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.
To mark the occasion, we talked recently with restaurateur and Blue Star Group owner Joe Coleman about Stellina, its history, its offerings and all that make it a special spot in the local dining scene. Here’s the conversation.
Springs: What was your initial thought when you first looked at the old Willamette Market and considered buying it?
Joe Coleman: When my business partner, Lisa Tessarowicz, and I bought the building at 749 E. Willamette Avenue, it was not with the immediate intention of turning it into a restaurant. That building had been an integral part of the Middle Shooks Run neighborhood for a long time — owned and operated by three multigenerational families since the early 1900s as The Little Market. It was a part of the fabric of the neighborhood and a bit of a community anchor, and we did not want to see it torn down or sold off to become a residential property. We thought that investing in that property would help keep the neighborhood strong and would add even more value to the history of the community. After we purchased it, we rented the space to be used as Willamette Market and eventually decided that a walkable, neighborhood restaurant would be both unique to the Springs and a hidden gem that our neighbors could proudly use as a gathering place and share with their visiting friends and family.
Why did you choose to make this restaurant Italian? Did you consider other concepts or was it Italian all the way?
Some of our OG employees said they “felt that the building wanted to be an Italian pizza cafe.” It just felt like it was what needed to go there. So I booked a research trip to Italy….
What were your top takeaways from that trip to Italy?
They know how to make great food. Food in Italy is remarkable. We long for that type of love-investment in food.
Why Roman style pizza?
We really wanted a different style of pizza for Colorado Springs — something with more craft, more of an artisan feel to it. Something authentic but new, fresher and lighter for our community to enjoy. Not an “American style” pizza. We found that style when we got to Rome!
Hospitality and community gathering have always been a strong part of Blue Star Group restaurants. How have you seen that play out in Stellina’s five years?
In so many ways. At Stellina, we developed a program called Community Constellations out of a strong pull to give back and support the local nonprofits, organizations and schools that subsequently support us back!
The family that approached us to alert us that the building was for sale and did not want to see it become a residential property still comes by and enjoys dining at the cafe.
We have the great honor of watching young families move into the neighborhood and bringing their visiting families to this community hub. We get to see young kids riding their bikes and scooters to Stellina to enjoy gelato and slushies on hot days.
It doesn’t get any better than that!
Stellina is in a unique location in Shooks Run — a standalone restaurant with no others around, not located on a major traffic corridor. How has the location helped or hurt Stellina? How much of the business is neighborhood locals and how much do you bring in from outside the neighborhood?
We love the location for that exact reason. Colorado Springs lacks a bit in neighborhood dining spots, and we’re glad to be able to provide a little hidden gem to the Springs restaurant scene. The local neighborhoods certainly make up a good chunk of our regular business, but we are happily spreading the “secret” of Stellina to our friends and neighbors outside of the local areas and welcoming them in as friends of the neighborhood. We love when tourists visiting downtown hear about us from locals, and it’s just a short trek over to experience a historic setting that feels much farther away from the bustle of the city.
What have been the most popular menu items over the 5 years?
We are proud to offer authentic, from-scratch dishes at Stellina. Our Dar Poeta pizza is certainly one of the most popular items — which is awesome because a lot of the inspiration for Stellina came from the historic Dar Poeta restaurant in Rome, Italy. It’s crafted on a housemade sourdough crust with thinly-sliced zucchini and spicy Italian sausage.
We are also known for our scratch-made pastas, especially our mega-portioned lasagna. Our cocktails, like the Italian Old Fashioned, are definitely popular and fantastic on our patio during hot summer days. And kids and adults alike come through for our rotating flavors of gelato that we make in the cafe.
Stellina Supper Clubs always highlight varying menus. How much has Stellina’s main menu changed over the years?
Our regular menu has ultimately remained unchanged over the years. We continue to offer staples that are delicious and consistent. We regularly have seasonal specials (pastas, pizzas, desserts) to mix it up. But our Supper Clubs are truly where our friends and neighbors can come and experience the wonderful talents of our culinary team.
What’s next for Stellina as you look ahead from the five year mark?
We’re always working to improve upon our great food and customer service. We have some plans in the works to make updates to our patio/outdoor seating and move forward with some aesthetic improvements to the historic building. Ultimately, we look forward to welcoming new friends to the neighborhood to experience Stellina and become part of our awesome community.
Explore Stellina Pizza Cafe for Yourself
Reservations are not needed. Find menus, details, events and more at stellinapizza.co.
And don’t miss the upcoming Community Group Ride collaboration between Stellina and PikeRide. You can ride a PikeRide for just $5 or bring your own. The group ride begins and ends at Stellina with pre-ride dining and sipping and an extended happy hour afterward. Reservations are required. Register and get details here.
