After closing on the last day of May 2016 to begin a renovation that would last until late November, No Anchovies has returned to the University Boulevard scene.
The restaurant and bar first reopened for the ASU vs. UA football game, but held a grand reopening for the upstairs bar on New Year’s Eve.
Along with the addition of the bar and game room upstairs, the main floor now extends to another bar that stretches behind the stairs.
The lower level contains more booths that pizza lovers can use to enjoy their slices. Customers can play games of pool, Jenga, giant Connect Four and shuffleboard upstairs.
“We were tired of losing business to downtown ,” said Greg Perricone, a manager at No Anchovies.
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They hoped their renovation would draw some of the dance and party scene from downtown Tucson to University Boulevard. According to Perricone, so far, it has worked.
The building has always contained an upstairs, but Perricone said it was mainly used for office space prior to the remodel. Perricone also said, “way more people have been coming in.”
The increase in the number of customers since they reopened has satisfied the purpose behind the remodel. The restaurant has been so popular that they even stay open until 2 a.m. some days.
The pizza joint now features a high-quality sound system, which they use for showing music videos when there are no sports games.
“This is only at about 5 percent,” Perricone said over an already loud Selena Gomez song.
The restaurant plays almost every local sports game on their collection of TVs found indoors and outside on their patio deck.
When asked about his impression of the remodel, Sean Harms, a UA student who was enjoying a game of pool at No Anchovies on Monday said, “It’s much better than it used to be.”
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Harms used to frequent the restaurant before they remodeled, but he said he enjoys being able to play games upstairs and spends more time there now. On Monday, he brought a friend who had never been to the restaurant, but Harms said, “he loves it here.”
“A lot of people have told me that it’s really nice,” said Shannon MacNeil on Monday night. MacNeil and her friend, both students at the UA, said “we will be back.”
Ana Ramirez, another UA student, said she’s “obsessed with it,” while enjoying a drink next to the upstairs bar with a friend
“We have been here every night for a week,” she said. “We love it.”
Parada and Ramirez had both been to No Anchovies before the remodel, but they said they like it better now. “It feels cozier,” Parada said, “even though it’s bigger now.”
Along with the remodel, No Anchovies has introduced a new pizza option, which features bacon and mac and cheese baked on top of the pizza crust.
“Kids are losing their minds over it,” Perricone said.
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