How Vitta Pizza Became a Duluth Favorite

By Christie Erickson, co-owner of Vitta Pizza, for Visit Duluth

Some of the best stories in Duluth are told by the people who have helped shape the city. Visit Duluth invited Christie Erickson, co-owner of Vitta Pizza, to share how a dream to open a business became one of Duluth’s favorite locally owned restaurants, and why giving back to the community has always been just as important as serving great pizza.

Fifteen Years, Two Locations, One City We Love

Fifteen years ago, Vitta Pizza was nothing more than a dream fueled by passion, imagination, determination, and one unforgettable taste of pizza. After college, my husband Brad knew he wanted to own a restaurant, but we could not find a concept that felt right to us. We wanted something unique. During a trip to Arizona in 2010, everything changed.

We took our first bite of a pizza cooked by flame. The pillowy, blistered crust with its incredible flame-kissed flavor was like no other pizza. We looked at each other and thought, This is it. This is what we want to share with Duluth.

Opening Vitta Pizza in Canal Park

We found a former bookstore in Canal Park that would become Vitta Pizza’s first home. We invested everything we had into transforming the space — from renovating the building to importing a handcrafted wood-fired oven from Italy. With countless hours of hard work, plenty of sweat equity, and the support of an incredible team, we opened our doors in June 2011.

Today, we’re still doing what we set out to do 15 years later: serving delicious, authentic wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza made from scratch using high-quality ingredients, one pizza at a time.

Community Support Leads to a Second Vitta Pizza Location

None of it would have been possible without the Duluth community. Every regular customer, every family dinner, every celebration, and every recommendation helped build Vitta into what it is today. We are so thankful. Supporting our community has always been just as important to us as serving great food. We are active in improving our city, and we proudly give to great local causes and sponsor local sports teams. We think it’s important to give back to the community that has supported us from the beginning.

In fact, it was our loyal community of regulars who encouraged us to expand. That encouragement led to the opening of Vitta Pizza Central Entrance in November 2022, bringing all the same handcrafted favorites to a second location — with the added convenience of a drive-up pickup window.

Menu Highlights at Vitta Pizza

We had a lot of fun creating our menu back in 2011. Most items on the menu today are original, but we added some tasty new ideas. One of the best parts of owning a pizza restaurant is taste testing with the team.

Every item on our menu is built around fresh ingredients and recipes made in-house. Our salads feature homemade dressings.

Authentic Wood-Fired Pizza

Our pizzas are 9-inch personal-sized pizzas. Each pizza begins with scratch-made hand-tossed dough, crushed tomatoes, and freshly sliced mozzarella. Add your favorite toppings before it heads into our blazing wood-fired oven.

The intense heat cooks each pizza in as little as 97 seconds, creating the signature blistered crust and light char that define authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Our menu has its own fun traditions, too. Specialty pizzas with meat end in an “O,” while vegetarian pizzas end in an “A.” The Luisa and Jago pizzas are named after our children, Luisa and Jaeger, and our most popular pizza — the Tomasso — is named after my father-in-law, Tom. Our team gets in on the fun by creating a Staff Choice Pizza, which gives guests something new and surprising to look forward to.

Vitta Pizza’s Famous Caesar Dressing

Ask a Vitta regular what they’re dipping their pizza into, and chances are they’ll say our famous Caesar dressing.

The recipe actually came from my mother-in-law while we were developing our menu before opening in 2011. It was originally intended for our Caesar salad, but guests quickly discovered it was just as incredible with our cheese bread, pizza crusts, and just about everything else.

Today, we even sell it by the jar because once people try it, they want to take it home. I love that it has such a big following, and my mother-in-law is thrilled her recipe is now famous.

Convenient Location for Lunch or Dinner

We are fortunate to have found our home in the heart of Canal Park. The beauty of the lake and the energy of the people are hard to beat.

Because our pizzas cook in under two minutes, guests can grab a fast, incredible wood-fired pizza and head back out to explore Duluth. Many grab Vitta to go and enjoy it at the beach, in the park, or while taking in the sights around Canal Park. Some even take it on a horse-drawn carriage ride around Canal Park.

If you’re looking to slow down, our indoor dining room and dog-friendly front and back patios are the perfect place to relax and soak in the atmosphere.

A Slice of Minnesota Nice

One of our favorite parts of what we do is welcoming visitors from all over the country, even the world. There’s nothing better than seeing someone tag Vitta in a vacation photo or stop back for a second visit before heading home. It tells us we’ve become part of their Duluth memories.

Our team loves creating those moments. Their energy, hospitality, and genuine excitement make every guest — whether it’s their first visit or their hundredth — feel welcome.

Local Tips for First-time Visitors to Duluth

Start with a wood-fired pizza. Then head out to experience everything that makes this city unique: stroll the miles of our Duluth Lakewalk, visit the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge, visit the Duluth North Pier Lighthouse, spend time on Park Point Beach along Lake Superior, or take a harbor cruise aboard the Vista Fleet when the season allows.

Most importantly, take time to discover the locally owned shops, restaurants, and businesses that make up the heart and soul of Duluth. And if you’re craving another wood-fired pizza before you head home, we’ll have the oven hot and ready.

15 Years of Serving the Duluth Community

As Duluthians, it means the world to all of us. Being considered a Duluth institution is an honor we never expected, but one we’re incredibly grateful for.

Opening a restaurant is a big, scary risk. Fortunately, we held true to the belief that the investment, sacrifices, and long hours would be worth it. We stayed true to our vision. We worked hard. We’ve never cut corners. We focused on the quality of our food.

Everything is scratch-made. Our dough, pizza sauce, and salad dressings are all made in-house. We use carefully selected, high-quality ingredients. Our pizzas are cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven that reaches nearly 1,000 degrees. And we have an amazing team who makes our customers feel welcome and serves it all with a smile each and every day. That’s what creates the pizza people crave — and what keeps them coming back.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve learned that taking risks can be worth it, authenticity and staying true to your brand matter, and highs and lows are part of the journey. Most importantly, we’ve learned that our team of employees is the heart of Vitta. Their passion, hard work, and dedication are what make every experience special.

Come Share a Slice With Us

Whether you’ve been with us since opening day or you’re planning your very first visit, thank you for making Vitta Pizza part of your story. We’re proud to call Duluth home, and we can’t wait to serve you.

FAQs About Vitta Pizza

Christie Erickson answers her most frequently asked questions to help you plan your trip to Duluth, MN.

Christie Erickson

Christie and her husband Brad are the owners of Vitta Pizza. They are lifelong Duluthians who can be found outside with their dogs, at a local sporting event or eating and shopping local with their two children.