Francesca / Nella Pizzeria Napoletana: [CLOSED, Clark St.]

nella pizzeria napoletana will be open end of july 2423 n clark street and nella pizzeria napoletana due on taylor and loomis will be open at the end of september

Nella Pizzeria Napoletana
2423 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-327-3400

Frank, are you replacing the Little Italy Francesca's or will that location of Napoletana be in addition to it?

taken over la vita location across the street

Nella Pizzeria Napoletana
1359 N. Taylor St.
Chicago, IL 60607

I live close by and I'm anxiously awaiting the opening. I'm glad it's still a go as I haven't see amy work going on lately, I look forward to trying the pizza.

I just moved a block away from the Taylor steet location. It will be a great addition to the neighborhood. There really isn't a good pizza option in the area (Although Jay's on Taylor has decent pizza I recently found out). Looking forward to it.

YelirNY wrote: There really isn't a good pizza option in the area

Give Fogo 2 Go a shot. It's the best pizza in the area as far as I'm concerned. (Not that that's saying a whole lot.)


926 W. Diversey Ave.
773-880-8052

Can't wait to get real Naples pizza from Nella, a Napoli native!!! That Taylor St. location should be a great GNR!

Johnsoncon wrote:Can't wait to get real Naples pizza from Nella, a Napoli native!!! That Taylor St. location should be a great GNR!

Let's try the pizza first before we go shooting our mouth off about "a great GNR."

Habibi wrote:Let's try the pizza first before we go shooting our mouth off about "a great GNR."

Are there any not-great GNRs?

nr706 wrote:Are there any not-great GNRs?

I can name a couple.

NR, please. The G comes later. And saying "Great GNR" is like saying "ATM Machine" or "with au jus."

Santander wrote:saying "Great GNR" is like saying "ATM Machine" or "with au jus."

My point exactly. Great minds think alike ... and our minds do, too.

According to Metromix, the Lincoln Park location has been delayed until September 13th and the Taylor Street location until January 2010...

Just walked by this place. I work close so I'm hoping that it's good pizza and open for lunch. I'm no construction expert but it didn't look like a place ready to open in 4 days. Anyone have updates?

nella pizzeria napoletana should be opening its doors at the end of october

looks like maybe some posts were removed from this thread - perhaps one where grassanof introduced himself as "Frank," and explained his involvement in this place?

Kennyz wrote:looks like maybe some posts were removed from this thread - perhaps one where grassanof introduced himself as "Frank," and explained his involvement in this place?

Posts were pulled from this thread, including grassanof, but none that contained any 'explanation'

Enjoy,
Gary for the moderators

got it, thanks. I was confused by Oculi's post, the 2nd in the thread.

A little googling has now led me to surmise that grassanof is Nella's husband, Frank.

Does anyone have an update on an opening date for this?

Despite the shilling in this thread, I'm excited for anything remotely approaching Spacca Napoli to be in the neighborhood.

Here's an interesting thread on the place which pegged the opening date as the 1st or 2nd week of November:
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... go-il.html

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Does anyone have an update on an opening date for this?

Despite the shilling in this thread, I'm excited for anything remotely approaching Spacca Napoli to be in the neighborhood.

Here's an interesting thread on the place which pegged the opening date as the 1st or 2nd week of November:
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... go-il.html

I drove by yesterday & the signs say coming soon. It should do well in the same vicinity as Orange & Hema's kitchen.

Drove by the Taylor St. location yesterday... La Vita is closed up and signs on the window say Nella Pizzeria coming soon... Metromix still says February for its open though, so may still be a while till it opens

nella pizzeria napoletana will open november 20 to the public

Their menu, as reproduced from the TOC blog

Antipasti
Caprese 7.99
Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and basil

Antipasto misto 8.99
Prosciutto crudo, salami, capocollo, gren olive and provolone cheese

Insalata di mare 9.99
Calamari, baby shrimp, octopus, sepia, garlic, onion, celery, black olive, olive oil, lemon

Zucchini alla scapece 5.99
Zucchini, olive oil, white balsamic and fresh mint

Melanzane 6.99
Eggplant, fresh marinara, basil and olive oil

Grigliata di Verdure 7.99
Bell peppers, eggplant and zucchini grilled with olive oil, garlic and fresh parsley

Alici Marinate 6.99
Fresh anchovies marinated with white balsamic, olive oil, garlic, red pepper and parsley

Prosciutto e rucola 10.99
Prosciutto di Parma, arugula, shaved parmigiano and olive oil

Prosciutto e bufala 14.99
Prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella di bufala, olive oil and basil

Salmone Marinato 10.99
Fresh salmon marinated with white balsamic, olive oil, garlic, fresh parsley and organic capers

Calamari 7.99
Fried calamari with fresh lemon

Tre-Mare 12.99
Marinated salmon, marinated anchovies and fish salad

Insalate
Insalata Mista 6.99
House salad, cherry tomatoes, green and black olives, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil

Rucola e Parmigiano 8.99
Arugula, shaved parmigiano, extra virgin olive oil and lemon

Insalata di Pomodori 6.99
Cherry tomatoes, onions, green and black olives, oregano and extra virgin olive oil

Pizze
Marinara 8.99
Tomatoes, garlic, oregano and olive oil (no cheese)

Margherita 11.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil

Bufalina 14.99
Tomatoes, basil, Mozzarella di Bufala and olive oil

Prosciutto e Rucola 14.99
White pizza with smoked mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, arugula, shaved parmesan and olive oil

Sorrentina 14.99
White pizza with mozarella di bufala, cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil

Salsiccia e Friarielli 13.99
White pizza with sausage, rapini, mozarella and olive oil

Capricciosa o Quattro Stagioni 14.99
Tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, mushrooms, black olives, artichoke hearts, basil and olive oil

Diavola 13.99
Tomatoes, mozarella, spicy salami, red pepper, basil and olive oil

Funghi 12.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, basil and olive oil

Funghi e Salsiccia 13.99
Tomatoes, mozarella, mushroom, sausage, basil and olive oil

Quattro Formaggi 13.99
White pizza with mozarella, gorgonzola, ementhal and Caciotta Dolce cheeses

Fiorentina 13.99
Mozzarella, spinach, ricotta and shaved parmigino

Tonno e cipolla 13.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, tuna, onion, black olives basil and olive oil

Mare e Monti 15.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, baby shrimp, porcini mushroom, parsley and olive oil

Napoli 12.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano and olive oil

Romana 13.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies, capers, black olives, oregano and olive oil

Stuffed pizze
Calzone Napoli 14.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta, salami, black pepper, basil and olive oil

Calzone Farcito 14.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, prosciutto cotto, basil and olive oil

Calzone Liscio 14.99
Tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, basil and olive oil

Vesuvio 17.99 (Layered stuffed pizze)
Tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, ricotta, prosciutto cotto, basil and olive oil

Read more: http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/ ... z0WavpJ7Ln

grassanof wrote:nella pizzeria napoletana will open november 20 to the public

This is for the Clark Street location, right? Do you have an estimated opening date for Taylor Street?

Thanks.

It's hard to write a review of a new restaurant... that's exactly like a restaurant you know well. Or at least, how that restaurant was when it first opened.



Nella Grassano, as you probably know, was the original pizzaiolo (shouldn't that be pizzaiola in her case?) of Spacca Napoli. Between that and the fact that both places are aiming to reproduce traditional Neapolitan styles, it's not really surprising that the pizza she makes here now, in the same style of oven with the same level of ingredients... comes out just like that pizza did a few years ago.

So I don't know anything new to tell you. It's a pretty place, that manages to look upscale-snazzy and Lincoln Park bar-ish and reasonably family friendly, all at once. And if you like Spacca Napoli, you will like the thin chewy crust made from 00 flour, you will like the fresh mozzarella and simplicity of tomato sauce, you will like the prosciutto and arugula. (I took some pictures but we were in an especially dim spot, and anyway, you know what the pizzas look like.) It has some just-opened hitches (I asked the waiter about a specific special and he couldn't wait to go through his whole list) but they were very minor, nothing that won't clear up with practice.

So if you're near Clark & Fullerton, enjoy. We can always use more pizza places like this, especially if they're NOT within a mile of each other in West Lakeview. I'm sure they will be very successful.

I had a late lunch here last week. It's a very nice space with some cute touches (screens made out of foozball people, the mirror over the pizza prep area). I agree, very similar in style to Spacca Napoli (no surprise, given the association). I like Spacca Napoli but the pizzas don't put me over the moon the way Coalfire's and Great Lake's do. I had a diavola (tomatoes, mozarella, spicy salami, red pepper, basil and olive oil)--all the ingredients were top quality but the pizza was a little overloaded and the crust was a little soggy in the middle. That being said, they had been open less than a week and it was early in the day (I always wonder if the pizza improves later in the day as the oven gets hotter). I work near Nella and this is a very nice addition to a neighborhood which has lots of restaurants but a high ratio of mediocre:better than mediocre food. So, I'll definitely be heading back for lunch.

The center was a little soggy? Sounds like they are nailing it already.

JeffB wrote:The center was a little soggy? Sounds like they are nailing it already.

Jeff-

Amen. Thank God our paesana Nella is back in action and there is someplace in town producing a properly cooked pizza with a nice soupy centre!



Antonius

I went today for lunch, and Mike G was spot on. The space, staff, Nella, and the pizza were all great. I am so glad to see another place doing Neapolitan pizza and doing it right. Maybe someday they will head West.

Ditto to all of the above. If you like Spaccanapoli, you should like this version of Neapolitan pizza, too. A great addition to this neighborhood.

It seems that late lunch is a good time to go (not too hectic and excellent service), and just a reminder that the Noble Tree Cafe with a selection of Hoosier Mama pies is across the street. Nice little twofer there, if you prefer something different from the usual tiramisus and panna cottas for the endgame.