The owners of a popular Santee-based Italian restaurant are getting ready to expand with a new location and concept: Nicolosi’s Pizza Express, located at 9800 Mira Lee Way in Mira Mesa.
Nicolosi’s Italian Restaurant is considered one of San Diego’s oldest and most cherished family-owned restaurants. Now, the owners are preparing to open Nicolosi’s Pizza Express on the ground floor of the Casa Mira View Apartment Community. Owner Ron Burner, who operates the restaurant with his wife Barb, tells What Now San Diego that he hopes to open the new location in mid-May 2024 and is very excited to expand to this area. Customers can expect all of Nicolosi’s delicious pizza at this new site.
“We will feature, of course, our pizzas, as well as all of our salads and sandwiches / Torpedoes,” Burner tells What Now San Diego. “We will also feature specials for weekends, plus some of our traditional dinners, including lasagna, Sicilian mac and cheese, and fettuccine alfredo.”
The family-owned restaurant was first started by Sicilian emigrant Salvatore Nicolosi, who brought his family to Southern California in 1952 and opened Nicolosi’s Italian Restaurant, serving Old-World recipes handed down in his family. After passing in 1958, his wife and sons kept the business thriving and eventually expanded, opening three more locations—two in San Diego County and another in Mammoth Lakes. Eventually, family members retired, and the last location closed in 2009. Then, Burner, the current owner and grandson of Salvatore, decided to take over.
“Nicolosi’s is a family-owned and operated Italian restaurant that has been serving up delicious food for over [70] years,” according to the company’s website. “Salvatore Nicolosi emigrated from Sicily to America in 1906 and opened his first restaurant in 1952. Since then, the Nicolosi family has worked hard to make their restaurant one of the most popular in town. Our classic Italian dishes will transport you to the old country, and our friendly service will make you feel right at home.”
