One of Jefferson City's favorite families has reintroduced a name familiar to many longtime residents of the area.
Pizzaria Napolitana opened for business in its new location at 829 Eastland Drive on June 20.
Chris and Ria Totsikas opened the original Pizzaria Napolitana on Missouri Boulevard in 1978. The restaurant, then at its second Missouri Boulevard location, closed with its founders' retirement in 2006. The Totsikas family relocated their business soon after to Ria's Restaurant on West Edgewood Drive, which opened in 2008.
The Totsikas family has been seeking a second location for their restaurant business, which has continued under the corporate name of Pizzaria Napolitana, for some time now, and they decided the east side of Jefferson City needed it most.
"These are all business plans that they set for us years ago," Gus Totsikas, the restaurants' chef, said of his parents, Chris and Ria. "We're at capacity at the other restaurant during lunches."
Pizzaria Napolitana opened serving a lunch buffet from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The restaurant will extend its hours to dinnertime starting Wednesday, with dinner hours from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
The new restaurant adds to limited options for full-service dining in the area, which is where a large portion of the original Pizzaria Napolitana's clientele lived.
"Our roots stem from the east side of town. We were on the Boulevard, and that was the outskirts back in the '70s," Gus Totsikas said. "We're here to make it more convenient for our existing patrons as well as allowing us to serve a different part of town."
The new Pizzaria Napolitana added nine full-time jobs on site.
"We felt as though we would be a good employer out here," Totsikas said. "This side needs it - not just us - but this side needed a full-service restaurant."
Pizzaria Napolitana features a menu influenced heavily by southern Mediterranean cuisine, as well as some local fare.
"We have yet to quit making our original pizza," Totsikas said.
The restaurant's bar also will offer a happy hour.
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