Family-owned Vegas pizzeria reopens in new space after fire

The specialty pies and Philly cheesesteaks, the pepperoni rolls and brawny hoagies — they’re back.

Lucino’s, the family-owned pizzeria named among the top 100 in the U.S., closed suddenly in April following an exterior electrical fire that rendered unsafe its premises on East Tropicana Avenue, near South Pecos Road. On Saturday, Lucino’s is reopening at 11 a.m. in its new space about a half-mile west on Tropicana.

The latest Lucino’s features double the space (and then some), twice the number of pizza ovens, more than four times the seating, new menu items and the old sign in a new place of honor.

“We’ve been anticipating this since the fire happened,” said Giuseppe “Joey” Scolaro, who owns the restaurant with his parents. “I’m expecting Saturday to be crazy.”

Bigger is better

The original Lucino’s encompassed only 1,200 square feet, including the kitchen. The small size, Scolaro said, limited the number of people who could dine, the number of dishes offered and, sometimes, the speed at which orders could be fulfilled (an essential metric for a pizzeria).

The new pizzeria (3035 E. Tropicana Ave., Suites E and F) has 2,700 square feet and seats 50, allowing for a Lucino’s experience that goes beyond stopping by and taking out.

“It’s an appealing dining room. This is a nice family place,” Scolaro said. “You can come in on a Friday and Saturday night — we want to be that Vegas place. We want to shine on that here.”

Push in the tush

Pizzas emerge from four gas deck ovens, up from two. The increase should help speed up the handling of orders; extra ovens also means pizzas could be added to the menu.

A Vodka Chicken Parm is new, lined with vodka sauce and topped by breaded chicken breast slices. The Bryce Harper, named for the Vegas-born Philadelphia Phillies star, is also new; its toppings include ricotta and chopped broccoli, two ingredients often found on slices in the Northeast.

The Brotherly Shove is finished with mortadella imported from Italy, pistachio, basil and a drizzle of honey.

“It’s a play the Eagles run,” Scolaro said, referring to the move in which offensive players join to push the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback forward. The play is also called the Tush Push, noted Scolaro, a big Eagles fan who grew up in the Philadelphia area.

Rounding out the pizza program at the new shop: $20 all-you-can-enjoy slices in several styles.

Alfredo, at last

Three pasta making their debut are named for members of the Scolaro family: Avanni alla Vodka with marinated chicken and Pecorino-Romano, Nonna’s Bolognese tossed with thin spaghetti, and Arianna’s Alfredo swaddling fettuccine (more than half a pound) and chicken.

“Customers asked us for it for years,” Scolaro said of the Alfredo, “but we didn’t have the areas to cook a lot of those things.”

Among the hoagies and subs, there’s now a Carini, named for the town in Sicily where Scolaro’s father is from, and a Vinny Gambini, named for the lead character in “My Cousin Vinny.” Both are built with pancetta and mortadella from Italy.

“These were specifically designed to have imported meats on them,” Scolaro said.

A piece of the old place

At the first pizzeria, the sign read Lucino’s Pizza, with Lucino’s in white and Pizza in red. The Lucino’s portion of the sign now hangs above the stacked pizza ovens, visible from everywhere in the dining room. “We took it and converted it so now it can show plain white or multiple colors,” Scolaro said.

On Eagles game days, look for the midnight green.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.