Italian pizza

I am having a craving for Italian pizza. I have read good reviews on Spacca Napoli and Barcello's. How do they compare with Quartino? Thanks.

smurf wrote:I am having a craving for Italian pizza. I have read good reviews on Spacca Napoli and Barcello's. How do they compare with Quartino? Thanks.

I've never been to Barcello's or Quartino and so can't comment on them but Spacca Napoli makes excellent Neapolitan style pizza; they go to great lengths to get things right and succeed to a considerable degree. I seriously doubt any restaurant in Chicago surpasses them in this regard.

Antonius

Antonius wrote:Spacca Napoli makes excellent Neapolitan style pizza; they go to great lengths to get things right and succeed to a considerable degree. I seriously doubt any restaurant in Chicago surpasses them in this regard.

I agree. Spacca Napoli is the only authentic pizzeria in town where I can remember the taste and texture of the crust months after having eaten there.

I did not like Barcello's pizza at all. And I wouldn't even put it in the same style category as the others.

I have not tried Quartino, but others have.

You might also want to consider Follia. To quote Mike G (I think), this would be the best Neopolitan pizza in Chicago if Spacca Napoli never opened. I agree with him.

Grupo di Amici in Roger's Park is not bad, but the crust does not have the same character as SN.

I haven't been to Pizzeria DOC in years, but I would think that it bears your consideration as well. Here and here.

Best,
Michael

Like Antonius, I have not tried Barcello's or Quartino, but Spacca Napoli is absolutely outstanding. I've actually started to dream about the tasty little bits of char on their crust.

Having tried a whole bunch of them lately, there are several Chicago restaurants which might have the best Neapolitan-style pizza in town... if Spacca Napoli hadn't opened. (Another one, not mentioned yet, is Frasca.)

You can't go wrong at Spacca Napoli, with the exception of, by trying to eat there tonight-- they're closed Monday and Tuesday.

I've been to Quartino, but none of the others you mentioned, and I much prefer and recommend the pizza at Pizza DOC. I've never had a bad meal there. I particularly like the Quattro Fromaggio (excuse my terrible spelling) and the Funghi.

I really enjoy Spaca Napoli. They just seem to do it right every time. Perfectly charred crust. Very simple toppings. The Buffalo moz there is just out of the world. Def get the buffalo moz appetizer as I would go to there just for that.

I was less enthralled w/ Pizza DOC. While the crust there was excellent like Spaca, the margarita pizza was just swimming in cheese (WAY too much).

Another, lesser, place in the area for takeout is Apart. While not on par w/ the previous two (they don't have a woodburning oven), they make a pretty good, inexpensive pizza for carryout.

. . . and don't ignore Follia, for a Milanese take on traditional pizza. It's basically a restaurant (and a very good one, at that) but the pizzas come out of a wood-burning oven, the toppings are top-quality, and you can get out of there without taking out a loan if you stick to pizzas and splitting other items.

Although I generally like Quartino, I find their pizzas unremarkable.

Spacca Napoli features the best neapolitan pizza I've had in Chicago. Every pizza there is fantastic. Quartino's pizza doesn't even come close (though you'll pay a bit more at SN).

Thanks for all the responses and recommendations. After reading the posts, I am eager to try the places being mentioned, especially Spacca Napoli.