Vito and Nick's II: Now In a Supermarket Near You

People from Chicago’s South Side are well aware of Vito and Nick’s. Their pizza is infamous for their cracker-thin crust and fresh, generous toppings. 

Along with the various franchised businesses in Hickory Hills, , and , Vito and Nick's now has a thriving frozen pizza plant in New Lenox that has really taken off.

Mary Barraco cooked up the family’s first pizza in 1945 at Vito’s Tavern on 79th and Carpenter. The response was fantastic and the family has been creating palate-pleasing pizzas ever since. Vito’s Tavern eventually became Vito and Son’s, which went on to become Vito and Nick’s. 

The family lived above the restaurant on 84th and Pulaski on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The kids worked alongside their parents. Nick Barraco, owner of Vito and Nick’s II, was one of those hard-working kids and it has served him well.

The New Lenox plant is near the Cherry Hill Business Park, but Nick started making frozen pizzas at his restaurant in Mokena after many requests from customers and area stores.  

"At first people would buy just one," said Gabriella Barraco, Nick’s daughter. "Then they would return the next day and buy three more after they had tasted it." 

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After realizing the high demand for the frozen pizzas, the family decided to close the Mokena restaurant to focus on the new frozen pizza line. When searching for a location to produce the pizza in higher quantities, the New Lenox residents naturally chose a location close to their home.

The plant has been in operation since January of 2010 and produces about 700 pizzas per day. Only fresh, all-natural ingredients are used and the pizzas are then naturally cooled, packaged and frozen for distribution. 

The assembly-line-style production begins with fresh dough that is hand cut to size then placed for sauce distribution where the perfect amount of sauce is applied. The pizza then moves down the line where fresh toppings are applied by hand. Barraco said the pizzas sell themselves.

"We focus on high-quality ingredients for the dough and toppings and use our own recipe that has been with the family for years."

The family-like vibe in the pizza plant was evident, and Gabriella said every employee is just like family.

"Many of the current employees have with with us for many years," she said. "They are what make this plant go 'round and there is no way we would be able to accomplish all that we do without them."

Nick is extemely proud of his frozen pizza and is very hands-on with his business. While I visited the plant, he was busy preparing the famous Vito and Nick’s II crusts which personally cut to size.

"Customers cannot believe the pizza is frozen," he said. "It tastes exactly like the pizzas at the restaurant." 

The pizza line is carried locally at , Eurofresh, Walt’s and Brookhaven Marketplace. The pizzas range in price from $6.99 to $9.99 and prices vary per store. Vito and Nick’s II is now available nationwide with distribution to stores in Texas, California and other various markets.  Online ordering is also available on their website.