Piccola Italia Pizza and Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (118) • $$

"I'm in town picking up my daughter for a long fall break weekend and I have some time to kill untilHer classes end. It's lunchtime and I can always eat. I hate NC State campus traffic so I drive a bit until I see this Italian Restaurant. I could eat a slice or two.Due to lack of help their hours are reduced just so you know. Several diners were outside eating under and awning which is a nice option if you like that sort of thing. I don't. I don't like competing with insects for my food so indoor dining for me.This place has been in business for decades and if you want to be transported back to the 80's, you are here. The server was new and didn't know the sides (no big deal). He found out and told me. Their menu is typical Italian fare. Pizza, Stromboli....yada yada you get the idea. I opted for the 2 slices and side (salad) for $9.50.Oh my poor salad. One slice of cucumber, one small red onion ring and one cherry tomato mixed j. With overly large pieces of romaine. I ordered blue cheese which was unremarkable, kinda like the salad. The dressing was bland which complimented the salad perfectly.The pizza slices arrived and they were decent size. I got cheese pizza because that's the only way in my mind to taste the basics. Maybe I should have gotten pepperoni. The good: the bottom crust was very crisp. It was a nice change from the usually floppy slices where all sauce bleeds through and makes it all a soggy mess. This was nice. Crisp and took your attention to cut through it with your knife. The Meh: overall, the pizza is BLAND. Most of the flavor came from the Parmesan cheese and chili flakes I added after tasting it. The space was way too thin. You hardly knew it was there. The cheese was adequate but again, didn't bring anything to the party. I guess the biggest disappointment was the crust.I think most people feel the crust is suppose to be a blank slate for the toppings. I disagree. I think the crust should be flavorful as well. Making dough rise too quickly doesn't allow for flavor to develop. The crust was flavorless. Not worth the calories so leave it when you finish with the rest of the slice.The staff was friendly and attentive. The seating area was clean albeit a bit dated. Overall, a 5/10. Maybe if I come back I'll try something else. Maybe the pizza guy had a bad day."

The Twisted Grape

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (378)

"Very disappointing! The prices are too high for this same town restaurant. Have eaten here a few times and am never overly impressed. Decided to grab as a call in take out. Won't do that again. Ordered the chicken Alfredo...$16.90 for a very small tray! My wife ordered a salad that had almost zero toppings. Please see our pictures. Also was told our take out order would be ready in twenty minutes but waited forty! The salad-Southern fried chicken salad. Supposed to have cucumbers, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, (tomatoes-none for me), and croutons. Please note there were 4 croutons, 3 tiny pieces of cucumber, 2 pieces of red onion, zero bacon, and zero cheese! The chicken (not picture) was hood."

Randy's Pizza

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (132) • $

"Last night, my wife asked if I would finally be able to make time to mount, wire and hang our living room TV since it's been lying on the floor of our new home since moving in on Sunday. Knowing that organizing multiple wires, drilling, measuring and hooking up this TV would take me some time, we settled on ordering pizza delivery with a new, local pizza place to us. After my Mrs. asked around at work, many mentioned that Randy's has some of the best in the area. So, Randy's is what we ordered. FOOD: 12" Supreme Specialty Pizza and 14" Cheese Pizza ($38.28 after tax). Both pizzas were very good but I gravitated toward the supreme over the cheese. The veggies, pepperoni and ground up sausage were great. The sauce isn't too tangy and is actually very pleasant. The dough is very good dough but was very limp and had very little structure to it, once held in hand. A couple of the slices had some slight char to them but I was hoping for a firmer crust with a little bit of crunch to it. Honestly, I believe if these pies were left in the oven for just another 2 and half minutes, they could have been fantastic. Each bite, the dough was soft and chewy in consistency so I'm wondering if I could ask Randy's to leave it in a little longer next time? It might make a big difference for my next review. SCORE: 3.9 STARS!!SERVICE: Ordered Grubhub directly through Yelp and the delivery driver was pleasant, although this is not a direct reflection of Randy's' immediate staff. No way to gauge service for this visit, aside from the order was hot and delivered on time. SCORE: N/AOVERALL SCORE: Pretty good local pizza. Looking forward to trying them again when I ask for my crust to be well-done. 3.9 STARS!!"

Dantes Italiano

★★★★☆ 4 (176)

The Original NY Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.7 (90) • $

"Still yummy after all these years just more $$$ though unfortunately. But for an occasional treat, by the slice, it hits the spot."

Granchio

★★★★★ 4.5 (44) • $$

"One word: Delicious! I ordered a steam pot with crab legs and shrimp. I mixed the granchio butter with lemon pepper perfection. Everything was cooked perfectly! The shrimp and crab came right out of the shell, the butter seasoning was excellent. You scoop up some of that seasoning with your meats and it's amazing. The potatoes and corn are a perfect match with the boil. The best part, everything was so reasonably priced! So many seafood boil places are so pricy and this place is pretty reasonable. It's a intimate little spot but definitely worth the visit! A gem for sure!"

Checkers Pizza & Subs

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (62) • $

"Let me tell you something....Checkers Pizza and Subs in Raleigh, NC has some seriously delicious food! How good? So good that the food had my car smelling so good that I couldn't wait to eat, hence the reason for the pictures with portions of food missing. LOL My "All The Way" Small Pizza and Honey BBQ appetizer wings were exactly what I had been craving. The food hit that spot, and I had to call the restaurant back to thank them for my meal. Yes Lawd! The customer service in the restaurant was also excellent. This was my first time visiting Raleigh in many years, and my first experience at this establishment. I selected this particular restaurant after looking at different places on Yelp and liking their choice of menu items and pricing, compared to other restaurants. I was pleased to see how the staff at Checkers treated every customer. The quaint shop is clean and neat, and has space for dine-in or carry out. Checkers Pizza and Subs has an extensive menu that includes pizza, subs, Mediterranean food, and some vegetarian options. To top it off, they are open until 4:00am! How can you top a restaurant with great service, reasonable prices, delicious food, and menu variety, that is open until 4am? You can't! I highly recommend Checkers Pizza and Subs. Tell them Kindra Speech sent you."

Tio's Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.8 (61)

"Ordered takeout from Tio's Pizza, Empanadas and Wings today. The order was placed at the restaurant. The wait was not too bad. It took about 20 minutes to receive our order. The restaurant was clean, and everyone was friendly and professional. The food portions are great, and the price is very reasonable. We ordered a Cheese Calzone with Chicken Peppers, Black Olives, and Mushrooms; Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo; Garlic Knots; and Jalapeño Poppers. Everything was good; however, the cream of the crop was the Shrimp Fettuccine. Everything else tasted okay but could've used a little more seasoning for a better flavor. The Shrimp Fettuccine was seasoned well, appropriately cooked, and very flavorful."

Dominic's NY Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 3.7 (106)

"Lunch special, two slices, a drink less then $9. My spinach feta and tomato pizza was delicious. It was hot, with a great chew and a fantastic undercarriage. The buffalo chicken pizza did not disappoint either. Just the right amount of spice and a great crunch with every bite. This is a joint, nothing fancy but good pizza."

Garibaldi Trattoria

★★★★☆ 4.2 (705) • $$

"Very good pizza to go last evening. Meatball and onion pizza was good. Cheese pizza was also good. A good service experience at pick up."

Five Bros Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.8 (34)

"Tried this place out for the 1st time and it was great! Pizza was cooked quickly, was tasty, and was made with quality ingredients. Definitely better than the chain places! Will order again!"

Luigis Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.6 (58) • $

"Stopped in for some pizza and wine/ beer. We got the pineapple pizza with cheese sticks. The cheese sticks were so yummy I could literally just eat those alone and be happy. Pineapple pizza was good!Our server was very sweet and the restaurant was clean! It's your typical charming pizza place in a small town!"

Cristo's NY Style Pizza

★★★★☆ 4.2 (222) • $$

"Let me first say that I'm usually hesitant going to local Italian restaurants because of the number of mediocre meals that would've been cheaper and better if I made them myself at home. Cristo's is the exact opposite of that. The restaurant itself is unassuming and doesn't scream "my food is amazing" but trust me, THE FOOD IS AMAZING. A group of 7 of us ordered a bunch of things to share them family-style and nothing we had was below a 4/5. It was all so good. Caesar salad - dressing was bomb and perfect amount of dressing and croutons. The bread they gave us was super fresh and delicious. The main events - the pasta and pizza blew my mind. My two favorites, the rigatoni bolognese and the pineapple hot honey pizza were easily 5/5 and if I could I'd rate them higher, some of the best pasta and pizza I've eaten in a good while. The other pizza, the Brooklyn was also delicious and I recommend it. The gnocchi was probably the only thing I would give a 4/5 and it's probably only because it had to go up against the rest of the dishes. The surprise dish of the night was the pear pasta! Definitely something different, a fun change of pace, and the perfect dish to share with people if you want a little bit of richness. Overall, 5/5 will be back as soon as I possibly can. The only picture I took was at the end because I was enjoying the food so much I forgot. My bad."

Melo Trattoria

★★★★☆ 4.1 (204)

"I was surprised to see that I have never written a review for this place before, bc it is my go to spot when I'm in the mood for Italian food. Sadly, customer service was not the best at my most recent visit-I ordered a glass of wine that never came, but the bread, cesar salad and lasagna were all on point! Since I didn't get the wine, I treated myself to crime brûlée which was really good!"

Bocci Trattoria & Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 3.5 (192) • $$

"So, i'll start off the review saying I have been here before, once for take out and once for a communion celebration out which day it catered. Both experiences were good. It seems as though they might be under new management as they also have a new menu and new chef. I had no trouble getting a reservation by calling the evening before for Friday night for 2 individuals at 6:15 PM. When we arrived, we were greeted and sat at a table with two waters. We weren't spoken to you again for at least 15 minutes unti the waitress came by to take out drink orders. I ordered a glass of Prosecco and my friend wine. Eve came back to the table 10 mins later and aPologized for the wait but they had to open new bottles. I asked if we could order apps or dinner until she brought our drink and she said "I'd rather bring you your drinks first" Funny, I thought it was customer's preference! Anyway, she brought it 5 mins later then left again. We just wanted to get our dinner and one app order in at this point. We saw glorious baskets of French bread and olive oil brought to the other tables so we were hoping for that. Nope! I finally asked and i definitely appeared to have bothered her. She said "you're next in line". Our dinners: my fiend ordered the pasta primavera and I ordered the seafood Fantasia (as recommendddnby Eve). It was very tasty albeit a bit under salted. I wish they would bring their linguine vongole back. It was my favorite!!' All in all, I would recommend this place just because open about what you want and how long you have to wait for it."

Valerio's Italian Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (46)

"A small hole in the wall Italian place located in downtown Burlington. We usually order their pizza to-go, but I decided to try their baked ziti. I was across the street at the Mini Dingo (a local bar) and the counter person said they'd deliver the food to me. I was quoted 10-15 minutes. After 25 minutes, I went to check on the food and the entrance way was crowded with no employee in sight. After another almost 10 minutes waiting, the counter person finally showed up with my food. I should have known better since I order here pretty regularly when I'm downtown, but I highly recommend not bothering with them delivering it and just going to pick it up.Now on to the food... the baked ziti came with a side salad and a ton of bread. The baked ziti was really good, but the star of the show was the bread. All in all, decent Italian food, but budget some extra time when ordering because it may take longer than quoted."

Schianos Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (66)

"Good pizza, probably the only good delivery pizza I've found actually. Moved from Miami and schianos is one of the few places that can give me my pizza fix. Good family owned business."

Brodeto

★★★★★ 4.5 (46)

"Wow! What an amazing addition to Iron Works. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and you can tell they thought of everything. Our server was super friendly and made some great wine recommendations. Starting out with the straciatello and it did not disappoint. Loved the salted strawberries and the bread cooked in pork fat that accompanied it. The other highlight for me was the spaghetti Al Nero. The pasta and sauce was just so delicious and flavorful. The whole branzino and the salt cod potatoes were also spot on. I'd order everything again!For dessert we had the olive oil cake and the vanilla and hazelnut gelato twist. The cake was moist and delicious. The star for me was the gelato though, I would eat that everyday. Looking forward to heading back in soon!"

Samooni Italian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (37)

"Read a number of reviews on this location. I wanted to appreciate my mom and taker for a nice meal and get served versus serving others. The first thing we noticed walking in the door was the fragrance and aroma of fresh food. We were promptly greeted and seated. There was only one server for the 20 ish tables. Our server hustled and provided attentive and courteous service. The speed of service was nearly perfect. Our food was presented well and we were very flavorful. The facilities were clean and well decorated for the holidays. The chef and manager stopped by the table and greeted us and wanted to thank us for trying their restaurant. Overall exceeded my expectations. My mom loved her food and we had an enjoyable evening together."

Pro's Epicurean Market & Café

★★★★☆ 4.3 (228) • $$

"The food is only okay. The pastas we had didn't impress us, but the sandwiches are decent. The biggest issue is there isn't much volume for the price. We haven't been back in a while because the food is only okay. It's very popular, tho, there's usually almost all tables filled when we go.I got the Monet and it was alright. Good for a hot sandwich. The chipotle remoulade is a good sauce, just not very spicy. We also got the burratta, which woulda been the best thing there had we not ordered a cannoli.All in all, an okay meal but fairly expensive. We spent about $60 for two people.The ambiance is very classy and nice, tho!"

Osteria G

★★★★☆ 4.2 (194)

"We decided to give it a whirl and pop in for the hub's birthday. This place caught us completely off guard. Osteria G's is friggin' delicious! Everything we tasted was top tier. Mac's service at the bar, and his cocktails were tasty. From the bread service to the strawberry trifle -- we were enthralled. I kid you not, the ribeye had a range of flavor that I personally have never experienced in a steak. (That's quite embarrassing as I've had the best of them, or so I thought.) The chowder, meatball Wellington, oysters-- all divine and I can't wait to return. Mac shared that there's a wine dinner coming up, and if we're in town, we're there! Cheers + thanks for a great night!"

Paco's Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.9 (61)

"Good pizza at this new shop in Wake Forest. This is the 3rd iteration of a pizza place at this former Domino's location. The conveyor belt oven is gone, replaced with a real pizza oven! Pizza freshly tossed NY-style. Tried a veggie pie. Freshly sliced mushrooms, black olives, green pepper and onions. Well proportioned cheese/sauce ratio. Crust cooked just right - a nice crunch on the bottom, moist and chewy on the top. It took about 15 minutes longer than the 30 minutes promised. The place is busy (a good thing) and they're just getting started, so I'm sure prediction will get better as time goes on. The team offered me a free dessert for the extended wait - a nice touch which shows me they're paying attention. Good pizza plus paying attention - you bet I'll be back."

Figulina

★★★★☆ 4 (42) • $$$

"I was sad to see Humble Pie go, but also really like the pasta concept of Figulina. The menu is small, so if you aren't looking for pasta, this probably isn't the spot to go. My friend and I sat at the communal table and enjoyed watching them make the fresh pasta in what seemed to be a dedicated pasta room. Service was super friendly and I loved their whole aperitivi concept. I ordered the lillet blanc the way they suggested with soda water and an orange. It was refreshing and a great Spring drink. We got the whipped ricotta as an appetizer which I did really like with the beets. For pasta we went with the cappetelli and nori bucatini. I thought both were excellent. The portions are small, but the flavors are rich. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them and definitely wanted to lap up that cappetelli sauce with the spoon they provided. I'm looking forward to them getting their patio up and running, would love to dine in again soon!"

George’s Pizzeria

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (46)

"George's Pizzeria is located in Downtown Wake Forest. It is at the end of the Cotton Company. When there are events upstairs at the Cotton Company you can order pizza or other food and take it to your event. I did that when they had the Comedy Nights. You do need to climb some stairs to get in the front door as it is on the second level. They do have curbside pickup if you cannot do the stairs.I went to George's for lunch and they had a lunch special of two slices and a drink for $5.99 so that is a really good deal. Service was friendly and made sure I had everything I needed.I ordered a whole cheese and the penne vodka with shrimp and fried zucchini. Everything was really good."

Primo Pizza

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (78) • $

"Primo Pizza is our go to pizza joint in Clayton! It's a small hole in the wall place in downtown but don't let that steer you away. The pizza here is delicious and the garlic knots deserve an honorary mention! It's super garlicky mmmm!"

Bruno Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (131)

"Have been here a couple times now. Most recently was over the holidays for a business/holiday event in the private room. We could not have had better, more professional service. Seafood is top of the mind here, but my favorite dish so far is the Chicken Sorrentino. Also recommend the Burrata appetizer. They make it fresh and it's really good. I've had the Scallops before which I liked as well. Others really enjoyed their steaks and seafood.I will say I was not a fan of the hot appetizer combination that I've had here before. It felt like it was lacking acid or brightness and was served without any type of garnishes. Personal preference.Do know it's a relatively small restaurant in a strip mall in the Wakefield area (near Harris Teeter). There is a small bar area, main dining room, and private dining room. Nice neighborhood restaurant and good for business dinners and small parties."

Farina Neighborhood Italian

★★★★☆ 3.7 (203) • $$

"I stopped into Farina for a quick lunch while I was visiting the Lafayette shopping center. I heard Farina makes their pasta in house, I thought Gnocchi was the perfect dish to try! The gnocchi were soft and fluffy pillows of goodness. The marinara was perfect combo of acidity and sweet. The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether they used the square slices of mozzarella melted on top, rather than fresh Buffalo mozzarella. Either way, the food was great... I will definitely be back when in the area!"

Pulcinella's Italian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (344) • $$

"I had a pasta a la Maria & my partner had the salmon a la Rosa one. Mines had scallops shrimp and crab meat on top. It was a vodka sauce and delicious. We both loved ours. Staff was friendly and service was quick. We still think about this place often (we're from out of town)"

Georgina's Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 3.7 (215)

"Despite another long wait , Georgina's food is worth the wait. The staff were definitely overworked and trying to stay on top of it, apologizing several times. You felt sorry for them, enough to help them out, by getting things they couldn't get to. We had a little hangry starting to creep in but waited patiently. Lovely casual seating outside, nice inside too, but I love the outdoors in summer. Great menu options, pizza, pasta, Stromboli, calzones, sandwiches. Decent wine and beer list, which took a solid 30 mins to come out after ordering . At least we had water! Food wise we had an array we ordered. I got the pasta marinara which I shared, the neopolitan pizzas were their specialty , we had the veggie and BBQ chicken, the grandma crust which is their thin crust, only in a 16 inch, we had the meat lovers. Also on the table the pasta Francese. For appetizers we had the buffalo wings and calamari. I have to say all the food was really good, I loved the marinara sauce, and it was a huge plate of paste. I don't think they make their own pasta though. We were disappointed on one count that they were out of gluten free pasta, for our celiac diner, but they did bring out the meatballs even though they were out of pasta. Which were really quite good. The pizzas were really good, full of toppings great crust. The grandma one looked amazing, crust was a bit thicker than I thought it would be. The francese was breaded chicken with pasta , another great big portion. We all loved the food. Just required a lot of patience to wait. Sometimes I did wonder if they'd forgotten us as we were the only ones seated outside. Honestly I would eat here again based on food choices and the quality. Just don't go really hungry! The staff were great though we could tell they were really pushing themselves. I hope they don't have to suffer to much from customers who don't practice waiting . Great food here though!"

Village Pizza & Pasta

★★★★☆ 3.7 (54) • $

Reno's Pizza & Italian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (59) • $

"Reno's Pizza and Italian, Gibsonville. Located on the main drag, in a corner building. Smaller place, but well kept with nice looking decorations inside. It was clean on my visit. They have some booths and tables for seating. The menu is large with a lot of options. Service was OK, no problems. I went for the special steak and cheese sub, 12 inch, and fries. It took a few minutes for the food to come out, but it was fresh and hot when it did. The sub had toasted bread, and they didnt skimp on the size or quantity. It was very tasty with grilled onions, and chopped pepperoni mixed in with the steak. The fries were cooked up nice and crisp, not soggy. I did see several people order the fettuccine alfedo and it looked delicious. Maybe I will give it a try next time. All in all this is a solid place to stop in for a bite. Nothing fancy about it. Just good food."

Brothers Italian Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (19)

"Ignore the gas station exterior, go in and order one of the best pizzas I have had in quite a while. The kid had chicken Alfredo and said it was very good. I had the meat lovers pizza, sauce wasn't overpowering, the cheese and meat were spot on. At my age I have found that some of the best places to eat were not the best looking outside. This is another example of that."

Pizza Palace

★★★★☆ 4 (51)

"I was in the mood for pizza after a long tiring drive. Yelp found this plac n at my hotel. I ordered for pickup since it was tight before they closed and I was doing laundry in the hotel. NOTE: THEY NEED TO UPDATE THEIR YELP PAGE. Shorter hours now and prices are significantly higher. I mentioned this to them, they knew they were remiss. I ordered a small pizza with sausage, peppers and mushrooms. It was a little thicker than NY PIZZA but had great flavor. The individual ingredients were all delicious. This is a full Italian restaurant with most of the usual entrees. They were crowded when I got there. I didn't see the whole interior but the people were happy as they left. The staff was friendly. The parking lot was not well paved or well lit (perhaps since they were closing for the nite) if I'm in the area again I would love to try their main dishes."

Bella Monica

★★★★☆ 3.9 (645) • $$

"Bottom line: Great lunch meal at Bella Monica, the Whole Wheat Penne selection was delicious as well as light as it does not have a heavy sauce component. Service and atmosphere were good. If I could give half stars, I'd say 4.5 stars here. The Deets:Now that I think about it, I cannot believe I have not reviewed Bella Monica until now as these guys have been here in Raleigh for quite a few years. I was working near the area and got the chance to catch lunch there recently. We were greeted at the door promptly and given our choice of table or booth, so we went with a booth midway into the long narrow restaurant area. The server was pleasant and helpful, and started us off with some bread for the table. The bread looked like a square slice of sponge cake to me drizzled in olive oil, but tasting reveals that it is a light airy type of bread that I enjoyed (I am not a fan of hard crusty type breads so I loved this version, see pics). For my lunch meal, I went with the Whole Wheat Penne menu selection that includes chicken, arugula, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan-Reggiano, and pine nuts. Reading the ingredients, it sounded delicious and light and when it arrived, the impression from the description proved correct (see pics). I really enjoyed this dish, wonderful flavors blending together without being heavy. I would definitely get this one again, it was great as it ticked most all the boxes of a nice Italian flavor profile without a heavy sauce. I would say 4.5 stars for this lunch visit to Bella Monica, and would love to visit again in the future."

Mamma Mia

★★★★☆ 4 (93)

"Love the outdoor seating. The complimentary bread is served with a delicious dipping oil. The chicken and broccoli in a garlic wine sauce was tasty. Good service."