Skip to main contentIt's tiny, with faux grape vines lining its intimate dining room, workers tossing dough in open view of the cashier counter, an indoor lamppost illuminating small tables where couples sip wine and slurp pasta…hell, there's probably a mutt in the back alley sharing a plate of spaghetti with a cocker spaniel. Nicola's is just that kind of hole-in-the-wall Italian joint. And, as expected, the food is divine. Pizzas like the Nicola's Special ($8.99 for a "personal" pie that feeds two) are perfectly chewy and loaded with thin-cut Italian sausage; pasta dishes such as the tortellini pancetta ($12.99) come piled high alongside flaky housemade bread and antipasti. All that's missing is a group of serenading musicians…but chefs who chat you up while slathering to-go pies in tangy sauce are a fine substitute.
WWeek 2015