Naperville's MB Urban Roadhouse combines Italian, Jewish fare

"Mangia" and "Bubala" might be difficult to pronounce, but the words behind the name of the new MB Urban Roadhouse in Naperville mean "eat, baby" and they represent what the owners call a delicious melding of Italian and Jewish specialties.

It all started with a small bagel business Mike Cannistra and his wife, Jody, launched in 2012 at the Mount Prospect farmers market.

"I'm Italian. She's Jewish. We both love food," Cannistra said. "We started a bagel business because we couldn't find good bagels anywhere. Back in the day you used to be able to find some places, but it's so hard to do now."

The bagels are still on the catering menu at the new restaurant in the former location of Connie's Pizza near Ogden Avenue in Naperville, at 1170 Iroquois Ave. But the restaurant menu focuses more on pizza, oven-toasted sandwiches and salads.

"Growing up in a Sicilian Italian house, it's hard not to have good recipes," Cannistra said.

One special concoction is the Bubala pizza, which is available every Thursday through Saturday.

"It's a Reuben sandwich, but it's made in a pizza form," Cannistra said.

With a rye bread crust, Thousand Island dressing, swiss and mozzarella cheeses and pastrami, the unusual pizza is one example of MB Urban Roadhouse's Jewish influences.

For other sandwiches, including a pastrami and salami sub and a bologna, ham and salami combo, the restaurant uses Boar's Head meats. The name doesn't imply the meat come's from the head of a boar; it's a well-known East coast deli brand, Cannistra said. Boar's Head products also show up in the restaurant's pizza cheeses and pepperoni.

"It just makes a difference in the way the pizza tastes," Cannistra said.

The roadhouse is keeping the lunch buffet, which the Connie's Pizza formerly in the space used to offer, for a starting price of $7 without tax or a drink. Pizzas, salads, entrees such as pork tenderloin and desserts such as Texas sheet cake and cookies will be on the buffet line on weekdays.

"You don't walk away disappointed," Cannistra said.

Early feedback from new customers has been positive, but owners say replacing a mainstay such as Connie's could be tricky. MB Urban Roadhouse opened Sept. 1 after Cannistra bought the restaurant from the former Connie's owner and took a week to complete renovations. But the new restaurant doesn't have its own sign yet, so Cannistra said he knows gaining a following will take time.

"We know that we're replacing a Chicago icon brand in Connie's pizza at this location," Cannistra said. "We're going to win each customer one at a time each day."