Gastown’s well-loved Neapolitan pizza joint, Nicli Antica Pizzeria (62 East Cordova Street) is gearing up to open a second location.

The city’s first Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN)-certified business (where true and traditional Neapolitan pizza is made) has secured a space in Edgemont Village (3142 Highland Boulevard, North Vancouver).

“I noticed that Edgemont Village was underserved when it comes to restaurants,” Bill McCaig, owner of Nicli Antica Pizzeria, told the Straight in a phone interview. “There’s lots of population over there and I felt that it would be a very good second location for Nicli.”

The 2,000-square-foot space will be able to accommodate 50 to 60 guests, which also features plenty of timber elements and exposed ceilings.

Similar to McCaig’s Gastown establishment, the upcoming North Shore location will run as a full-service pizzeria restaurant, while offering delivery and take-out.

Guests can expect different menu items at the Edgemont joint, but it will be similar to the mouth-watering creations at its sister spot.

The chefs at Nicli’s Gastown are currently working on some new appetizers, which will also be brought over to Nicli’s in North Vancouver.

“The North Shore doesn’t have a VPN option, and as the trustee of the VPN for B.C., it’s very important to me because we set the bar and we set the standards for Neapolitan pizza in the area,” explained McCaig. “Any VPN pizzeria you go to, you can expect the quality that you would find in Naples, Italy.”

Nicli’s North Vancouver location is scheduled to open sometime in spring 2018.