Raiders and Chargers, Nitza's Pizza, Temecula

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

A couple weeks ago my wife and I were craving pizza.  But, we were getting sick of the usual suspects.  The commercial pizza chains have lost a lot of flavor, it seems, in the last few decades.

Back in 2002 I visited New York City, and had a slice of the greatest piece of pizza ever at a little hold-in-the-wall a short walk from Times’ Square.  Searching for pizza as good as that NYC slice, I found a pretty good place in Ramona, California, but it’s too far from my house, and still didn’t capture the tastiness of that East Coast slice of pizza.

Nonetheless, we still occasionally order the well-known cardboard with sauce and not-so-stretchy cheese on top here in California, because that’s what is available.  Some are 5 bucks out the door, others deliver with a slightly better product, but no pizza joint has been able to capture my heart, or our tummies, like that place in the city that is the home of the Yankees and the Statue of Liberty.

So, while we were craving better pizza a couple weeks ago, I suggested going to Old Town Temecula.  I had the grandkids there a week before, and had a fun day with them.  We visited Pennypickles Workshop Children’s museum, Happy’s Cafe (the shaved ice with a ball of ice cream in the middle is a game-changer), and of course a visit to the Old Town Sweet Shop.  I thought my wife would enjoy something a little different, as well.

I pulled out my smart phone and asked for the pizza restaurants closest to Old Town Temecula, and two came up.  We chose the one with more stars, and arrived at Nitza’s Pizza a short time later.

Nitza’s sells pizza by the slice, as well as the full pie.  They have a couple different kinds of spaghetti, ravioli, Italian sub sandwiches, various salads, hot wings, Italian deserts, and even hot dogs with chili, cheese and/or bacon.  For drinks they have the usual sodas and teas, a few brands of bottled beers, local and not-so-local wines (remember, Temecula Wine Country is just up the road), and a number of imports and domestic beers on tap, or in a bottle.  There is even an IPA waiting for beer connoisseurs to try out.

The pizza is the best I’ve had since New York City, and it may even be good enough to rival that slice of heaven I enjoyed at Times Square.  In fact, the commercial delivery places can’t even compare to what Nitza’s has to offer by way of taste, and quality, of pizza.  Oh, and that $4 slice at Nitza’s is as big, if not bigger, than my slice of liberty back east.

Last week I brought my friend Brad to Nitza’s to get his take on the local pizza restaurant.  We ordered a 14 inch pepperoni, spicy sausage, smoked applewood bacon pizza. . .and my oh my, it was delicious.

“Hey,” he said to me.  ”Sunday football would be great here.”

I am a huge fan of football, and despite Colin Kaepernick’s idiotic display of anti-Americanism at the games, I am still watching the NFL.  Normally, on football Sundays, one can find me at RJ’s Sizzlin’ Steer in Murrieta, which is among the best steak places in the area, while very reasonably priced, to watch my Raiders play.  However, based on Brad’s suggestion, for the big game against the Chargers today, I have decided to land at Nitza’s Pizza, 42072 5th St., #106 in Temecula.  Feel free to join me for a fun and likely exciting football game, the best pizza in the Temecula Valley, and various drinks from ice tea to soda to a variety of beers both bottled and on tap.

I’ll be the one with a big smile on his face, a Raiders cap on his head, and a huge slice of pizza in his left paw.  Game starts at 1:25 pm.

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