RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The icon that is Lucci’s Deli is a great traditional Italian deli that has served Huntington Beach since 1946.

The owners of the full-service Italian deli, restaurant and market had the idea of a little pizza joint and while Lucci’s is conventional Italian, Nonna Lucci’s is a mix of both new and old school.

The kitchen is small but functional and you never know what is going to come out of it. On one visit, the cook presented me with meatloaf and mashed potatoes that he had just made and wanted me to try.

Nonna Lucci’s also serves as the base of operations for Billy’s Naked Chicken Catering Co., which shares the space.

This is a classic take-out joint. There are two tables inside and two outside. During the lunch and dinner rush it might be wiser to take your order home than try to fight for one of the tables.

We visited on a rainy day and had the place to ourselves, but even then it felt a little claustrophobic.

We didn’t mind; I like places that possess more grit than décor, plus it fits the cuisine.

The menu is simple at Nonna Lucci’s, but has a surprising variety to it. The pizza is the main item and there are four specialty pizzas in addition to a cheese, one-, two-, three- or-four topping pizza. The one downside is they have one size, 16-inches, which guarantees that a party of two or less is going to have leftovers.

They do offer pizza by the slice, so that is good if you aren’t looking for a whole pie.

The pizza is a thin crust, similar to a New York pizza, but with about half the cheese. That is good for the health conscious, but how concerned about a diet can you be if you are ordering pizza in the first place? If I am going to eat pizza, I want cheese. I want gobs of cheese. I want to hear my capillaries snap as I eat.

That of course is a personal choice and not for everyone. I did like the sauce. It was not slathered on the dough and gave the pizza a nice flavor.

There are the usual topping suspects, such as pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, but also more exotic choices like roasted garlic, fresh basil, jalapenos and artichoke hearts.

The four specialty pizzas are a supreme (pepperoni, mushroom sausage, bell peppers, olives and onions), meat lovers (salami, sausage, pepperoni, ham, hamburger and meatball), barbecue chicken (chicken and fresh basil) and a white pizza.

The white pizza is the most unusual of the four. It is made with an Alfredo sauce instead of red sauce and comes with sliced chicken, fresh basil mozzarella and Romano cheese.

There are also three calzones, similar to the specialty pizzas — a meat lovers, four cheese and the works.

A great deal is the lunch special that includes half a sandwich, soup or salad and a choice of chips, potato salad or macaroni salad.

There was a lot of food for about $5 and the sandwich surprised me with how big it was.

I had heard about the burritos the place served and was warned ahead of time that they were big, but it still came as a shock when it was presented to me.

The restaurant has three of them. The first is the Guido burrito, which has meatballs, mozzarella, provolone and Romano cheeses. The second is the Bada Bing, which has Italian sausage, bell pepper, onion and mozzarella, provolone and Romano cheeses. The last one is the Godfather, which has meatballs, Italian sausage, bell pepper, onion and mozzarella, provolone and Romano cheeses.

I got the Godfather and for $7.95 had three meals. It is a 2-pound burrito, which I swore was more like 4. The large tortilla surprisingly kept all the ingredients in without breaking. It was really good and the marinara sauce that was on top of it was not too sweet.

I would, however, take the food home rather than eat it there. It is a bit cramped and not really suited for diners. But it is definitely on my short list of take-out Italian places.

NONNA LUCCI’S

ADDRESS: 19913 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 536-1160

CUISINE: Italian

SPECIALTY DISH: Godfather burrito

ALCOHOL SERVED: none

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $3.25 to $16.49

Family friendly: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: MasterCard, Discover and Visa

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.