Nonno's Family Pizza Tavern
Martin and Sara Stayer met in Chicago and brought tavern pizza back to Richmond Avenue, cracker-thin and cut into squares.
Why go
The Stayers already ran Nobie's, in Montrose since 2016, and the Toasted Coconut since 2019.2 When the neighboring sports bar Revelry on Richmond closed they took the space.2 The Chronicle puts the debut in late July 2023 and Houstonia puts it in August.23 Esquire named it Pizza Joint of the Year that November.3
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Maui Wowee, topped with spam, pineapple and smoked jalapeno. Houstonia calls it
a delicious exercise in contrasts.
2 - Order: the Meat Head if the pineapple is a problem, with capicola, pepperoni and sausage.2
- Order: the Mozz Sticks, served with a spicy marinara the kitchen calls Fat Larry sauce.2
- Order: Kelly Walker's cheesecake with a pretzel crust. She is Nobie's pastry chef and she brought it over.2
What locals & experts say
- Houstonia Magazine, Houstonia Approved (September 2023), on the mozzarella sticks:
without a doubt the best mozzarella sticks we've ever had—extra fat, with a perfectly crispy exterior and cheese that stretches for days.
2 - Esquire, Pizza Joint of the Year 2023, as reported by the Houston Chronicle: the entry
praises chef Martin Stayer's cracker-thin Chicago tavern-style pizzas, paired with the cocktails and fun vibes of the restaurant.
3 - Martin Stayer, on what he is aiming at:
The whole focus of Nonno's is what you've had 100 times, but doing it right each time.
3
Good to know
- Booking: walk-in.2
- The room: colorful booths and banquettes, wood paneling, Pizza Hut light fixtures, a small nook with pinball, and a nineties playlist.2
- Beyond the pizza: housemade pastas came onto the menu shortly after opening, including cacio e pepe and Bolognese.2
- Say it non-ohs, not no-nos.2
Verdict
could-visit — Esquire named it the country's Pizza Joint of the Year in 2023, an award with a category, a body and a year on it, and that is the case for the rung. Martin and Sara Stayer already ran Nobie's, which holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand of its own, so the kitchen behind this room has a record. Three things hold the rung here. Everything readable about the place is from 2023, the award comes through the Chronicle's reading of Esquire, and no critic has scored the room since.