I had higher hopes for this place based on pictures and the fact that reference Naples in their name, all of their restaurant, and on their menu. It’s not bad, but it definitely does not compare to the cream of the crop.
We ordered the standards: marinara and margherita.
Marinara – tomato sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, and olive oil (no oil per request). Well, there were several problems. First, there was no basil. Second, it was covered in oregano – as in not one millimeter of the pizza was left to breathe, I have never seen anything like it. Third, it was drenched in oil. So, fine I can live with the oregano, but I noted the oil to the server and she mentioned that it was a result of the garlic, which they marinate in oil. I do understand, but this should noted when a person requests no oil.
They were, however, super super nice about the mix-up, so I have no complaints about the service. They made me a new pizza with fresh garlic and it came quite quickly, so the margherita didn’t get too cold in the meantime. Honestly, though, the overpowering amount of oregano made eating the pizza prohibitive. We wiped most of it off and as a result the sauce was wiped off, so we were basically eating dry dough. In hindsight, when they made the pizza the second time, I should’ve mentioned the oregano problem, but they were being so nice that I didn’t.
I will mention, though, that their dough is fantastic. It is one of the better Neapolitan pizza doughs I have had.
Margherita – tomato sauce, “Italian” mozzarella (why the qualifier?), basil, and oil (no oil per request). Good, but not great. The cheese didn’t quite melt into the sauce as it should and the quality was not as great as others.
Good sized pizzas, prices are great, service is fantastic and friendly. But not worth going back to. The reason we went here and not Santa Maria Pizzeria is because this place takes reservations for dinner and Santa Maria does not. We were not in a position to wait a long time for the queue so we opted for this place.
I haven’t tried Santa Maria, but I hear it is absolutely the best. I’d recommend going there over here, if you’re going to trek all the way to zone 3 anyway.
