Giovani’s has NYC style pizza, night owl friendly hours

Ben Fitch

Giovani’s Pizzeria and Café is every part of good New York style pizza—and it’s in Kansas.

This little slice of the Big Apple is nestled on 10th and Quincy St. among the bustling business, legal and legislative hub of the downtown area. It’s been there since October and it’s been some time since before then when owner Frank Conti decided Topeka needed some good pizza available at odd hours of the night—because in New York, one can get good pizza any time.

And it’s true, Conti is from New York and his uncle was a Mafioso. His dad a jockey and his grandfather a chef. So this kept-in-the-family, New-York-style delicacy is legitimate. Even the dough is shipped from Pennsylvania.

“We make everything from scratch,” said store manager Erin Mahoney. “Except for the dough balls, which are shipped from Pennsylvania. The water there is completely different and with Kansas water you just can’t make the same dough.”

The hours are accommodating—outlasting most Topeka restaurants’ 10 o’clock – to bed theory of business hours. In fact, Giovani’s is open until midnight Monday through Wednesday, and until 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The store closes at 10 p.m. on Sundays, since it’s a school night.

“We deliver anywhere in Topeka, for free, any time,” Mahoney said.

And it’s true, their delivery domain rivals Spanish conquest—anywhere between N. 46th and S. 46th, as far east as Pauline and as far west as Auburn Road. They prepare pizza in only a few industrial pizza ovens and on a regular stove top range. Giovani’s serves hot sandwiches and pasta as well as wings and salads. They also make a mean NY cheese steak.

“We want to implement a 10 percent discount for college students,” Mahoney said. “We are trying to work out some night specials and deals with the student union