Villa Nova is a Worthington institution, serving generations of families since it first opened in 1978. Locals and visitors gather for pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, as well as a glass of wine and cold draft beer.

We chatted with Megan Colleli, who runs the restaurant with her husband John, about the background of the eatery, some customer favorites, and a couple stories behind it.

Nick: How did Villa Nova get started?

Megan: Frank and Donna Colleli started Villa Nova in 1978. It was previously Vogue Lounge and Jack's bar. In 1986, they sold Villa Nova and retired to Florida. Between 1986-1998 it had a variety of owners but Frank's son John (my husband) worked here the majority of the time. In 1998, they came out of retirement and bought Villa Nova again.

Nick: Who's behind the operations today?

Megan: About 15 years ago Frank's health began to decline. Frank and Donna began spending less time at the restaurant and John and I began taking it over. In 2014, Frank passed away at the age of 85. The Villa officially changed hands to John and his brother Frankie in 2017. Currently, John runs the kitchen side of the business and I run the front of the house part. I do the hiring, firing, menus, bills, schedule, donations, banking. John does all the ordering, makes the soups, sauces and meats, and is constantly fixing things.

Nick: How do you describe the restaurant to newcomers?

Megan: I spend many nights a week at the restaurant and I love talking to our new customers. I would describe us as an old school Italian pizza and pasta joint. I always tell people that we are locally owned and have tons of teapots and pressure gauges! We are also known for having the Coldest Beer in Columbus. We won that contest many years in a row.

Nick: What are some customer favorites from the menu?

Megan: John and I would say that we are known for our pizzas. His homemade Italian sausage is a local favorite as well as our reuben. John brines his corned beef and prepares it himself. In terms of pasta we sell a lot of lasagna and traditional spaghetti and meatballs.

Nick: Can you share a favorite memory of working there over the years?

Megan: I have a couple cute stories. First, I moved to Worthington in 1980 and grew up on Hartford Street. My family was dining at Villa Nova when I was a child and John was here bussing tables. In 1997 I started working as a waitress here for a previous owner. In 2018, we had a 40th anniversary party. It was a really fun night to celebrate with all the customers and staff that have worked here over the years. We even hired a band!