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Of all the takeout and delivery options available in this age of DoorDash and Grubhub, pizza remains the most well-suited, able to leave a restaurant and arrive at your door in delicious condition. The team behind Pizzeria Locale knows that—and are embracing it—at their newest outpost in Stapleton, which opens today.
According to brand manager Chris Donato, the new restaurant, situated in the Town Centre across from the Founder’s Green, was specifically designed to handle 40 percent takeout and delivery business for Stapleton area families. “We like to think of Pizzeria Locale as ‘neighborhood Neapolitan,’” says Donato, “which means that our food and drink are based on quality, but we are also focused on the needs of our customers.” In other words, if you want Pizzeria Locale’s Diavola pie for dinner, topped with smoked mozzarella, pepperoni, basil, and chile flakes, you can order it ahead for pick up or have it delivered to your home (as of December 16, once the brand-new restaurant gets its sea legs).
To make the process easier for guests, the Pizzeria Locale team (led by owners Bobby Stuckey, founding chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, and culinary director Jordan Wallace) worked with Denver-based design firm Raw Creative on a streamlined ordering and pick-up system, with more point-of-sale screens in the store so staff can attend to both online and in-person orders from customers; grab-and-go salads and drinks; and twice the counter space and storage for takeout and online orders.
The food menu at the brand’s third fast-casual location is the same, featuring Neapolitan-style pies (cooked to order in three minutes in a smart oven), salads, sides including meatballs and cheesy bread, and the restaurant’s scrumptious signature butterscotch budino. Unique to the Stapleton store are Scarpetta wines and rotating beers on tap, as well as draft spritzes. The current spritz flavor is a bright blood orange-ginger number, made with spicy, Boulder-based Oliko ginger beer, fresh basil, blood orange juice, and Mile High Spirits vodka; the local brew on tap right now is Denver Beer Company’s Pretzel Assassin, a Vienna lager.
So, while you may be tempted to take advantage of Pizzeria Locale Stapleton’s takeout system, dining at the new location affords its own pleasures. The space is window-walled and light-filled, and decorated with whimsical line art murals from local artist Pat Milbery and original photographs of Naples street scenes from Fort Collins native Dave Woody. A coloring station for kids, paired with daily happy hour (4–6 p.m.) BOGO wine or beer specials (with the purchase of a pizza), will surely inspire Stapleton residents to dine in and even linger a while.
Opening Day Bonus: If you are one of the first 50 guests on Monday, December 9, you’ll receive a Pizzeria Locale t-shirt and BOGO card for pizza. Every guest today is entered to win “Pizza for a Year,” defined as 52 free pizza gift cards.
Pizzeria Locale Stapleton is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; 7505 E. 29th Place, 303-835-7465
