Week 34: Nick's Pizza & Pasta

Ever since 1994, Nick and his family have been baking up pizzas and Italian food in HIghland Village.  Voted the Best of Denton County in 2003 and 2004, we thought we should check out Nick’s and see if he still had some good stuff!  Located on FM 407 right off 35W, Nick’s Pizza, Pasta and Subs (www.nicks-pizza-pasta.com) finds it’s home tucked in an inconspicuous strip mall suffering from the economy and newer development in Highland Village.  With all of the competition and economic woes, Nick’s has stood the test of time and for very good reason... They’ve got great pizza and a family atmosphere.

We showed up in the early evening on a Tuesday and got greeted by Nick himself and what appeared to be a joyful staff of family and friends.  In a day when its tough to get good service, this place gets it right on the money with good old fashioned hard work and hospitality.  We stepped up to the counter to place our pizza order and grab our number.  The dining area was a perfect size with an open feel and a couple flat screen TVs.  We ordered a basic small pizza for the kids with half pepperoni and a small white pizza with fresh tomatoes for the grown-ups.  Nick’s has a FULL menu of other Italian classics, but we were here for the pizza!

The garlic bread came out of the oven fast and was about as close to home cooking as you can get.  Covered with fresh garlic and cheese the basket of bread didn’t last long.  Fortunately the pizzas were not far behind.  We intentionally ordered two different types of pizza to get a feel for the place, and got two different results. First the white pizza was FANTASTIC.  I can’t pinpoint what exactly it was, but the crust was terrific.  It had a light floury taste to it but also had a chewiness that was memorable.  The ricotta cheese on top was not overwhelming and the additional tomatoes added a little extra substance.  Overall a very good pie, and one of my favorites in the Flower Mound/ Lewisville area.  The regular cheese and pepperoni pizza was also good, but did not blow my socks off.  A pretty average pizza with a NY style similar to other places we've visited this year.  In a few weeks I’ll definitely be remembering Nick’s White Pizza, but not really the “other” one.

Nick stopped by the table a couple times and made you feel like you had been there a thousand times.  He even took the time to chat about his family and you could tell he loved what he was doing.  As other patron stopped into the restaurant he would greet them all, and many by their names.  Nick’s personality and commitment to his work was certainly something that stood above most of the places we’ve stopped by this year!  About the time we were going to get up to leave he even offered to bring out free Italian Ice for the girls... With two cups of pink ice cream, Nick know’s how to keep the kids coming back for more!

The Final Report: 7.0 out of 10

With almost 20 years of experience in Denton County, Nick’s Pizza rises to the top.  It wasn’t the best pizza so far this year, but certainly worth the visit if you are in the area.  We would recommend it over any pizza place that we have been to in Denton County this year!