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I had lunch here today with several of my friends, and everything was quite nice! It's a great restaurant with a very lovely, authentic vibe (right down the painted murals on the wall and the old Italian ladies talking up a storm!)
Our waitress was very amiable, even as the restaurant filled to capacity quite quickly. Our group ordered two of their largest pizzas--one pepperoni, and one sausage. I only had the sausage, and it was quite delicious--and piping hot! The used spices heavily on our particular pizza, so keep that in mind when ordering.
Delicious piping hot pizza, cold Peroni served in a frozen mug, and enough ambiance to make you feel like you're in the mother country itself--all lead to a very nice experience, and a very full belly!
We have entertained the family of one of the owners - Dan Lambert - many times and every time we pick up a payment, he insists on feeding us a fantastic lunch on the house. As a native of New York and now a resident of Chicago, I've been eating Italian food all my life and I have to say, Caponie's ranks among the best of the best.
They make a fantastic pizza here - thin crust like it outta be - and a great Italian sandwich. There's lots of places in this city to grab a decent meal, but Caponie's is really something special. They are kid-friendly and well recommended if you are in the area and wants to stuff your face with some really great food.
I regularly get food cravings for a few things-- lobster rolls, mussels, and wood-fired pizza top the list. And it just works out that I have to travel a bit out of my way to sink my teeth into my favorite indulgences:
Lobster roll: Summer Shack (Boston!)
Mussels: Hopleaf
Wood-fired pizza: Caponies
Nope, no low-hanging fruit here... sigh. But, nothing good comes easily, and a trip to Caponies is well worth braving Chicago traffic.
The restaurant is casual, warm and the owners are genuinely nice guys who care about your experience. The first time I came in, Dan recommended the Margherita Napoletana but I quickly contested with a terse 'I HATE tomatoes." No worries, turns out their version isn't actually topped with tomatoes, rather, hand crushed plum tomato sauce, garlic, basil and fresh mozzarella sit atop a paper-thin crust. According to Dan, an authentic Italian Margherita pizza is never topped with tomato slices. Works for me as I hate the texture of sliced tomato but adore the sauce.
Well, the rest is history. I loved my pizza so much it's become part of my 'cravings' list. They also make delicious paninis, salads, and pasta. Wish they delivered to my 'hood!
Besides the fact that we made reservations and they weren't upheld, this place is pretty good. A small pizzeria in a very polish neighborhood with italian style decor, round tables and small bar. The salad was swimming in dressing but I'd rather have that then none at all. The pizza came with promptness, and were both (Margerita and Sausage) were good, but no great. I am a "Pizza-ist" so i judge pizza hard, and I'd give it a 7/10, but being true to my hungoverness, a 10/10.
I love this place! Whenever I make it out to the neighborhood, I have to get one of there pizza's. Harlem is an insane street, but the wood fired pizza is excellent.
The pizza really was a shocker for the tastebuds. Why? Well, because at 11pm, driving randomly around Chicago, sorta hungry, just heading to the first pizza place you see.... Caponies had really good pizza!
We ordered the 12" Hawaiian pizza (bacon, ham, mozz cheese, and pineapple) for about $12 and it was a good size for two to three people. Great crust, super friendly service, and we even watched a Mexican soccer game on the flatscreen TV. Good times! I highly reccomend Caponies to all yelpers.
forgot to update my previous review. everything i wrote about the sandwiches and whatnot still goes. the pizza, however, is fabulous. wood-burning oven, thin crust, good cheese. awesome pizzas. and the panzarottis are the best we've had on the north side.
went here for some pasta. i got the sausage and peppers. 1. the pasta is overpriced. 2. the… Read more »
We've been on a search for the best thin "crispy" crust pizza since moving to Galewood. Someone recommended Caponies so we tried it last Sunday. I really, really wanted to like this place.
First off, we came in and the place was pretty busy. Bear's game was still going and the bar area was pretty full. We waited to be seated, next to the sign that said - wait to be seated. And we waited. It was so awkward - finally so lady sitting at a table near us said "how many?". Huh? And we said two. And this guy shows up to basically say sit anywhere. Off to a rough start.
Our waitress came pretty quick and took our drink order. We decided to order a small pizza and a paninni. We saw that someone else had ordered it and it looked good.
We then got a basket of warm bread which was nice. As some other reviewers have mentioned the decor is definitely Italian movie/television show posters. And not well done, looks cheap.
So the pizza comes very quickly - which surprised us. As well as the pannini. The pizza was not cooked enough - soggy middle crust. But I will say that the ingredients were delicious and very fresh. The sauce also had a nice flavor. Just wish it was cooked a little longer.
The pannini was an open-faced sandwich (which they clearly mentioned on the menu). We ordered the chicken and there was hardly any red sauce - but it did have fresh basil on top. The bread was super thick and very heavy. I only at several bites. This would be a good item for someone who was really hungry.
One of the owners stopped by the table several times which was nice. We told him we were looking for the best crispy crust pizza. After we were done, he said you should have ordered the Margharita pizza that's the crispiest. Would have been good to know.
Seems like an OK neighborhood place but it's really close to our neighborhood. A lot of people seemed to know each other and enjoy the atmosphere. They also had a pretty decent size patio area.
So the search continues...don't think we'll be back at Caponies - too many other places that are better. Still looking for the best.
very good atmosphere, nice people but food just so, so...
There is nothing like the taste of Wood-fired (brick oven) pizza. When walking into Caponies you think you're in an old Italian restaurant, once you sit down and are greeted by your waiter that all seems to go away. On our most recent trip we were hungry and ordered an appetizer and my boyfriend ordered the house salad...with the warm bread that was brought to the table I enjoyed every bite. Once the Pizza reached our table I was excited for what I was about to eat. We don't exactly live very close to this location but its worth the drive!
Also, just tried the gelato bar...very yummy! Light and refreshing!
Hands down our favorite place to go to--I see some complaints about the pizza, but I never get the pizza because I'm a pan crust/thick crust kind of dude. I usually build my own pasta, and it's always awesome and the large size always gives me 3 meals worth.
I ALWAYS forget my favorite waitress' name, she's blond with glasses and has a nice accent and she's SUPER nice.
The owner always comes over to us and shakes our hands and asks how we've been---yes, being a regular DOES pay off here.
Saw another person comment on the 'cheap' movie poster decorations. What, does every Italian restaurant need to look like Michelangelo came in and painted the place up?
I really love little places like this and I think everyone on Yelp knows how I honor a good wood fired oven pizza. I really wanted to be over the top thrilled with Caponies, and while I really liked it both times, there was something missing.
Maybe it was the ricotta on the quattro frommagio that really didn't belong, icky creamy texture that I didn't care for. Or the pasta I had the second time being cooked way past al dente? No, either of those things I could over look.
It was the fact we stood around for ten minutes until someone acknowledged us and then told us to seat ourselves. Or when the server split in the middle of our dinner and no one else wanted to finish our table (do I look that mean?), seriously, in what restaurant world does a dinner shift end at 9pm?
I was really wanting to love this place and make it a new favorite but I really like good service and this just didn't cut it. Maybe next time?
Best pizza, best calamari, best sandwiches and best baked pasta ever! Anywhere! Hands down!! And the price is right, not that it matters because I would take a second mortgage on my house if I had to. The service is great, the atmosphere is casually romantic and nostalgic and if you grew up with Italian grandparents it smells like your Nona's kitchen.
I don't miss the snow in Illinois or the traffic, but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of wood fired pizza with fresh basil, chewing my pillow and whimpering ever so softly... then I realize how much I miss Illinois and Caponie's pizza.
You can tell the difference between a Chi res and a Chi visitor... the rez's know where to find the really good pizza (not the Lou Melnotti and Pizzeria Uno crap). If you only do one thing right in your life, it should be to eat Caponie's pizza!! Mangia!
Loved it! Great Food, Great Service!
I don't get the love for this place. Tonight was the second time I have had pizza and clams from here and the second time I was completely underwhelmed. Pizza was underdone. Clams were underdone. This is second time they did that and the second time that I had asked for both to be done 'well done' The clams were soggy like they sat for minutes cooked before being brought to the table. Service was poor. Maybe I'm missing something, but I would love to give zero stars if I could.
Anyone who's ever eaten here and sees my 1 star rating is saying "WTF?!?!" right now but let me explain.
The pizza here is great. Super great. Deliciously great.
The pasta, is ok. Last time I got pasta there it was pretty greasy.
I had a meat sauce and my companion had alfredo and both had these pools of oil just gathering up all over. kinda nasty.
For all i know that could be the way real italian cooking should be, but its not how im used to having it so i didn't like it.
The reason I give 1 star is the service.
I've had two really bad experiences with this place.
The first time was with delivery.
I ordered my food and waited for delivery.
The person on the phone never told me what I owed so i figured it out with the menu I had and added in the delivery charge and tip.
So by my calculations the guy would have had a 3 dollar tip.
The guy comes up, and tells me the price.
It comes up to exactly what I had put aside.
It turned out I had a menu that was like 2 yrs old.
So I hand him the money I had in my hand and said "hold on" while i reached for my wallet. As I'm pulling out my money he's like "gee, thanks buddy. thanks for nothin" and leaves.
I shrugged it off and closed the door.
The second and most recent time was when I went and sat in the restaurant.
The guy who greeted us at the door was awesome. Very cool and personable.
The waitress however was a total beeotch.
She had an attitude from the second she saw us.
We had to ask for everything. Water, bread, napkins. Everything that she brought to other tables she was serving.
We ordered our pizza and it came pretty quickly. She brought it out, slapped it down on the table and walked away.
2 seconds after the pizza came she brought the bill and walked away.
From that point on, she'd walk over to the door (we were sitting outside) every 30 seconds or so to see if we paid the bill yet.
When we finished the pizza she rushed over and took our plates while I was still eating off of it.
Total a-hole.
That was the last time I went there and it will definitely be the last time i ever go there.
Which sucks, because the pizza there is really good.
But thats my experience.
Yours may differ.
Live your life man.
SO, went back and tried the pizza..fabulous! however our waitress was terrible and seemed to be pushing us out of the door from the moment we got there. The owner (or one of them I assume) is a really nice guy and I wish he was our waiter. They really need to work on the service that the waitresses offer because that could be a deal breaker.
Oh...seating outside is a nice but not much to look at but a busy street and people shopping at a few local places.
We went during the lunch hour and their were only about 3 other small groups (two person table and a… Read more »
There is a tremendous disconnect between the high quality food and the stereotypical mafia decor and name. The pizza is fantastic: thin crust and cooked in a wood-burning oven. The appetizers and the other offerings are solid as well. Service is good. Nice outdoor seating area on the side.
They have a parking lot but, for some unknown reason, it's used as long-term parking for commercial trucks.
Small place with the stereotypical Godfather/Sopranos posters. But that's not what we came for. We came for the promise of good brick oven pizza.
My husband's margherita was on a super thin crust, and it was pretty good. Cheese tasted fresh, and the sauce was good, not overly sweet.
My Pizza Alla Caponies, on the other hand, was a big disappointment. I would not recommend it. The veggie toppings (eggplant and red pepper strips, and mushrooms) were the real problem. They were raw when added on prior to baking. Eggplant can't be put on raw like that. These pizzas get cooked too fast in a brick oven for raw veggies to get tender enough. The eggplant was extremely chewy and flavorless. The red peppers were a little bitter, and could have benefited from being roasted first. And the mushrooms were still too raw as well. The toppings were pretty dry, and I had to douse my slices with some olive oil to make them more palatable.
The crust was slightly thicker than one for the Margherita. But it too was an issue. It was chewy and had way too much cornmeal. I kind of wonder why a brick oven crust would be "chewy". It should be pretty crispy, no? Is it possible the temp wasn't high enough??
Still, if in the area, I might give them another chance. They had a big menu, is very family friendly, and their service is excellent. Our waiter and bus boy were very attentive, and the manager (or maybe owner?) came by twice.
Awesome pizza!!! one of the best if not the best in town. A bit far West but it's good for casual dinning with friends and family or take-out. Very friendly people.
Always good stuff. Their brick oven pizza is great, their pollo limon is delicious and the restaurant is just a nice place to kick back and relax.
Funny thing is- at least 90% of the patrons are Polish folks. That's ok, because I love taking my Italian-American ass to Polish places to eat. :)
I love the atmosphere. I felt like I was at some local italian place from the God father movies where the clientel was all related to one another. One wall was lined with Mob movie posters and the other with old black and white family pictures.
The food was excellent. Very fresh and homemade. The lunch specials are great. There is really something for everyone - it's hard to choose what to order. The service was also great. Very quick and friendly.
Hands down, this is my favorite casual Italian restaurant to dine at on this stretch of Harlem.
My family had a very late dinner last night with my brother and his fiance.
He loves Italian, and it was the first place that I could think of that would offer what he liked and also be kid friendly for our little one.
They have a huge menu! (http://www.caponiespiz...)
Besides their brick oven pizza, they offer your choice of 7 pastas, 8 sauces, and 10 items to top them off with. We ordered a dozen baked clams, an order of Brushetta, Capellini And Farfalle with Vodka sauce, Italian sausage, Rigatoni with shrimp and Arrabiata sauce, and also Spaghetti with meatballs. Everything was FUCing amazing, and the portions were huge!
I love the fact that they always treat us like family here. Uncle Wolfie is a riot! My son and I adore Sylvia and want to bring her home with us. Sylvia was not our waitress, but that didn't matter, she still went over and beyond! You know what she did? She took my son on a full VIP tour of the entire restaurant! I don't think that my son has ever been so enraptured. He was able to play restaurant in real life, from tagging along beside Sylvia, making salads in the kitchen, learning about the art of making pizza, from dough to finale in the brick oven. They even gave him some dough to play with while he was waiting for his food so that he could be occupied. He met everyone that worked there and all of them were super cool to him. To top it off, after he was done eating, they led him around again so that we could eat a grown up meal and talk amongst ourselves! That's family!
Caponies is one of the few pizza restaurants near my home that I truly enjoy. I'm not usually a fan… Read more »
If you ask me, Caponie's prosciutto paninni is the world's most perfect sandwich... Huge, hot, salty, greasy, and full of flavor. You can't beat their authentic Italian mozzarella and tomato sauce, either.
The people at the table next to mine ordered the margherita pizza, and it smelled divine... and they kept exclaiming how good it was... Next time I go, I'll definitely have to try it.
The ambiance at this restaurant is nice -- it's upscale without seeming too stuffy or fancy. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because the prices were a little high and the service a little slow... but the food here is absolutely amazing!
The owners must take incredible pride in their Italian heritage, because they certainly show it at Caponie's Trattoria. Black and white photos of relatives, ancestors, and family events cover the main wall, providing an intimate and traditional look into Italian culture. Another wall plays on the stereotypes associated with the ethnicity, bearing posters and photographs of popular Italian-American icons, including Tony Soprano, Al Capone, and the cast of Goodfellas.
And while the decor certainly grabbed my attention, it's the food that keeps me coming back again and again. Some people will drive far out of their way just to come here, looking for some of the best pizza Chicago has to offer. The owners brag about the "largest wood-burning oven in the city." I don't know if that's true or not, but I can't get enough of what comes out of it: thin-crust, deep dish, and stuffed pizza. Specialties include the Margherita Napoletana (paper-thin crust topped with hand-crushed plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, and mozzarella cheese), the Quattro Formaggi (tomato-less with romano, fontina, mozzarella, and ricotta cheeses), and the Pizza alla Caponies (roasted red peppers, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, and portabella mushrooms).
Caponie's also dishes out great appetizers like caprese (fresh mozarella and sliced plum tomatoes sprinkled with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and extra virgin olive oil) and toasted ravioli. If you're not in the mood for pizza, (*gasp*) there's also a selection of pasta dinners and salads, all served in large portions, great for when your friends steal a bite off your plate. Finish everything off with one of the sinful desserts: fried dough, homemade tiramisu, nutella sandwich, homemade cheesecake, cannoli, or homemade gelato.
Cin cin!
This place is Bada Bing, amazing brick oven pizza, great service, cute bartender(for the guys but if you like real Italian looking men ladies you might like idk) love all the pictures of goodfelas, sopranos, Godfather, etc. Place is quaint to be nice, okay its pretty small, but the pizza is huge
http://www.caponiespiz.../
For those who wait for hours at Spacca Napoli, be warned.
Caponies is every bit as solid. The Margherita Pizza was tremendous. Dare I say, better than SN. The service was gracious and the wait was short.
The gelato was also very good.
The only drawback is the drive to Harlem and Belmont, but you can wait for 1 hour or 2 for a table on some of the popular places vs. a 20 minute drive to Caponies.
The outdoor seating is nice, but it pretty much ends right there.
Appetizers are okay - fried calamari is acceptable, tho' it's really hard to screw up anything that's fried. The pizzas, supposedly their bread-and-butter, are somewhat grotesque. The ingredients they use for the toppings just don't come together. The crust, tho' better than Domino's, is rather chewy. I've had really good pizza made in wood-burning brick ovens (e.g., Spacca Napoli), and I feel this place is overrated and overhyped.
great place....
Great brick oven pizza quick delivery never sat in the restaurant cause it looked pretty small and everyone on top of each other.
My husband's going to argue with this review, but he's too lazy to make his own Yelp account so I call all the shots here. This place is OK. I was pretty annoyed with the weird Sopranos crap everywhere and with the stale joke I heard the host tell three times before he came over and laid it on us as well. The white pizza was good, although it was so salty I couldn't find my ankles for two days. I'd say if you're looking for lunch opt for Pasta Fresh right down the street. It's not a bad pie, just a corny atmosphere and kind of lame apps.
NW side PIzza! Finally found one I really really like! also, their pasta, appetizers are really good. They have a large brick oven which makes the pizza awesome besides the flavor of the sauces and ingredients are fresh and meats are flavorful. The first Caponie's pizza I had was the tomato and garlic and since I have been on this here NW side, I have been looking for good pizza, so needless to say, I was ecstatic!
whether eating in, al fresco or take out, you wont be disappointed.
I enjoyed very much this place. The lemon Chicken with artichokes was just delicious.
I really love Caponies. The Brick Oven Pizza is out of this world. They have a lot of delicious options with authentic toppings. My favorite is the Verdura con Funghi - fresh spinach, mushrooms, and garlic with red sauce. Just talking about it makes me want to eat pizza, now. Harlem Ave can be a beyotch when it comes to traffic, but I'll deal with it for Caponies.
The Chicago Pizza Club recently visited Caponie's and tried 4 pizzas and a panzerotti. Overall, we were fans, but much preferred the thin crust pies over the deep dish and stuffed pizzas. You can read the whole review here: http://www.chicagopizz...
I love the kind of wood-fired oven pizza that's a little burnt around the edges. I don't know why, it just tastes more oven-y that way. We ordered two pizzas and neither came out burnt but they were both delicious anyway. The Napolitana was a simple pizza Margherita with a very thin crust. We also got the white pizza, with no sauce, lots of cheese, and some spinach and garlic. Very good, but the little tufts of spinach were kind of dried out -- they'd do better under the cheese to keep them moist. The atmosphere was casual, the service friendly.
If the name Caponies invokes images of the infamous mobster Al Capone, it should. Their outside sign and logo has a silhouette of what looks like an oversized Capone. Inside this Italian restaurant photos of many beloved Italian Americans grace the walls including Robert Deniro, Sinatra, The Sopranos and The Godfather. The only thing "killer" about this place is their food. Their pasta sauces are fantastic as was my entire spaghetti dinner. The dining room has a wood burning oven that's used for making pizzas. Old world charm and flavor and a low key atmosphere make this place a "hit" with me!
Great pizza if you're out that way. My godfather lives near by and raves about this place (yes, my godfather, we're italian okay!). Really reasonable prices, casual setting, solid italian food all around. If I can get anyone else to venture this far out from downtown, I shall return.
Wonderful arancini - great soups and pizzas. Parking can be an issue, but that comes with the territory. Defnitely make the trip out here for very friendly service in a family environment.
I havent been here for years but it was a favorite choice of mine in high school. Friends and I used to drive to this pizza place all the time. Brick oven the way its supposed to be. Constant entertainment. Lots of cute harlem boys. Haha
Kids Eat FREE on Thursdays!
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