Nonno Peppe

8 POR Score
Pros
Excellent Price, Lava Brick cooking surface, stylish, Italian Made, Fuel Efficient,
Cons
Small(ish) baking surface
Summary
Overall, we consider this a very good buy given the pros/cons comparison
Build Quality
Value/Price Point
Customer Satisfaction

 

This “made in Italy” oven is a fun twist on the classic pizza oven model and in fact, the look of this oven is becoming more and more popular for designers of other brands. What makes this oven a little unique is that even with its lower price than most other offerings in its class, it offers some features the others can’t match. Let’s see…

With only 2 baking floor stones, you won’t catch the edge of any stones with your peel!

Contents

The Good
  • 100% pure stainless steel
  • Highly fuel efficient
  • 24 in. x 24 in. cooking surface
  • Handcrafted in Italy
  • Reinforced, polished stainless steel chimney pipe
  • Stainless steel fire separator
  • Stainless steel door
  • Volcanic lava stone oven floor (heats up quickly, retains heat and cools slowly) … from Mount Etna no less!
  • comes with log holder to maximize the baking area
  • excellent value overall (features for the price)
  • 30-minute heat up time (that’s good!)
The Bad
  • Not always available for sale so the hit and miss nature of its availability means you may want to pick one up sooner rather than later!
  • Available in Copper color only (that’s not really a bad thing though right?)
  • 145 lbs, which is not as light as its smaller predecessor.

One customer did have an issue with a flue that started to rust soon after purchase, but others were thrilled that the cooking surface is noticeably larger than its predecessor.

Quality, Durability, and Reliability

The unique and durable lava rock cooking surface from a famous mountain, is most likely what is restricting the size of the baking surface, but the quality of the rock is excellent and imparts its own, unique quality to your pizza. This oven is also designed to look good, and because of that, I would suggest getting a cover for it unless it is well protected in bad weather or winter snow. There may be an issue with some rusting, though it may not be a prevalent problem with all the units.

Is it Easy to Use?

With the wood holder, it sure is easier to build a fire and keep the ashes and wood chunks from rolling onto your pie. With only 2 stones for the interior baking surface, it’s a lot easier to avoid catching the edge of your peel on a seam between rocks.

Cleaning

Easy Peasy – tiny oven, one damp cloth!

The hammered copper surface is great looking and durable. We like it better than a flat black surface which won’t hide scratches or smears well.

Price?

Priced just over the $1K mark, it looks like it’s a pretty good value considering its relative portability, looks, and lava rock baking surface!

See the latest price and more info HERE.

Anything Else?

The Nonno Peppe pizza oven is well insulated for an oven of its size. Unlike ovens made of clay and various refractory materials its steel construction is not prone to cracking which invariably affects the performance of the oven. Stainless steel is a good choice for outdoor cooking in the northern U.S. states where resistance to the weather is somewhat of a necessity.  Because of the steel construction, the oven is not prone to cracking which is always a concern with brick ovens.

HOLD THE PRESS!

For about $300 less, you can get a nearly identically made oven that’s even more portable than the already portable Nonno Peppe!  What is it?  Why, it’s the Nonno Lillo.  It’s basically the little brother to the Nonno Peppe and it stacks up about the same.  It comes from Italy with the same construction qualities and it even looks very similar.  The catch is that the baking surface is smaller (20″ x 16″) and it runs about 80 lbs, which is a whopping 65 lbs less than the Nonno Peppe.  This is a smart buy for anyone with a smaller back yard, smaller budget, smaller cooking needs and smaller muscles 🙂  I could say “smaller ego” but that wouldn’t be fair would it?

The Nonno Lillo is an excellent smaller alternative to the Nonno Peppe with exactly the same quality and features!

Check the latest prices and availability : Grills 'n Ovens

So, What Say We?

I’m really attracted to its portable size and I like the aesthetics. The manufacturer says it’s a VERY good oven for those just entering the world of outdoor pizza ovens since its small size makes it easier to manage the fire and heating system. The 2 foot by 2 foot baking area is pretty generous and allows you to bake multiple pies with no problems at all.

If your wallet allows, kick it up a notch with this elite oven from Bella Outdoor Living!

 

Check Availability and Latest Prices :Grills 'n Ovens : Amazon

 

Nonno Peppe was last modified: September 30th, 2019 by Pete