Joe and Nellie Patane, Sicilian immigrants who married in Omaha, opened the restaurant in a house at 45th and Leavenworth Streets on June 8, 1953. The original 50-seat dining room was where the bar is now. The restaurant expanded in 1957 and has been remodeled since. It seats more than 100 in the dining room, 40 in the lounge and up to 60 in a private party room downstairs.
It has remained in the family all these years, passed down to the Patanes’ three daughters and now jointly owned by three of the daughters’ children: general manager Nicole Jesse; her brother Joel Hahn; and their cousin Anthony Vacanti.
A second location, La Casa West at 8216 Grover St., opened in 1965 as a takeout-only spot. That spot is now owned by Vacanti, who expanded it to include some seating. It has a limited menu, counter service, disposable dinnerware and a food-court feel. Though some fans prefer the pizza at one location over the other, Jesse said the kitchen at the original La Casa serves as commissary, making the dough, sauces and most toppings for both spots.
Why rectangular pizzas? “My grandfather grew up with pizza in Italy, and at home they would use regular baking sheets for the pizza,” Jesse said. “So he just got the regular baking sheets for the medium and large. The small pizzas are round because he couldn’t find small rectangular or square pans.”
Larry Riley, the commissary and kitchen manager, has been with La Casa since 1985. The menu hasn’t changed much over the years. Jesse said they switched from a fried to a baked calzone early on, took steaks off the menu in the mid-1970s, moved items between the regular and specials menus, and gradually added more varieties of pizza and pasta. The Classic Hamburger Pizza remains the top-selling pizza, and Romano is the preferred cheese.
Old favorites reincarnated as specials include barbecued ribs, served in June and July, and stuffed peppers, served May through August.
The eatery has gluten-free (albeit round) pizzas and pastas for those who ask.
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