-4424-8433-fef07d2f598f.html "Novanta restaurant on University Avenue closing after 5 years."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. Osteria Novella, a southern Italian restaurant, opened in the space in November 2025 and kept Novanta's brick oven<ref name="mc-2025-11-19-osteria-novella">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, November 19). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_f88e44a4-be11-44d2-b3c6-dd71fa9c822b.html "Bar Corallini chef opening Italian restaurant on Near West Side."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="ct-2025-11-26-pO38">Rodriguez, A. (2025, November 26). Osteria Novella opens at 2903 University Ave. ''The Capital Times''. p. O38. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1276855680/ 1276855680].</ref>.		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<ref name="mc-2025-06-11-novanta-closing">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, June 11). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_475b8b79-ef31-4424-8433-fef07d2f598f.html "Novanta restaurant on University Avenue closing after 5 years."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. Osteria Novella, a southern Italian restaurant, opened in the space in November 2025 and kept Novanta's brick oven<ref name="mc-2025-11-19-osteria-novella">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, November 19). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_f88e44a4-be11-44d2-b3c6-dd71fa9c822b.html "Bar Corallini chef opening Italian restaurant on Near West Side."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="ct-2025-11-26-pO38">Rodriguez, A. (2025, November 26). Osteria Novella opens at 2903 University Ave. ''The Capital Times''. p. O38. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1276855680/ 1276855680].</ref>.

Jacques: New article from the 2023–2026 newspaper research recorded in the database

2026-10-20T05:05:16Z

New article from the 2023–2026 newspaper research recorded in the database

New page

'''Novanta''' is a Neapolitan pizza restaurant on Old Sauk Road near Junction Road, opened in 2013 by Nick Mattioli, then 23. He had been head chef at [[Cafe Porta Alba]] at Hilldale for four years<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100">Kalk Derby, S. (2023, January 28). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_4e3fe170-1d9e-57ae-a7d1-ba8cc550982c.html "2 Wisconsin pizza restaurants show up on Yelp's top 100, one in Milwaukee, one in Madison."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. The name is Italian for "90", the number of seconds a Neapolitan pizza bakes at 900 to 1,000 degrees<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.

==History==
A second Novanta opened in late 2019 at [[2903 University Avenue|2903 University Ave.]], about three months before the COVID shutdown<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. In January 2023 Yelp put Novanta 83rd on its list of the top 100 pizza places in the United States and Canada<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />.

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<ref name="mc-2025-06-11-novanta-closing">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, June 11). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_475b8b79-ef31-4424-8433-fef07d2f598f.html "Novanta restaurant on University Avenue closing after 5 years."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. Osteria Novella, a southern Italian restaurant, opened in the space in November 2025 and kept Novanta's brick oven<ref name="mc-2025-11-19-osteria-novella">Kalk Derby, S. (2025, November 19). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_f88e44a4-be11-44d2-b3c6-dd71fa9c822b.html "Bar Corallini chef opening Italian restaurant on Near West Side."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="ct-2025-11-26-pO38">Rodriguez, A. (2025, November 26). Osteria Novella opens at 2903 University Ave. ''The Capital Times''. p. O38. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1276855680/ 1276855680].</ref>.

==Pizza==
* Neapolitan, from a wood-burning oven<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" />. Pizzas named in the papers: the Salsiccia (Italian sausage, mushrooms, garlic, basil, house mozzarella)<ref name="mc-2023-01-28-yelp-top-100" /> and the Lombarda (pear, gorgonzola, arugula)<ref name="mc-2025-06-11-novanta-closing" />.

==Locations==
* Old Sauk Road, near Junction Road (2013 to present).

===Former Locations===
* [[2903 University Avenue|2903 University Ave.]] (late 2019 to June 28, 2025).

==See also==
* [[Cafe Porta Alba]]
* [[Item:Q1283|Novanta in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]

==Notes==
<references />