Sitting at a table on the corner of Willamette and Prospect — inside or outside of Stellina Pizza Cafe — is a rare dining experience in Colorado Springs. Cyclists and walkers pass by beneath the shade of leafy, 100-year-old trees, many coming to or from the Legacy Loop trail and Middle Shooks Run Park just a block down the hill. Many stop at Stellina. Auto traffic is almost always light on the wide divided parkway of a street. And there’s not a single other restaurant or retail shop in sight, just neatly kept homes built around the turn of the 19th century.
This historic building has long been a throwback, operating as a neighborhood market since the early 1900s. With a motto of “Riportare il quartiere!” or “Bring back the neighborhood,” Stellina Pizza Cafe carries on that spirit — while now serving a delicious menu built around Roman style pizzas and housemade pastas. There’s a casually elevated vibe, but this is still a place where neighbors greet each other, kids and families drop by for gelato, couples toast wine or cocktails, and community events give back to local nonprofits. (It’s also one of our Best Pizza restaurants.)
Stellina celebrated its fifth birthday this year. The cafe opened in May 2020 in the heart of pandemic shutdowns and social distancing restrictions. But true to its name, which means little star in Italian, Stellina Pizza Cafe continues to shine as a favorite neighborhood restaurant well past those dark days…