Ciao

Went here last week and loved it. It was the best pizza I've had in the Boston area, maybe the best I've ever had. The interior is decorated nicely, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The overall ambiance was slightly ruined by the music choice. Weird house remixes of pop songs. Would love to see this changed to something more classy and cozy!

I had wanted to try Ciao for a while but never made it to Chelsea. When I heard this new location opened closer to me, I went immediately. A few logistical things to know about Ciao before you go. It's a very very small restaurant. They only have about 20 seats. They do a big takeout business, but with nowhere for customers to wait for their food, customers just stand in the middle of the restaurant. When we went, they hadn't started to serve alcohol yet, but they plan to according to the menu. Overall, Ciao has great pizza! The pizza came out fast and the crust was cooked to perfection. The roasted tomatoes on the Margherita were delicious and the Salsiccia pizza was covered in sausage.

Great neopolitan style pizza place that's still working out some operational kinks in their small new space. It gets crowded quickly, so I recommend coming early before the rush.FOOD: We got the classic bruschetta, chicken caesar salad, rigatoni, margherita pizza, fungi pizza, and wine poached pear. Everything was good, but the wood fired items are definitely their specialty. If you're not familiar with neopolitan style pizza, it's very thin, and the crust is meant to have charred leopard spots with some blisters - I think its best fresh from the oven. The caesar had good quality chicken and dressing, and the bruschetta was tasty, but I wish they'd given us a serrated knife to cut the mini bread loaf (asked, but they forgot). The margherita was solid with a good balance of fresh mozz, sauce, and basil. The crumb was soft and fluffy and tasted good - it was the table favorite. The funghi was very truffle forward, which was good but quite rich. The rigatoni was huge in portion and was okay, a bit mushy. The wine poached pear in ricotta was a nice light way to finish the meal. Beer & wine is not available yet.SERVICE: Friendly, accurate, but spotty. We were by the window in the corner, and once the place got crowded around 6:30, it was difficult for staff to see and service our table.AMBIANCE: Clean new space with simple nice decor, but small with limited tables. They have a bottle of water on the table with glasses and cutlery is wrapped in a cloth napkin. When people are waiting, the space feels crowded quickly. You can see the giant oven and the staff working in the back. You have to ask to use their 1 bathroom, where they take you through the kitchen to the back. The operational design of the space is suboptimal in some ways but the food is worth it.Will be back for more pizza!

My husband was so excited to try this place out and we were lucky enough to visit last night. Dinner was PERFECT. Ten out of ten! We got the greens salad, which was tossed in light dressing with a few shaved red onions, some grape tomatoes, delicious cheese and fresh cracked pepper and a little salt. The bowl of salad was huge, and we split it. More than enough for two! The pizza is on the smaller side, but still perfect for two (especially if you get an appetizer or salad to accompany). The cheese, basil, and sauce were all fresh and full of flavor. The dough was a delight... fresh, crispy in the right places, and fluffy and soft in the crust. I savored every bite.Waitstaff was attentive and kind, too. It was very busy when we went, but everyone seemed to have it under control. The wait for our food was not long at all, and I can't wait to go back. This is a MUST TRY!

So thrilled to finally try out the Somerville location of Ciao! And I am pleased to report it is just as good as their original home in Chelsea. The mafaldine was phenomenal with a rich and hearty mushroom flavor, but this place really shines because of their pizza. Their simple margherita is one of the best I've ever had -- the tomatoes are so fresh, the cheese is so flavorful, and the crust is perfectly chewy. If you're in Ball Square, check it out! I'll be coming back!

I realized I didn't review the one in Chelsea, so I'm going to review this extra hard. The worst part about this new location for Ciao is now I can't say "I know the best pizza in Boston". Now I have to say "I know the best pizzas in Boston". The other worst part about this new Ciao is that it's closer to me. Which means now I have no reason to eat other pizza.The best part about Ciao? That it's the best pizza in Boston. Okay, well, it's Neopolitan style, so it's not the best SLICE in Boston. But it is essentially perfect. The dough is light and flavorful, just toasted enough to not be carbonized, which places like Josephine sometimes struggle with. The sauce is perfect, not too salty (Hi, Si Cara) and the cheese, I mean, it's what it should be.Each pizza is very different - the margherita is my go-to, but there's also a Zucchini pizza that has honey on it which is like...I dunno, traveling to another side of Italy? I don't really know Italy. The mushroom, of course, is a banger, but you really can't go wrong.If you're diddling around in the darkness of places like Posto, highly highly recommend you hike up the hill to Ciao. They don't have drinks yet, but that just means you have more room for pizza.

We are big Ciao fans from Chelsea so were pumped about this second location in Ball Square! Cute spot with a few tables. I was surprised it wasn't very busy but imagine they do a big takeout business. The margarita pizza for $16 was fantastic. The beet salad for $13 was beautiful but not super special. The two split were enough for the two of us. Service was fast and attentive.

Was so excited for Ciao to open and the food doesn't disappoint. Everything we got was delicious. I can't wait for them to start taking online orders, we will get take out pretty regularly.

Ordered the Funghi, Burrata and Margherita and they were all probably the best pizzas I've ever had. Service was personable and exceptional.I can't believe how underrated this place is.

I was so happy to see that Ciao opened a location in Somerville. Such excellent Neapolitan pizza, with delicious fresh toppings. Nice service too.