I rarely judge a book by its cover and believe that there are more to first impressions than just first impressions. I often think fifth impressions. It is true that the entrance of this restaurant, via the staircase leading up to it, is not the most inviting. As mentioned earlier, I am able see through all of this, I am glad that I did check this place out eventually and did not let the staircase or its entrance put me off. I initially waited to place my order because there were two people who got their order mixed up in front of me and the person dealing with their order, Kasha, took a bit of time to sort it out. But she did sort it out in the end and apologized for the delay. My order, however, was not taken by Kasha but by Marie, she was polite, helpful and prompt. I had a small Margherita, which is equivalent to a large sized pizza at fast food outlets like Pizza Hut or Domino's. The pizzas are cooked in a traditional stone oven and, as I waited for my order to be ready, was told that my pizza would be ready in the next 40 seconds- To say the least, I was doubtful since I had been waiting for less than 10 minutes but sure enough it was indeed ready in 40 seconds. In total, I waited for nine minutes since the time stamp on my receipt to having my pizza in its box. As I was leaving, a customer was turned away due to the restaurant having all of their tables reserved already. She was, nevertheless, offered to have takeaway instead. I had my pizza in one of my family properties, located nearby the center of Nelson as I am unfortunately not Nelson based. The ingredients were of high quality, making the pizza quite light and delicious to eat and the price was very affordable indeed. Although, I love pizzas, I often find them difficult to digest, not Stefano's Pizzas!
Friendly stuff and extra wishes were absolutely welcome. They made the pizza super fast and it was delicious. The restaurant looks very nice and clean.
What a gem! Had a great quick dinner here and loved it. Pizza bases are perfectly thin and crispy with just the right amount of topping. Not a soggy base in sight. Price is very reasonable and it's a nice location above the cinema with old movie posters over the walls.
Best restaurant I've eaten at during my week in Nelson. The pizzas are huuuge and you can tell the staff take pride in them. Almost want to fly back to taste them again.
By far the best pizza I've had through out Nelson, Christchurch and Wellington. Stefanos is one of the main things I miss about home. Bloody delicious!!!
This pizza joint had a really interesting feel about it. The prices were good and the pizza was great. You get to see the oven and chefs doing their magic as you order. Some of the best pizza I've had.
Large portions at a reasonable price, the atmosphere is basic but tidy and in theme with the movie theatre surroundings. Thin crust pizza was good, but nothing exceptional.
My favorite pizza place. Why? Authentic Italian style pizza. Thin floppy base with fresh ingredients. Always flavoursome. Stephano and his crew add an authentic italian ambiance and the place is fairly casual so you can relax and enjoy the wonderful food. Ciao Stephano!
It can get very busy - especially on Sat evenings, holidays and rainy days so best to come at other times as it is noisy when crowded and the wait can be long. Why not 5 stars? There is some inconsistency with the food. Nothing too dramatic but sometimes not quite up to the usual excellent standard.
Always worth a visit though.
Amazing authentic food, fantastic service and reasonable price considering the size of the portions.
Can't wait to travel back to Nelson to eat NZ's best pizza.
Fives stars from us!!!
"Still fantastic pizza. Note it is Italian pizza so yes it has thin base and relatively sparse topping but that is how they should be. This is real pizza folk not Americanized rubbish" Couldn't have said it better!
The atmosphere is cool, the perfect place to go with friends. The decor and seats and tables are simple and plain. The walls are yellow with many posters on them. It's okay for a restaurant over a cinema, but it doesn't feel very special.
Tasty food, efficient service and friendly chefs. Good restaurant to eat at before or after a movie. Not a good place for a date. ;-)
Still fantastic pizza. Note it is Italian pizza so yes it has thin base and relatively sparse topping but that is how they should be. This is real pizza folk not Americanized rubbish.
Service is variable though usually very good if basic. I do get annoyed having to queue for ages to order and they do need two lines going during busy times. It would help if there were staff to walk around taking further dink and dessert orders as this clogs up the line.
Only occasionally too slow and cinema will not allow pizza in movie so be careful.
We have tried every pizza in Nelson and this is always the best.
You can get it delivered for same price to the free house pub in collingwood st which is full of character and a great place for any time or people. So go there and order up stephanos...perfect.
Screwed up our order at first but offered to make us an extra pizza for no extra cost which was excellent. The actual pizza tasted delicious and we all found the base a good depth and it wasn't overly floury or thick which I personally hate. Had a range of sweet options for afterwards as well as some organic drinks which we all enjoyed as well. The only issue we had was that due to its location the restaurant was VERY busy!
Best pizza in Nelson! Shame the atmosphere's not great eating at the cinema but for takeaways or when ordered at the Free House, fantastic!
This has to be some of the best pizza around. I had a small pizza which was huge! Really thin bases just how i like it.
Most of the restaurants were closed when we headed out for dinner. Originally we were headed to another place, realized it was closed, and decided to head back to Stefano's look at the menu... So glad we did!
Staff was super friendly. Had a fun conversation with Gianni who made our pizzas. The pizza tasted amazing! Unfortunately we are just visiting because this would be our go-to!
As a 40-something male who grew up in the 80s, loving motorbikes, jet planes and movies, when I heard that a new Top Gun was in the works, I was a happy chap!
A group of similar aged friends and I got together, and thought that a nice precursor to the movie would be...Beer, wine and pizza!
We booked a table for 6 and off we went!
Firstly, the staff here are incredible. We immediately felt welcome, and were quickly seated and greeted by staff who were friendly and enjoyed a bit of banter.
We asked for some advice around a wine option., and the gentleman who served us recommended a red which went PERFECTLY with our meal.
We ordered 3 medium pizzas for the table, and don't let the size fool you, these were huge!
The first pizza was the Napoli, the anchovies and capers were a great balance, and this was a favourite of the table.
The second pizza was the Padrino, as we have some blue cheese fans amongst us. This is a MUST TRY if you are a blue cheese fan. The ham and salami sit well with the cheese, and the capsicum provides a nice burst of freshness.
The third pizza was a vegetarian, as we had a couple of those in the group also! And they were not disappointed! I even had a piece of this, and as a pretty keen omnivore, I was sated. The artichokes provided some good texture and the pizza was light and tasty.
Overall - This place makes a banging pizza dough, and this is what can make or break a good pizza. All of the ingredients were fresh and you could tell that experience and care has gone into constructing each pizza.
Do it, you wont be disappointed.
First time back in probably a few years, still good as always. Small Godfather pizza is a pretty hefty size, plenty for a solo diner. Pizza bread was just pizza base and cheese. Everything was tasty tho, no faults. 🌚
I choose a pizza with sundried tomatoes, artichokes, onion, olives and mushrooms then added mozzarella and blue vein cheese.
Simply delicious!
Great service, not pushy.
The most friendly and welcoming stuff I ever met. Top AA in the all points including clean tables&glasses. Delicious juicy pizza and much much more. Highly recommend for everyone. Kids amicable by the way too. Thank you!
Great pizza! Large portions. Had a awesome outside area but sadly it was under renovation. Staff were kind and welcoming but i thought the owner was a little dismissive of a couple of my questions, I took as a little rude but could have been because of a language barrier. Overall was a good experience.
We had the large Stefeno. It was huge, really delicious and the service was both impeccable and authentic. Highly recommend. Seagulls quite spirited and entertaining on the terrace
Excellent gourmet pizza at reasonable prices. Tried the spinach/mushroom and godfather favoured ones. Yummy when served fresh and hot. Ordered X2 mediums and had heaps of leftovers. Huge portions!
Delicious Italian Pizza 😋🍕. Stefanos is my favourite pizza place. I usually get the Padrino with olives. If you haven't tried it, your definitely missing out. Great place to dine then catch a movie 🎥
If you are in Nelson and looking for excellent oven cooked pizza than Stefano's has got what may be the best! Only you can verify my rating.
Absolutely phenomenal pizza. Have eaten it for dinner 4 nights in a row now. Am in love with the prosciutto pizza. Ordered in every size. Crust absolutely amazing. Great distribution of ingredients. Price for what you get is such a bargan for the great quality you get. Staff absolutely fantastic. No more dominoes or pizza hutt for me ♥️♥️
Good Value, shared a large pizza with two friends and we all got a drink each ended up being around $12 each!! Amazing!! Great customer service and very happy with the food, it was so tasty. Would highly recommend!!
Good pizza however the tomato base can be improved, Also the base too.
Great portion and selection.
Good service
One of the best pizzerias I have been too in a while. The dough is fresh and tasty, all the ingredients are also fresh. The venue is clean and tidy. Staff are lovely! And most importantly, the pizza is delicious! The sizes are pretty generous and worth the money. I would recommend.
hands down the most scrumptious pizza in nelson only down side is the chilli oil was clogged and being so directly above the theatre the bass can be a bit much, poor chloe spilt her water all over herself due to the sound vibrations. great spot!
Definitely number 1 pizza in New Zealand thank you for everything , quality is for 10 stars ,highly recommend for everyone ! If you are passing by Nelson don't miss this place . Dessert was perfect also .
Such a great place to grab a pizza. The large pizza size is huge! Good value and generous toppings given on the pizza. We ordered the two with blue cheese and they tasted great! Staff was quite friendly too with all their smiles. Wasnt too busy when we were there.
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