Ferraro’s family opens newest pizzeria across from UNLV

The university neighborhood on Maryland Parkway has changed a bit since Mimmo Ferraro attended UNLV, from 1997 through 2000, before attending culinary school in San Francisco.

“Back when I was in UNLV, this was area was Moose McGillycuddy’s, (Freakin’) Frog,” the 41-year old recalls, sitting in his own Maryland Parkway restaurant, the newest Pizza Forte location. “To see the uptick in new buildings, and just the modern look — the new blood, new energy – it’s good.”

Unfortunately, that energy is not coming from a campus packed with students, who are back in very limited numbers because of the continuing COVID 19 crisis. It’s a far cry from what Ferraro, or anyone, was expecting, when he signed a lease for space in the new residential/office/retail building known as The yoU.

“When you hear that 20 percent of students are coming back, and only for labs, it’s crushing,” he says.

After delaying his planned spring opening in response to the pandemic, Ferraro decided to push ahead this month. He says he’s had “good days and bad days” since quietly opening Aug. 4.

Few people are better prepared, however, to face the challenges of running a Las Vegas restaurant. His family’s Italian eatery, Ferraro’s, is a Las Vegas institution that has been in operation for 35 years, through multiple locations. Mimmo helmed its kitchen for 13 years before venturing into the pizza business in 2014, hoping to create a more casual restaurant that allowed him to step back from day-to-day operations.

“Ferraro’s is known for Gino Ferraro at the door, and Mimmo Ferraro in the kitchen, and Walter Ferraro as your server, and this Ferraro here, and that Ferraro (there),” Ferraro jokes about the business in which he was raised.

With his pizza places, he developed the concept, oversees the openings and then lets others people handle the day-to-day, so he can spend more time with his wife and kids outside the restaurant.

That’s not to say family isn’t well-represented in his new spot. Four of the sandwiches are named after Mimmo’s daughter, son, father and wife, respectively. And Nonna’s stuffed peppers, his grandmother’s recipe, are a holdover from Ferraro’s that has been on that menu since it opened.

The new location also gives Mimmo a chance to introduce pasta dishes. Guests can choose from rigatoni, fettuccine, spaghetti and gnocchi with their pick of pesto, Alfredo, pink or pomodoro sauce, along with rotating pasta specials. He promises longtime fans of Ferraro’s won’t be disappointed.

“I am buying (the pasta) from Ferraro’s. So it’s the same pasta, and it’s a recipe that I put in place 15-plus years ago. The sauces are all made to order. And while we don’t have an Alfredo sauce or a pink sauce at Ferraro’s, if I were to make an Alfredo sauce or pink sauce at Ferraro’s, they would be the same exact recipe.”

Mimmo is confident he can find an audience, even in these trying times. He’s focusing heavily on delivery, and extending discounts for students, police officers and residents of The yoU. And whenever students return to class and the dorms, he’ll be excited to offer them something they can’t find on campus.

“We’ve got to let them know that the quality of food here is better, it’s different, it’s elevated, but the price point is still very reasonable: $2.50 for a slice, and it’s a good-sized slice.”

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter and Instagram.