Napoli’s Italian Restaurant Serves Authentic Dishes in South Ogden
Napoli’s Italian restaurant serves up all the classic Italian dishes with a fine-dining vibe.
“We didn’t want to go too fancy or too casual,” said one of the owners, Antonio Geminiani. “You could call it casual elegance.”
These days, you don’t find a lot of restaurants using white linen tablecloths, or even white butcher paper to fake the white-tablecloth appearance. The Riverdale Road space definitely has a more formal look than the Café Rio that recently moved out. (Lest you worry, Café Rio merely moved down the street to a building with a drive-through window, something that’s become all-important for takeout business.)
I recently did a Standard-Examiner story about Napoli’s, opened June 27.
It’s family-owned restaurant group, but it’s not home-grown in Utah. Antonio Geminiani, one of the owners, told me that Napoli’s has 37 locations across the country.
He said the first restaurant opened in 1987 in the Bronx, New York. His mother is from Napoli (the Italian word for Naples) and his father is from Sicily, so they ended up calling it Napoli’s. They later expanded to Texas, Iowa, Arkansas, and Missouri. I looked online and found several Napoli’s in these areas. Although none had the same exact menu as the Ogden location, they are similar.
So how did Napoli’s end up in Ogden?
“We got lost,” Geminiani, with a smile.
Actually, a food industry friend in Scottsdale, Arizona told him that Utah could use more Italian restaurants.
“I had Provo in mind, but I didn’t find a good spot,” Geminiani said. Driving north from Provo, he came across the building, at 4015 Riverdale Road, and liked it.
When they opened, Geminiani didn’t advertise until the next day, as he didn’t want the restaurant to be too busy at first. (Most restaurants like to give the staff some breathing room the first few days, to work out any kinks with the kitchen and service.) Word got out anyway.
“But the first night, we were packed.”
And it’s been busy ever since. “Right now, we have 11 working in the kitchen,” he told me, and they are still hiring for every position.
While I was working on my Standard-Examiner story, South Ogden’s mayor Russell Porter stopped by the restaurant to welcome Geminiani to town.
“We are very happy here with the customers, we are trying our best.” he said. “I would tell every customer, if you say don’t like something, give us a second chance if we make a mistake. We know food, but we don’t know your taste.”
If you’re expecting fast-casual dining, or fast anything, you’d better rethink. Relax and plan on taking your time, or you’ll likely be frustrated. This isn’t In-n-Out Italian.
“We have customers here who want their food quick, but we can’t make it quick because we want to make sure it’s cooked right,” Geminiani, one of the owners. “Our food doesn’t come frozen or prepared. We cook separately for each customer as they order. Everything is well-executed.”
I found this out for myself when my husband and I lunched there last week. It took about 30-40 minutes from the time we ordered until our entrees arrived. We had long since polished off the first-course salads and wonderful rolls, and even the Frank Sinatra tunes playing in the background couldn’t keep us from feeling a bit antsy. We got there about 1:15, so most of the lunch rush was already leaving. My husband loved his lasagna, but I don’t think I can convince him to go back again due to the wait. Next time I go, it will be with chatty friends who will enjoy catching up to fill the wait time. I get it — especially with today’s labor shortages, you have to be patient.
And about the bread: “We make our bread daily here,” said Geminiani. “We make most of the desserts and most of the pastas.”
Each entrée includes those house-made rolls, served with a dipping bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Entrees also include a first-course salad.
Some of the top-sellers are:
Little Italy — a trio of chicken Parmesan, lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo.
Another favorite is Chicken Florentine — chicken breast, fresh spinach, mushrooms, and green onions, in a garlic cream sauce over a mound of spaghetti pasta ($19). I tried this dish, and I loved the flavorful sauce, and the generous amount of spinach and mushrooms.
The Seafood Combo ($25) includes shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, bathed in a choice of scampi or Alfredo sauce. I tried this dish, with the buttery scampi sauce. My favorites were the plump, meaty shrimp and the bay-size scallops.
Also on the menu are classics like Lobster Ravioli, Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Piccata, Eggplant Parmigiana, Veal Marsala, and Fettuccine Alfredo.
When I had lunch with my husband, I ordered Chicken Napoli’s — sauteed chicken breast with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh tomatoes and asparagus spears in sherry wine sauce, over a mound of spaghetti. I loved the combination, especially since it was generous with the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
Geminiani was surprised that two spicy-sauced dishes have sold so well: Chicken Arabiata, and Shrimp Diavolo. The server is supposed to ask how customers want their heat level, to make sure it’s not too hot, Geminiani said.
Some of the top-selling appetizers are stuffed mushrooms and fried calamari.
The deep-fried mozzarella sticks are another favorite appetizer, served with a dipping marinara sauce. Although I photographed them, I couldn’t find “mozzarella sticks” listed on the menu; I’m guessing they are known as “Fried Cheese.”
Pasta Bravissimo is Geminiani’s personal favorite. It’s penne pasta tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, kalamata olives, capers, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and feta. “I sometimes add in shrimp or chicken,” he said.
Favorite desserts include:
Rich Italian cream cake ($9) is one of the favorite desserts.
There’s also cannoli — a crunchy tube of pastry filled with sweet, creamy frosting-like ricotta.
The company has tentative plans to eventually open six locations in Utah, but there’s no rush, Geminiani said. It’s important to make sure this first location is doing well before moving on to open more.
“We have to make sure everything is good, so that everyone comes in happy and leaves happy.”
Fast facts:
Location: 4015 Riverdale Road
Contact: 385-244-1637 or https://www.napolislc.com/
Prices: Lunch entrees: $13-18; Dinner entrees, $16-25
Hours: Closed Monday. Open Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
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