Occasionally during Chiefs training camp, the doors to Il Lazzarone will be locked during business hours. But there will be a crowd inside.
That’s a Patrick Mahomes night.
Recently, the Chiefs quarterback took several of his teammates out for pizza at the old brick building at 1628 Frederick Ave. It’s on the edge of downtown St. Joseph, about four miles from where the team practices at Missouri Western State University. Owner Josh Young doesn’t have a problem putting together a work schedule for such an occasion.
“My staff, they see these larger than life human beings,” Young said.
Il Lazzarone owner Josh Young adds a drizzle of spicy honey to a pepperoni pizza, a favorite of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A Margherita pizza sits to the left. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
Il Lazzarone is a favorite of the players, coaches and administrators, who spend nearly a month preparing for the season at the university, some 50 miles north of downtown Kansas City. It’s also popular with fans, who help fill tables during the lunch hour after practice all through training camp, which ends. Aug. 17.
Coach Andy Reid loves the camp-away-from-home concept, and who’s to argue with nine playoff berths, seven straight AFC West titles, five straight AFC Championship Game appearances and two Super Bowl victories in his decade-plus tenure?
So, off to camp the Chiefs go every July, which means St. Joseph rolls out a red carpet, and Il Lazzarone becomes a go-to spot.
It wasn’t always this way, Young said. His boyhood friend Erik Borger opened the restaurant in 2014, and would soon open a second location at 412 Delaware St. in Kansas City’s River Market. (For those of you keeping score at home, Borger sold the business to spend time with his family and then jumped back in the game with his Pizza Tascio restaurants.) It took a few years for Il Lazzarone to catch on with football visitors to St. Joseph.
“It just kind of grew organically and by word of mouth,” said Young, who has attended Chiefs games since 1989. “It’s huge for this community. It’s an opportunity for people who might not make it down on on Sundays to see the world champions.
” Tyler Soethout, Il Lazzarone’s general manager, prepares pizzas for the 1,000-degree wood-fired oven. They bake in there for about a minute. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
Il Lazzarone is no ordinary pizza joint. These pies must meet the strict requirements of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which issues a handbook of instructions, not unlike the team’s playbook, to certify the pizza is created in classic Neapolitan style.
“Fifty-six pages on how to make a pizza,” Young said.
Among the guidelines: The dough consists of four ingredients — water, salt, wheat flour and water, and must be kneaded by hand or with a slow-speed mixer and formed without a rolling pin. Cooking time in the wood-burning oven is 60 to 90 seconds.
The menu is loaded with variety, and you’ll find uncommon toppings on some of the offerings, like Brussels sprouts on the Supremo and a farm fresh egg in the center of the Uovo.
Il Lazzarone’s pepperoni pizza with a drizzle of spicy honey is the go-to order for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during training camp in St. Joseph. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
Mahomes’ favorite?
“The pepperoni with honey,” Young said. “He eats two of them.”
A choice of regular or spicy honey drizzled on the pizza also separates Il Lazzarone from the chains and is a must for the players.
“They want spicy honey on everything,” Young said. (It’s $15.50, plus $1.50 more for the spicy honey.)
Il Lazzarone, a Neapolitan pizzeria, is a favorite hangout of Kansas City Chiefs players and fans during training camp in St. Joseph. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
For me, why stop at pepperoni? My go-to is the Carne, Il Lazzarone’s answer to a meat lover’s pizza ($15.50). This combo of salami and Italian sausage with San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella gets my chef’s kiss. And because I ordered a Caesar ($7 or $10) from the Insalata menu, I’ll take half of the pizza home (two of four slices) for leftovers.
Then there’s the dessert — the Nutella Pizza ($9.50), an 11-inch flatbread topped with Nutella, bananas, strawberries and powdered sugar. It may be the most requested dish at Il Lazzarone.
The sweet treat was no doubt part of the order that helped the Chiefs to another Super Bowl championship season.
Il Lazzarone Neapolitan Pizzeria is located at 1628 Frederick Ave. in St Joseph. A second location is in Kansas City’s River Market. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
A year ago, the Chiefs looked to sign defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who had other teams bidding for his pass rushing s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. On his late night visit to St. Joseph, the team called Young and asked if he could get an order to Reid’s room for the meeting with Dunlap.
“We opened up at 11 p.m., and made him six pizzas,” Young said.
Dunlap made it a point to mention the pizza meeting when talking with reporters after signing with the Chiefs.
Perhaps an order from Il Lazzarone can help entice Chris Jones, the All-Pro defensive end who is holding out of training camp during a contract negotiation.
“We need you big dog,” Young said. “We got some pizza for you.”
A sign on the door of Il Lazzarone shows the restaurant’s popularity with Kansas City Chiefs players and fans alike. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
