Zappi's Pizzeria

Food and Family: A Zappi's Tradition For Al Zappitelli, owner of Zappi's Pizza & Pasta , Italian food is more than just cuisine, it's a way of life.  Zappi's famous signature dishes carry with them pieces of Al's memories of childhood and his treasured heritage, which are as familiar to him as the traditional Italian recipes he has been recreating for the past five decades.  Each item on the Zappi's menu has an origin story which revolve around the core of what Zappi's is all about: Family.  The Zappitelli Family In the Zappitelli family, food has always been a family affair.  Whether it was watching his Aunt Lucy prepping her famous stuffed mushrooms at her kitchen table, or coming home from school to prepare his father's highly secretive pizza dough recipe, Al's connection to his family is indisputable. His childhood is as embedded into the rich tapestry of Zappi's as much as Zappi's itself has become intrinsically woven to the local cu...

A Bit About The Owner: Every day, long before the sun rises, Al Zappitelli arrives at work at 5:30 a.m. He rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, chopping up fresh vegetables, getting his Niagara Falls restaurant’s signature sauce simmering, and prepping for his cooks who will arrive at 11 a.m. They're long days, involving hard work, but the second-generation restauranteur wouldn't have it any other way. “I love it; I love my job,” said the owner of Zappi’s Pizza and Pasta, a name that for generations of locals and tourists, has conjured up images of hearth-baked pizzas and Italian dishes, such as chicken and veal parmigiana and eggplant lasagna.  Authentic Italian Food 50 Years in the Making! From left to right: Veal Parmagiana, Buffalo Chicken Pizza,  Penne Pasta with Homestyle Tomato Sauce “It’s all homemade, and homemade takes time,” said Zappitelli.