Lisle Little Pops Pizzeria restaurant location estimated to open August of 2022

Little Pops New York Pizzeria is preparing to open a new restaurant location of 2735 Maple Avenue in Lisle in August 2022. The new location will feature a bar, party room and dining room seating— features not present in the Naperville and Aurora locations.

Little Pops New York Pizzeria is a family-owned and operated company aiming to bring the authentic New York-style pizza taste to the suburbs of Chicago. Co-owners Michael Nelson and his wife, Vicki Nelson, first opened the Naperville location on Wehrli Road back in 2014. Their business has since been growing in popularity. 

The need for space at the Wehrli Road location led to the Nelsons’ decision to search for a new location.

“We decided that we needed to look elsewhere because we needed more space than what we were allowed to fill the full dining room with a bar at the Wehrli location,” Vicki Nelson said. “So the one in Lisle is going to be a full-blown restaurant.” 

As the Little Pops New York Pizzeria company continues to grow in size and locations, people from all over  have traveled to taste the 40th-ranked thin crust pizza in the country, according to Yelp.  

“This new location will really become the flagship Little Pops restaurant because we’re going to be doing all the things we used to do in terms of the kitchen and dining room, but also building upon that with lots of new experiences to offer those that will be coming and dining with us,” said Stuart Meyer, marketing director and chief Little Pops Pizzeria storyteller.

The Nelsons are focusing on the design of the restaurant to bring the authentic New York-style look into their dining experience. 

“We’re really focusing on the inside of the restaurant to kind of look like you’re like sitting on the outside of a street in New York,” Vicki Nelson said. “It’s going to have lampposts and look like you’re sitting outside, looking at an outside of an apartment building with the fire escape things on the wall.” 

However, with the new location opening in Lisle, the Naperville location on Wehrli Road will stay the original location with its takeout and delivery services. 

“The Wehrli location in Naperville will always be their original location,” Meyer said. “It’s a very, very, very special place because it literally opened up and it’s just a takeout place. As things started to grow, they secured the space next door, knocked down the wall and that’s where they opened their first dining room. As the story goes, that’s where it all started.”