A very brief post to second, third, fourth, the above comments on the quality. Dinner tonight: antipasto misto, pizza bufalino, and pizza con salsiccia e funghi. No salt issue whatsoever. I suspect that they may now be erring on the side of inauthenticity, per Antonius. Which is to say, they are perhaps baking each one just a few seconds long. The centers of our pizze were "dry" as opposed to "gloopy" or even "wet." Nevertheless, still quite soft and not quite "done" on top, but dry on the bottom. Excellent in my book, questions of authenticity notwithstanding.

Disagree about the primitivo; my glass was perfect with the sausage and mushrooms. Hearty without question, but not harsh to my palate.

If you're in the neighborhood, visit; if you're not, get thee hence.

Must have been a bottle-specific issue with my glass of wine, which I did not finish (remarkable). Not a big deal. But while I'm on the subject of spirits at SN, I was remiss in not mentioning the prosecco that Jon brought around. Delicious and very generous.

Wonderful! Tonight two of us shared a pizza bianca con bufala, pizza bufalina, and pizza con funghi e salsiccia accompanied by a bottle of Aglianico "Fidelis" Cantina Del Taburno. (The pizza centers were nicely moist.) Our favorite was pizza bianca con bufala. We'll be back.

A new addiction. reminiscent for me of the pizzeria i ate at daily in Perugia for many months. The gratis glass of prosecco-while-you-wait was kind and yummy, the Bufalina perfect, the centers moist. I just hope that a review in Chicago magazine doesn't make for *too* excessive crowds (though of course I don't begrudge success to a place like this! -- anything to keep em in business!) -- our waitress said they had reviewers from there coming in last night...

Just a quick note -- we had occasion to go back to Spacca Napoli and found the pizzas perfect, salt levels, crust doneness, and all. And as others have commented, very friendly staff and a very personable and gracious owner.

No residual soupiness whatsoever in the middle of pizza which, authenticity be damned, I have to say I prefer. Like Bob S., I think it just makes eating the pizza with your hands that much easier.

Anyway, delicious pizza. They were completely on their game.

Too early to nominate it for a GNR?

After starting the year with what mainly seemed like closures (Berghoff, Trader Vic's, Matsumoto, Salamera, Tacos del Pacifico, etc.), the opening of Spacca Napoli is the first really happy news of the year. What I found really amazing as I walked in was what I smelled-- no, not wood burning, not even cheese or tomato sauce, but flour, fresh, made-to-Italian-specs flour. You know they're using the right stuff as soon as you walk in the door, just by breathing in.

We were luckily seated right by the Madonna of the Crusts' work station, a ringside seat, and so of course the boys, fascinated by any food process where you get to use your hands and make a mess, immediately glued themselves to the window.



Within a few moments the owner had swept Liam into the air and was showing him around the kitchen:



Not surprisingly, it's the oven and the big tools used with fire that they found most interesting:



We wound up eating three pizzas between us, not a cheap matter, but totally happily nonetheless. Here's the bufalina, with mozzarella di bufala:



This is the funghi, with the mozzarella di fiori:



I have to admit I didn't find much difference between the two mozzarelli-- I could distinguish them, but I didn't have a preference. As far as the great debate over doneness, soupiness, etc. goes, our pizzas were definitely done all the way through, and definitely had some of that authentic European wetness in the middle, which I accept but cannot say I exactly like, except that it comes with the territory of using good fresh mozzarella. We chatted with Jonathan Goldsmith, the owner, for a moment and he was quite aware of the discussion here and said he's draining the bufala and doing other things like that to reduce the liquid. As I say, I'm neither bothered by it, nor would I be sorry to see it go (except if it meant they went to using Kraft mozzarella in 10-lb. bags, which I can't imagine there's any danger of).

Here's a picture of the bottom, by the way. Very pretty.



Anyway, terrific pizza, easily the most authentically European pizza in these parts in a long time, or maybe ever, with a great hidden location that makes you feel like such a smart local for even knowing it exists. Five years from now, Sunnyside near Ravenswood may be a major restaurant strip as a result of this week.

I made my first visit to S.N. tonight, and though, unlike MikeG, I didn't have the advantage of having a couple of really really cute kids in tow, my friend and I nevertheless received a warm welcome from the owner. The joint was jumpin' when we arrived around 7:45, lucky to find one table for two available. When the owner noticed that we had been waiting to order he offered glasses of prosecco, and when the prosciutto and arugula appetizer was no longer available, we were offered the eggplant and broccoli-rabe & sausage appetizers in place of it. At that point we were already swooning over the zucchini with mint -- a truly inspired combination, as the mint draws out the zucchini's greenness and takes it to another place. Then the pizza. Questions of loyalty to New York/New Haven/ Boston and Chicago are irrelevant here. This pizza met a deep craving that took hold in a bus station pizzeria in Naples in 1975. I will go to sleep tonight a very happy person.

Since Mike G had already ordered a beer, I was also kindly offered a glass of the prosecco which was welcome, and he offered the kids "lemon or orange sparkly water" (a kid-friendly way to describe San Pellegrino Limonata or Aranciata) which they loved.

The size and flavor of the pizza (already more than adequately described by Mike G) reminded me of an pizza place in Strasbourg, France. Great stuff!

I also joined the lemming like line of LTHer's to spacca napoli on friday for a late lunch and enjoyed the pizza too (though I can't say it was as life changing as some others- though I am not that big a pizza guy). My initial impression of the crust was of a very good Naan made in the tandoor (in fact thinking of ways to duplicate these items at home made me think of picking up Naan and dressing them up). The service was as warm as everyone has detailed.

A couple of notes, an earlier poster had mentioned there being a little too much salt, We noticed that I had to add salt to my pizza (broccoli rabe and sausage) while my wife's which had the tomato sauce on it (funghi) was a little more salty- maybe it is the sauce that is the culprit.

One thing I will mention is that we both had a pizza to ourself and had a rather late lunch, but within a couple of hours were both hungry again, so One pizza each may not be enough to satisfy. Making it not a cheap lunch.

My first dinner there last night was fabulous. Try the Calamari (hot, spicy w/a hint of anchovy). The pizza w/sausage...I believe it was the Salsiccia and Broccoletti...was perfect...with no crust issue for me! Perfectly done!
Dessert was the spumoni..."A Party on a Plate". Need I say more?

Loved the wines which were the Lacrima Christi Del Vesuvia Bianco and the Prosecco “Rustico,” NV Nino Franco (sparkling one). And the price certainly was very reasonable compared to many restaurant's house wines sold for a much higher price with much lower quality.

Service was good and will improve as the staff becomes more familiar with the menu. Given the crowds, it has got to be tough to immediately jump in and be proficient with everything offered.

****(4 stars) to Owner, Jon Goldsmith. He was so personable and I observed him assisting in wine selection, discussing the SN concept to the "foodies", talking cheese and dough, etc. As the previous posted pictures can attest, even the children in the restaurant got his attention. He seems intent on reaching each customer and taking in their input. So atypical for so many restaurants!

The design and decor were also meticulous from the lighting to the artwork to the oven and even the bathrooms. This is a jewel and a great find. I can't wait until the outdoor tables open with the warm weather. Taylor Street take note!

LTH,

I'm joining the chorus of appreciation for quality, taste and attention to detail at Spacca Napoli. My lunchtime Bianca con bufala was truly delicious. Not only was the pizza delicious, but service was excellent as well. For example, I ordered a cappucino while waiting for my pizza along with a Limonata with the pizza, the waitress brought them both at once and when I asked her to hold off opening the Limonata until my pizza came she immediately offered to take the ice filled glass away so melted ice did not dilute the soda.

Other small appreciated notes, the red pepper flakes, which I like gently scattered on pizza, were very fresh and when I asked for a bit of olive oil I was brought a small glass bowl with a couple of ounces of fragrant, lovely olive oil with a slightly green cast. I immediately wished I had my camera, as the clear, sparkling bowl hinting at green would have made a nice picture.

Looking forward to many an enjoyable meal at Spacca Napoli.

FYI, I put up a scan of the menu <here>. As Spacca Napoli is new I'm sure prices and menu items are subject to rapid change.

Enjoy,
Gary

Hi

We're thinking about going tonight - will we need reservations to go around 7 pm? Do they take reservations? Do they have their liquor license? Do they allow byo corkage?

thanks

I believe they do take reservations. We went there right after work last night and when we left around 7 p.m. there was a line.

There is a small wine and beer list but I'm unsure of their corkage policy.

We had a great meal last night. Enjoy!

They do take reservations. On Friday night, at about 8 p.m., I encountered about a 15 minute wait . . . not a big deal but would have called in advance if I knew. I noted that the hostess was taking calls to reserve tables about 20 minutes from then.

They understand fresh, quality ingredients, simplicity, and a roaring hot oven. Perfetto.

Went back last night with a couple of friends, one of whom is very pregnant, so their options were a bit limited. They loved it nonetheless and look forward to returning in a few weeks after their son appears so they can enjoy the raw and cured items. (My friend Andy is a supportive enough dad-to-be to avoid items his wife can't share at the moment.) As for me, I enjoyed the prosciutto e arugula again, and this time tried the salscicci e rapini. Liked it but not quite at the level of the two I tried last week. This time, I ordered the primitivo, and have to say I'm in the camp that finds it too harsh; I nursed it very gently through the meal. So not quite the revelation of my first trip, naturally enough and no fault of theirs -- I look forward to continuing to explore their offerings.

[edited for time reference -- apparently the proxy some of my posts go through held this one up for a few hours.]

Bob, as much as I love red wine (and southern Italian wines in particular these days), I'd recommend drinking a white wine with pizza napoletano. My choice right now at SN is the Sicilian Insolia (which I would prefer 5-10 degrees colder than they serve it). I can't recommend the current Falanghina they offer (a little too sweet and not as tannic and flinty as Falanghina usually is), but they are typically a great complement to pizza.

Choey wrote:Bob, as much as I love red wine (and southern Italian wines in particular these days), I'd recommend drinking a white wine with pizza napoletano. My choice right now at SN is the Sicilian Insolia (which I would prefer 5-10 degrees colder than they serve it). I can't recommend the current Falanghina they offer (a little too sweet and not as tannic and flinty as Falanghina usually is), but they are typically a great complement to pizza.

Thanks for the info, Choey. My previous trip there, the Lacrima Christi Del Vesuvio Rosso seemed a worthy complement to those two pizzas, and since a number of folks had tried the Primitivo with only the first mention being negative I decided to try that. But there's plenty of room for experimentation and I do look forward to moving into the whites. Actually, I'd like to try the Prosciutto e Arucola and the Quatro Formaggi next, so if you or anyone have any thoughts on good pairings for those, I'm all ears.

Choey wrote:My choice right now at SN is the Sicilian Insolia (which I would prefer 5-10 degrees colder than they serve it).

Choey,

I was at SN Saturday and we, in addition to Aglianico "fidelis", cantina del taburno, had a couple of bottles of Prosecco, which I thought worked particularly well, especially with one of the specials, anchovy/onion. Incidentally the prosecco rustico NV nino franco was $8 less, and this is not an expensive wine to begin with, for the exact same prosecco we drank at Francesca's Forno Friday night. Next time we will be sure to try the Sicilian Insolia.

This was my second visit to SN and I, if possible, liked it even more than my first visit, which I outlined up thread. Ran into Leek and her husband, always a treat to see fellow LTHers.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:I was at SN Saturday and we, in addition to Aglianico "fidelis", cantina del taburno, had a couple of bottles of Prosecco, which I thought worked particularly well, especially with one of the specials, anchovy/onion.

We had that red, which I thought went well with the pizzas we got, the spinach and the white with buffalo mozz. It didn't go as well with the calamari, perhaps because of the olives. And prosecco is often a good choice

Not my style of pizza, but it was good for what it is. Interesting, we didn't get a specials listing - though I probably wouldn't have gotten anchovy pizza. I think they were a bit overwhelmed, it was crowded and service was a bit off. They kept offering the wrong dishes to tables around us. The waitress poured a taste of wine into my husband's glass, and after he said it was fine, left without further pouring (I didn't expect them to come back and refill us). Once we had indicated we were done and would like the check, no one came back until we flagged down our waitress 15 minutes later to ask her again. Nothing major, but just a bit off.

Just wanted to join the chorus of support for SN. I was there Sat evening (early-ishwith my wife & toddler for a quick dinner. We had the Bufalina & the Saliccia. Both were excellent! It's great to see this style of pizza being executed well in this town!
Our little one was becoming a bit fussy so we didn't linger or sample any of the appetizers.
I meant to ask if they had any olio piccante to drizzle but didn't get the chance.
The other cool thing I noticed were th knives. They looked like they were Italian pizza knives. They way they were shaped and the serrated edge made it seem well-suited for pizza-cutting.

Went last Wed. 6:30. Expected a crowd from all the buzz, but only a handful of tables and not wait. Owner was doing a lot of visiting and chatting. We had 2 toddlers, one of whom has nut allergy so we had to ask about the spumoni and he took care of that research personally then regaled us with his current assessment of vendors for spumoni, gelato, etc. and what his plans are there.

Crust was just as in the previously posted photos. Beautiful. (I can see the nan comparison.)

I could have stood either slightly more, or slighly more assertive sausage on the sausage and brocoletti pizza. But I loved the anchovy component in the calamari dish. So much more interesting than anthor version of fried. And we all second praise for the zucchini/mint dish.

As traffic was light, service was not under stress and remained warm and prompt all evening.

Went with my girlfriend last Friday, who's a very picky eater. We waited for less than 5 minutes at around 7. The owner brought us prosecco gratis. We started with the braised calamari in marinara. Nicely done, the sauce was a little too sweet and we had to ask for more bread (it came with two small garlic toasts). Then had two pizzas--red sauce, garlic, basil and a buffalo mozzarella, red sauce, and basil. Both arrived within 10 minutes of ordering. The crust was extremely crispy, but chewy at the crusts. Great flavor for both (we didn't experience the half-cooked centers that some posters had complained of). Also each had another glass of wine--she had the prosecco, i had a glass of sangiovese (can't remember the winery)...both were great for the price (around $6). Then split tiramisu for dessert--very custardy with firm, yet moist ladyfingers. Good initial coffee flavor, but wish there was a little more alcohol and coffee finish. Ordered an espresso, and our waiter guaranteed it would be "ristretto," but it came really long and sort of weak (plus they serve it in sorta glass "shotglasses," and we noticed that they were serving other tables cappuccinos in the same glasses as they served their wine, which seemed odd).

Overall, very good experience: the atmosphere was great (sorta rustic, sorta modern) with good lighting, tables not too close, and nice Italian music; service was good...a few kinks (took a while to order each course, wine took a second request to get, the espresso) but everyone was very earnest and well-meaning so it seems they'll iron it out; food was very good--would try another first course--but the pizzas were excellent and everything was very fairly priced.

It's so tough to find truly authentic Neopolitan/Roman pizza, and i'm concerned that they're in such an out-of-the-way location that it really needs to be a destination spot to survive. So everyone get there!

I just returned from my first dinner at Spacca Napoli and I can't say enough good things about this place. From the moment you enter you are captivated by the decor, lighting, and design of this space.

After sitting in traffic for an eternity it was so nice to be welcomed into this warm, inviting space. My friend and I were seated at our table for no more than five minutes before the gracious owner, John, offered us some Prosecco (which of course we said yes to). Our service was prompt without being rushed, and our waiter really took the time to explain the special pizza of the night and answer any questions we had.

We did not have any appetizers, and instead settled on a nice bottle of red and two pizzas: the funghi y salicissia and the arucla y proscuitto. I will say our wine, the Primitivo, was served a bit too warm for my liking (I love chilled red) but improved as the meal progressed as it was able to return to room tempurature. In any event, the pizzas were excellent. Great, thin crust and evenly cooked ingredients throughout.

I cannot wait to return to Spacca Napoli! I do believe they will be opening up on Tuesdays soon, our waiter hinted at that as we were chatting with him.

Spacca Napoli is just fantastic. Our pizza order was the Margherita and the Fungi. The pizza was cooked in something like 5 minutes. The crust had an irregular pattern of burn marks adding to the depth of flavor of the dough, which was chewy and yet crispy. I find the crust to be the best part of the pizza. As someone said upthread, I can eat the crust by itself. Good stuff.

I do hope this place keeps its standards high and the quality does not diminish as too many people flock to the pizzeria, or before it shows up in check please.

Some more photos for your pleasure.

The oven.


Prep station.


Pizza Margherita.


Pizza Fungi.


Pizza Fungi, checking for thickness.

Your margherita photo speaks volumes and shows how quickly Jonathan has adapted his pies to the ingredients, oven, and local tastes. That pizza was in the oven a bit longer than any I had the first week of dinner, the cheese is drier, and the sauce sparer. Looks fantastic.

yellow truffle wrote:Some more photos for your pleasure.

Fantastic pictures.

JeffB wrote:Your margherita photo speaks volumes and shows how quickly Jonathan has adapted his pies to the ingredients, oven, and local tastes. That pizza was in the oven a bit longer than any I had the first week of dinner, the cheese is drier, and the sauce sparer. Looks fantastic.

On my, ahem, fourth visit, Jonathan attested to "tuning" or "adjusting" the procedures just like you say. They have scaled back to use "one ladle" of sauce, and they are wringing just a bit more moisture from the cheese.

Aside: On my last visit, and for the first time, I spotted a bucket of wood shavings on the floor in front of the oven. When I inquired about their use I was told that they are sometimes tossed into the oven to provide temporary illumination. Apparently, there are times when the light of the burning embers is not sufficient to monitor the cooking of the pizzas, and so a handful of the highly-flammable shavings are added to provide additional light.

So cool.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Aside: On my last visit, and for the first time, I spotted a bucket of wood shavings on the floor in front of the oven. When I inquired about their use I was told that they are sometimes tossed into the oven to provide temporary illumination. Apparently, there are times when the light of the burning embers is not sufficient to monitor the cooking of the pizzas, and so a handful of the highly-flammable shavings are added to provide additional light.

Erik,

I noticed the addition of wood shavings as well, and received the same answer when I inquired. I was a little surprised at the answer and further inquired if the shavings were for a light smoke flavor and/or to give a momentary burst of heat.

Not that I doubt either the answer or technique, the proof, after all, is in the pudding and the pudding (pizza) at Spacca Napoli is excellent, but I seem to remember Bill in Santa Fe, who uses a wood burning Italian pizza oven, saying he adds wood shavings to boost the oven temp just before, or with, adding a pizza to the oven.* Bill, is my memory correct?

Enjoy,
Gary

*I should add this was a number of years ago, not on LTHForum, but on a BBQ email list to which both Bill and I subscribe.

Erik M. wrote:Aside: On my last visit, and for the first time, I spotted a bucket of wood shavings on the floor in front of the oven. When I inquired about their use I was told that they are sometimes tossed into the oven to provide temporary illumination. Apparently, there are times when the light of the burning embers is not sufficient to monitor the cooking of the pizzas, and so a handful of the highly-flammable shavings are added to provide additional light.

So cool.

I asked this exact question to owner and pieman, Anthony Mangieri, of New York's Una Pizza Napoletana while visiting there last year. I believe he gave us the same explanation as well.
Goldsmith and Mangieri are obviously both purists and pizza-philes who have studied in the renaissance-like pizzerias of Naples.

For me, this is exciting stuff for Chicago pizza.



Una Pizza Napoletana

yellow truffle,
WONDERFUL pictures!

yellow truffle wrote:Spacca Napoli is just fantastic.

Yellow Truffle,

I agree Spacca Napoli is fantastic, but I'd like to add your pictures are fantastic as well.

Enjoy,
Gary