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Amalfi's Pasta 'n Pizza
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza [Edit]
8542 University City BlvdCharlotte, NC 28213
Neighborhood: University City
(704) 547-8651
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 11 am - 2:30 pm
Tue-Thu 4 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 12 pm - 9:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Amalfi's Pasta 'n Pizza
21 reviews in English
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Review from Jessa B.
Mt Pleasant, NC
Love, love, love this place. Weekend specials are always delish, especially the saltimbocca. Best tiramisu I've ever had, hands down.
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Review from Grace R.
Leesburg, VA
4/24/2012
This place is ridiculous! I spent 15 minutes on the phone with a man trying to get a phone number so that I could order delivery from this place. Why do I need to call a restaurant to get a phone number to order food from the SAME PLACE? The number that he gave me doesn't even work, it's some poor woman's cell phone who said she gets calls all the time for this place. I don't care how good their food may be, I'm not spending my money on a place that makes you jump through hoops just to get food and has no idea what customer service means.
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Review from Tim P.
West Deptford, NJ
10/21/2011
Damn I miss this place....
I was turned on to this restaurant by a coworker when I lived in Kannapolis, and found myself eating here at least three times a week..
The owners, Mike and his wife, treated my family as if we were part of his own.... Always a good experience... You can't go wrong with any of the meals there.... The pizzas and calzones are remarkably great.... And the entrees are equally good... My favorites here are the chicken parm, fettucini alfredo, and linguini with clams..
Whenever we're travelling South, we always get off at the University Exit to stop at Amalfi's for a meal... I hate driving on vacation, but stopping here is a good enough reason to drive... -
Review from A P B.
High Point, NC
7/8/2011
I will say that I was not really expecting much from this place, but my girlfriend wanted to go to a close Italian place, so I picked this one. Much better than expected.
Decor was average for a mid-priced Italian restaurant. Service was OK, though not great.
But they made up for it with the food. I had never had a calzone (many strombolis, but no calzones). Got one with artichoke, and it was perfect. Puffy, with just the perfect amount of ricotta, mozz and artichokes, with a side of marinara that, while not mindblowing, was very good. GIrlfriend enjoyed the Fett Alfredo she got. The price of hers was typical for this sort of place (overpriced in my mind, but still typical). Mine was super cheap, especially for dinner. If I remember correctly, they only had bottled beer. Vegetarian friendly.
Not bad at all :) -
Review from Savage J.
Concord, NC
2/1/2012
Overall this is a nice restaurant with a welcoming staff. The lunch deals are great!
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Review from Joe M.
Alameda, CA
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great locally-owned, family run restaurant. Used to go here back in undergrad, returned back a week ago for lunch.. still the same great food. GET THE LUNCH SPECIAL! What a deal!!
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Review from Bill M.
2/20/2011
I really liked this place!
Would never expect good food like this to be tucked away in a strip mall, but then again, in Charlotte, thats where I seem to be finding some of the best.
I can only speak about the pizza, as that was all I tried. But it was incredible!! Crust was nice and thin, yet still has a nice chew to it. This is real NY style pizza. Can't wait to go back and try everything else they have. And from reading other reviews it seems I will not be disappointed. -
Review from Michael B.
Mt Pleasant, NC
10/25/2010 8 Check-ins Here
This is by far our favorite pizza place to go. Funny as it sounds, my wife and I very rarely get pizza and settle for some delicious veal marsala or the penne amalfitana.
The prices are very reasonable compared to the quality of ingredients and care in putting the dishes together. The owners are also very friendly and make every effort to come to your table to make sure you are satisfied and happy.
We have been making Amalfi our go-to restaurant for the last 13 years. You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Julia S.
Charlotte, NC
7/25/2010
What a rad little joint. The neon on the windows facing the "street" got my tummy growling as we walked up. Dunno how long these guys have been here but I felt immediately comfy - reminded me of my favorite pizzeria as a kid, except no Galaga.
Prices hovered around the super reasonable range on apps, a little high on pie and entrees. But yeah - great crust. Found myself eating it plain, with the pizza, dipping it in various things, sprinkling parm and hot pepper flakes on a plate and wiping, yeah, let's try it with some of that butter, etc. Bread was perfect, hot hot hot, thin crust and soft interior. Bruschetta simple but good. Salad dressing eh.
Margherita pie was really good - an interesting line between a street-style NY slice and something fancier. As in, all the crisp-but-chewiness, salt, and grease, but richer flavors.
Pasta dish was equally good - ziti and tomato, garlic, smoked mozz. Really hard to make myself take some home rather than scarf it all, right then. Only complaint - slivered garlic was pickled? Hmm.
If I lived anywhere near here, I'd eat here often enough to add some points to my cholesterol count, fo' sho'. As it is, we'll keep it for a special northside treat. -
Review from Chad E.
3/22/2010 11 photos
After Bill's gushing review, we were in the mood for Italian and decided to check out Amalfi.
Side note: "Amalfi" is apparently the correct name of the place (actually Amalfi Italian Cuisine) - and there is a review for "Amalfi", but this isn't it. "Amalfi's" was entered when the place was created, and has more reviews (3 to 1, soon to be 4 to 1), so I'm putting this here. I've asked the powers that be to combine them, and we'll see what happens.
Anyway - we were impressed with the service. It was a Sunday night, so things were pretty slow, but the service was friendly, and one area where other places fall flat (keeping the glasses full) was handled deftly here. They actually fill your glass and then bring you an extra so you can top yourself off in case they don't get back in time. Rarely does that happen, however, as many times they filled you up with the end of the second one, and then brought you another one of those. Very impressive.
When it came to the food, you could pick up the aroma from the parking lot - they like garlic and plenty of it. So if you don't, go elsewhere. There was garlic in the soup (red pepper and roasted garlic), on the bread (garlic knots), on the pizza (to be fair, I asked for it) and on the chicken (in hefty slices). They probably have a garden of the stuff. There was surely garlic in the sauces as well - this is just the garlic you could see.
Most everything was tasty, only a couple areas fell down.
The salad was a fairly wimpy side salad absolutely coated in dressing. This wouldn't be so bad, but to get it you have to choose between pasta and a salad with your entree. And if you want both? It's an extra charge. To make matters worse, neither the pasta nor the salad is particularly impressive or worth the charge. As much as I hate a la carte menus, it would be better to take that off the dinner and sell them a la carte so they could do them better.
I'll agree with Bill that the pizza crust is pretty good - a nice, thin crust that holds up well. Unfortunately the pizza itself was a bit off. I had a "white" pizza that strangely wasn't white. They could be avoiding Aryan stereotypes or something, I don't know. But rather than a bunch of cheese, it was a cheese base (ricotta), with another cheese on top (mozzarella, I think), and then a couple of meats (ham and canadian bacon). I also swapped out the sun-dried tomatoes for fresh garlic. Now I don't mind the ingredients, and for what they were, it wasn't bad. It was just strange that it was a white pizza is all, as I'd never had it before.
I also ended up dunking it in some of the leftover marinara from the garlic knots and it was a lot better. I think that if I had chosen a standard pizza (like pepperoni), I'd have liked it better. Sometimes the unusual choice can backfire, and here it did.
We finished up with a dessert, and I can't recall the name. It was a couple small scoops of ice cream that had a bit of raspberry in the center, and all of it was coated with chocolate. Pretty tasty really, and a lovely presentation.Listed in: Eats on Harris, The QC Pizza List, 2010-03, Charlotte: Italian
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Review from Bill B.
Charlotte, NC
Updated - 1/28/2010 ROTD 1/26/2011
I took the family there last night. Best. Pizza. This. Year.
They've done something with their crust. It was positively addictive! It's not thick and doughy, but it is extremely tasty. My wife and I had their veggie pizza, which is an unusual blend of great stuff. (No, I'm not going to tell you. You have to go try it!)
One of the twins had a meatball sub. He couldn't finish it, but he tried! The other one had a couple of slices of black olive and garlic pizza and wished he had ordered three slices. He was very happy.
If you want quaint surroundings and an atmosphere filled with aromas that will pique your appetite, try this laid-back gem of Italiana in Town Center, down the hill from UNCC on 49. It's as good as, or better, than ever.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/20/2009
Go here for the food. It's a quaint little neighborhood place. I'd give it one more star if it were… Read more »
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Review from Katherine C.
Charlotte, NC
6/28/2010
A rare gem in University Area.
The pizza is delicious (and the pasta dishes).The service is excellent. The deserts are always delicious. The ambiance is a whole in the wall pizza joint that you could easily find in NY. The owner is very friendly. A great place to bring family- and far superior to most pizza places in the area. -
Review from Don K.
Charlotte, NC
2/16/2009
My family (5 of us) went here simply because it was located close to my son's home and we did see some decent reviews on this restaurant.. Simply put, for the money and casual environment, one of the best places to drop in, be treated like FAMILY and walk out fully nourished on excellent Italian food. In spite of being on the other side of town from us, we WILL certainly make every effort to return whenever we want to dine with the owners, Olympia & Mike! They are like the Italian parents you never had! Go, enjoy and be happy!
Respectfully submitted,
-dk -
Review from Ralph E.
Highland Park, IL
2/19/2011
Some of the best pizza outside of NYC. Nice little place in a strip mall. People are friendly. Great food.
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Review from Derek T.
Charlotte, NC
1/7/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Love this pie! Wifey and I ate lunch here three days in a row... She's obsessed with great pizza. Two slices and a drink for each of us runs super cheap. Gotta get back and try the pasta dishes.
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Review from Jeff H.
Charlotte, NC
12/4/2010
We had the Margarita Pizza and a salad. One word.. Legit!!! The owner was a hoot as well. He came around with his "Sponge Bob" candy dispenser flirting with all the moms. I will be back.
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Review from David L.
Charlotte, NC
9/8/2008
Nice Italian restaurant for a simple lunch or dinner. Flavors are good, service is OK and quick but this is not an upscale restaurant it is instead a neighborhood place that is OK.
If you are a student or professor at UNC Charlotte it is one of the better places for lunch in the area. -
Review from Robert T.
Charlotte, NC
6/2/2008
Amalfi provides a nice combination of excellent Italian cuisine with a casual dining experience. The atmosphere is personal and friendly, with the owner regularly conversing with his customers. Their prices are also very reasonable, especially for the quality (and quantity) of their meals. From their pastas to their pizza, they do Italian right!
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Review from Jeremy O.
Elk Grove, CA
7/15/2010
My family and I were visiting from California where a friend had mentioned a restaurant in Charlotte called Amalfi. We decided to spend the afternoon lunching there and enjoyed it thoroughly. Wonderful proprietors, fantastic food, great atmosphere. Try the Chicken Vino Bianco!
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Review from James K.
Charlotte, NC
11/30/2008
I usually order the pizza margherita. I think it is the best pizza in the university area, maybe in charlotte. I have not eaten any other dinner items. The lunch menu is a good deal. Simple italian cooking. Casual
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Review from gabriel k.
Boone, NC
7/25/2010
It takes a lot for me to write a negative review, but I am simply baffled by all of the positive reviews this place has received. My girlfriend and I ate here for dinner and expected the food to be edible at the very least. This was not simply a matter of it being an "off night" - it was clear from the start that the quality of ingredients was well below what one would expect from a low grade cafeteria. The "house balsamic" served over iceberg was watery and flavorless. The bread tasted like cardboard. Her Penne Arrabiata was coated in a less than generous portion of bland sauce and the pasta was overcooked. My eggplant parmesan sandwich (The Favorito) was not only foul tasting, but down right bizarre - like eating the fried skin of some weird alien, not even distantly reminiscent of what i know as eggplant, served on the same crappy bread. Somehow our waitress could not comprehend that we did not want boxes. We left with full plates, empty pockets and emptier stomaches.
