Naples inspired and locally owned

Dante is set to be Omaha’s first certified Neapolitan Pizzeria. Utilizing the areas fantastic bounty of local produce as well as products from Italy such as San Marzano tomatoes and Caputo flour - Dante has a devout commitment to product, environment and hospitality. Chef/owner Nick Strawhecker oversees the menu which also features fresh pasta, house made mozzarella and other seasonal Italian dishes.

Nick is certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VERA) whose mission is to protect and preserve the Neapolitan pizza tradition and promote the craft of pizza making. The organization also certifies professional pizza makers in the tradition of Neapolitan Pizza.

For a glimps of the restaurant, go to our FaceBook and check out our recently uploaded photos!

What defines Neapolitan Pizza?

The word pizza, as it is currently spelled, was used to describe both sweet and salty pies in the Middle Ages, but took the form that we are now familiar with in pre-Renaissance Naples.

It’s said that the pizza that made Naples world famous is the Pizza Margherita. A local man and the town baker called Esposito first baked it in 1889. He created the pizza in honor of a visit to Naples by the Queen of Italy, Queen Margherita.

To make the pizza a little more patriotic-looking, Esposito used red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves as toppings to follow the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherita loved the pizza, and what eventually became Pizza Margherita has since become an international standard. Neapolitan pizza is still widely regarded as the best in the world, because of the fresh ingredients available to Neapolitan pizzerias - herbs, garlic, tomatoes grown in the rich volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius and fresh mozzarella.

Just as Pizzerias in Naples

Dante features a specially crafted Italian designed Mugnaini brick oven and a marble counter where the crust is prepared. Dante’s pizzas are prepared in the same way they were a century ago. The unique flavor of these wood-fired brick-oven pizzas is unmatched. Dante Pizzaioli (makers of pizza) assemble the entire pizza right before our guest's eyes.

Dante adheres to the strict VERA member guidelines for ingredients, dough, and cooking. This elite organization maintains that pizza dough must be made only with flour, brewer’s yeast, salt and water. The dough is kneaded by a Pietro Berto mixer from Veneto, Italy, specifically designed for Neapolitan pizza dough. The pizza is then cooked in a VERA certified wood-burning oven with temperatures reaching 800° F.