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Neighborhood: Parkside
"Great service from Ken and Amy. Family-oriented atmosphere with kids running around, etc. Great for sports-teams, etc. I actually don't…" read more »
I really enjoyed this place. Our meal was delicious: chopped salad with dill and goat cheese, artichoke hearts with aioli and the sausage and mushroom pizza. I appreciated their awesome wine list and chose a moderately priced Pinot from the Willamette Valley that was sublime. With no too much coaxing, we ordered the hot rhubarb dessert that comes with strawberry gelato and a glass of dessert wine that was something I've never had, but I'm tempted to order a case! Suffice to say, for us, this meal was perfect. We experienced no kids issues, although there were a ton there, and we found the service to be excellent.
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I was actually very impressed by this place and the varied reviews make me believe that consistency may be an issue.
Their specialty is wood-fired pizza, a thin crust sort that tends to develop those nice tasty blisters. (Mmmmmm, charred pizza crust). Because the crust is relatively delicate, be careful when ordering so as not to throw too many toppings on it. With this sort of pizza, less is more. Plus, because they just throw these guys onto the floor of the oven, they are often irregularly shaped, forming weird ovals. The salads are also pretty tasty, and you can order them with some flatbread added, which again comes from the same wood ovens.
True enough that it draws a lot of families and it has a tile floor so it can get a bit loud. (It has neither the hipster crowd nor the loud jukebox that serve Little Star well as little-human repellents.) Still, if you're in a mood for wood-fired pizza, this place does it well.
The pizza is SO SO bad. Dry and uninspired, 0 stars. Picco Pizzeria is right up in Larkspur if you need the best.
The chopped salad to start was tasty, hence the 2 star rating.
Caesar was way overdressed.
Tons of screaming kids. And even the tap water tasted bad?
Really being generous by giving 2 stars.
VERY average / mediocre food. I expected so much better from the folks that own Spruce. This is not anywhere near the best pizza in MV let alone Marin, the salads are really mediocre, ingredients are kind of fresh but not really.
The really stupid part is the price point....just because Marin-ers
act rich doesn't mean they don't want a lunch menu w/ lower prices
than the dinner menu. Just plain greedy if you ask me. A lame salad is more than $10 for lunch.
REALLY bummed that the same chef (Drysdale, doing some serious laurel-resting ) is going to be at the helm of Les Amis, the new highly-anticipated Brasserie in Cow Hollow.... the Bacchus Group can find someone a lot better if the food at Antica is any indication.
I wanted to have a vegetarian meal for one night (and probably one night only) so I ordered a non-meat pizza. The potato pizza with caramelized onions and truffle oil was pretty good! The potatoes were mandolined so they cooked nicely and the truffle oil didn't overpower the other ingredients. I didn't order anything else so I can't comment on the other food.
The location is easy to get to - it's in the Strawberry shopping center. During the warmer weather, I can see how the outside seating area would be nice. There were lots of dogs tied up outside while their owners were dining.
The reason I didn't give this place another star is because the service was pretty bad. We sat for a bit before someone came up and said, "Have you been helped?" (It wasn't crowded that night.) Why no, we have not been helped. Can we get some water? As Waiter #1 went to get water, Waiter #2 came around and said, "I'll be right with you. Can I get you some water?" What? Sure, but wait. Someone else is already bringing us some water. Waiter #2 looked confused. Maybe we were sitting in an area where there would be overlapping and the waiters weren't sure who was serving us? Who knows. When they figured it out, we got someone who was not good. The whole time, she looked bored, talked to us while she walked away (so I had no idea what she was saying) and basically was just going through the motions. If I was a career counselor, I would tell her that she is not suited for this job and that she should find something that makes her a bit more cheerful. I almost told her of this other job opening down the street where she wouldn't have to deal with the craziness of screaming MV kids and their oblivious parents (see other reviwes for this place). Helpful... or pretentious? I'm sure.
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The thin crust is good, but could have been crispier. It was nice and crisp on the edges, but soggy in the center.
The pizza is 4 stars, but I had to knock one off for oblivious parents with obnoxious children. That said, I have a child and no, he isn't perfectly behaved all the time. But I really haven't ever really seen the "Marin mommy" thing. This is a family restaurant for sure, I'd say 90% of the people dining were with children. And of that, I'd say a good 85% of these kids were spawn from hell. Out of control, screaming, kicking, paper airplane throwing, fit throwing little brats. And the parents-its like they were blind, deaf and mute. They made no effort to wrangle their beasts in. They just went on sipping their wine, having a conversation like nothing else was going on!
I'd love to try it again, but never again on a Friday at 7pm.
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First off, I miss what used to be the anchor restaurant here, the Hick'ry Pit!! I view the loss of this once-proud establishment as the beginning of the steep decline in the quality and quantity of eating establishments in southern Marin. Granted, it wasn't the French Laundry, but it was at least an honest, old-fashioned 'Merican eating spot. Also, the attempt to snazz Town and Country Village up are a waste in my opinion. It's a shopping center, and bits of granite and flower pots won't change that...
To Pizza Antica: Yesterday was my second visit, and I have to say my first impression was correct. This is a place that will work in a pinch. It's not bad pizza, but it is really too thin and light on ingredients, especially for the price. I am not a fan of chain-store pizza, but I found myself daydreaming about the long-closed Shakey's in Terra Linda... If you find yourself in need of a reasonable meal in this area, High Tech Burrito is really a better choice. It doesn't get the "style" points that Pizza Antica gets, but it isn't quite as irritating either.
I sat outdoors both times, which is the best choice since the interior noise level is truly intolerable. Hordes of Mill Valley's snottiest children screech and run around in here as if it were a playground. Not fun. I realize there are few places for these precious little snowflakes to act out in public, but it seems to be OK for them to do it here. Parents take note. Outdoor seating is a crapshoot, however, since the wind can be chilly, coming off Richardson Bay as it does.
The service is completely lame. Friendly, but lame. Everything takes a small eternity to get to the table, and there is no urgency whatsoever for the staff to try and keep things on track. Frustrating. It took them ages to bring me a beer for crap's sake.
People-watching is peerless here, however. I have not had the privilege to view so many surgically-enhanced and hideously-dressed folks in a while. Designer fashions were in evidence, but totally age-inappropriate. It made St. Tropez look like Omaha. My favorite was the aging Lothario with a fat roll and man-boobs driving his way-too-young bimbo paramour about in a Ferrari convertible. Priceless!!
2.5 Stars overall.
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I love their chicken with white bean salad. It is divine. The screaming children not so much.
My suggestion -- come late after the completely checked out parents have tucked their ill-behaved children into bed.
The pizza is good but not very satisfying. Call it my East Coast prejudice but pizza should have some substance. Pizza Antica's seems more like a snack and not a meal.
I hate to ding this place with two stars. The service is good and the food is decent. I guess I'm just not a kid person. I want dinner out to be relaxing not an upscale Chuck e Cheese atmosphere.
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Without a doubt, the loudest restaurant I've ever eaten in. It was so loud, we couldn't even hear our server explaining the specials.
To make matters worse, they forgot/lost our order and it took over an hour to get the pizzas. They gave us some free beer to sooth our pain.
The super thin pizzas were different than what you find in most places. Since they are so thin, they seem more like appetizers.
I'll never go back to eat there; but, I might order take out if we want a light snack.
PS: Fortunately, now that we have discovered Small Shed Flatbreads, we'll never have a need to go back. Small Shed is the hands down winner for this type of pizza. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We came to Pizza Antica with the entire family and it was good.
It was touted as a place to go with kids, which is true. They were very accommodating of people with shorties. There's a reason they call in Mill Valley's Chuck E Cheese
The food was really tasty, but the price/noise level make it unlikely I'd return on my own.
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I felt like I ordered pizza with a side of child. It was so loud I felt like I was teaching kindergarten. This place tries to be upscale but it isn't. The seating is like a disneyland cafteria. The chilled water carafe was nice, although once we drank all the water it was taken away and never brought back.
I liked the ceaser salad, my boyfriend thought it needed more dressing.
After the salad and before our pizza arrived the manager brought our bill!!
We both liked our pizza, light, crispy and good. If you're really hungry order a large size pizza though.
so overall-
food -good and worth going back for
atmosphere-not good, but the restaurant can't help that
3 stars
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Wow! This place is incredible! Beautiful atmosphere, impeccable service, and amazing pizza!
I got the white pizza topped with sausage, grilled onions, and portabella mushrooms and it was absolutely delicious! The crust was thin, flakey and baked to perfection. They have a long list of wines, but recovering from Saturday night I opted for the sour cherry soda. Tasty! Even the water which arrived in a chilled glass container was... delicous!
And the service was beyond excellent. My server was very nice and extremely attentive and offered some good advice on which pizza to choose. She and the other servers repeatedly stopped by my table to make sure everything was alright, offer another soda, fill my water glass, etc. They even brought me a dessert menu without me asking for one. How often does that happen nowadays?
The check arrived quickly and my server brought me 5 crisp dollar bills as my change was really only $4.65. I kept one and left the rest.
I'll have to remember to eat here everytime I stop by the Strawberry Village.
potato pizza with truffle oil-- no cheese -- add arugula -- the non meat/dairy diners delight! Get it to go though -- a madhouse with children everywhere!
I've eaten their pizza a couple of times now. It's pretty good. The pizza crust is thin and tastes good, but bordering on too thin. They go very light on the cheese here, so one can eat more pieces of pizza than usual before becoming full. The pizza costs about the same as the major chain restaurants and is much better, though not great. Everyone in the family likes it including the 13 year old and we can walk there from the house so we'll certainly be going back. I would have given it 3.5 stars if that was an option.
Three stars for decor, one and a half for food. Pizzas sound better than they taste. Very light on the toppings, freshness is questionable and I am curious to find where the local ingredients come from. The salad was simple and okay, but overpriced. I would expect organic ingredients with the prices they charge. The Piadini was actually quite good with the salad. If only the server knew how to explain it. Admittedly, it is a good place for kids and larger families who just need to get out of the house and are not looking for a quality meal. The place has an open, comfortable feel where kids and parents can enjoy lunch/dinner without bothering fellow diners. Plus the outdoor patio is a nice touch.
If you are looking for high quality pizza with fresh, local ingredients, head across the highway for the real deal, Small Shed Flatbreads and you will see what Pizza A is trying to achieve.
Wasn't terribly impressed with the pizza, that is their purpose right? It was a shabby impression of Italian pizza, too thin, very little cheese and quite expensive for only a margherita. On the other hand, my sister ate a chicken plate with a variety of vegetables and capers which wasn't bad. They do have a good selection of wine, especially wine from the south of Italy. The staff was friendly but if you're only going for the pizza, I wouldn't recommend it.
Mmmm...tasty potato, truffle oil, white pizza.
Not so tasty..."special" wine by the glass $13
Mmm...tasty $7 glass of wine.
Very enjoyable. Kid's cheese pizza was huge and $5 I think, and my 2 year old ate almost the whole thing.
It's awfully loud, lots of live surfaces, but when you have the aforementioned 2yo, that's not a bad thing.
Minus one star since it seemed like they must have been running out of plates, since our server took my husband's away just as he put the last bite in his mouth, even though I still had half my pizza to eat. Then she kept coming back to try to take my plate away, even though I still had pizza on it! It wasn't that busy, and we weren't overly dawdling, so it's not like they needed the table.
But, she did run back out to get us after we left and forgot our box of leftover pizza. Plus one star.
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I love Pizza Antica in Mill Valley. The food is of excellent quality, seasoned very well and the pizza is crispy and delicious. We go there all of the time and know we are getting top quality ingredients and great pizza. Sly Sharenow
Wow - lots of generous yelpers here. I work down the street from this place, and this place is as mediocre as "italian" places come.
The service is quite lackluster, bordering on poor.
The selection is laughable - the salads (only 4 on the menu) are boring and lacking in taste, there are only about 6 entree choices. The pizza specialties are unique - but not in a good way - most combinations end up being on the dryer side - the place goes pretty cheap on the sauce and cheese. Pizzas are very thin crust - admittedly not my style. The calzone (one option on the menu) is underwhelming.
If you have to get anything though, get the pizza. The broccoli, three cheese, and prosciutto is probably the best combination.
A plus for the place is the outdoor seating - the seating is comfortable and provides a good atmostphere. The inside atmosphere is pretty solid as well.
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I resisted this place a lot. My friend visited and said the pizza sucks. And then he said he went back and tried a calzone because he wanted to give it another chance. It also sucked. But the other night another friend and I were starving and got tired of driving around, so we gave in and decided to give the place a try. This is just another Marin trend. Here's how it works: a semi-shitty mall is in need of renovation. In the process of completing this "remodel" add a few restaurants that sell themselves as innovative, unique, and casual. BAM. Every Marin person will 1) want to try and 2) will love it, even if it sucks; they will just love it because it's new, innovative, unique and casual. This is the case for Pizza Antica.
I do have to say, the service was good, but not great enough for me to give that extra 3rd star. The pizza was bad. I don't even remember what it tasted like. I like thin crust pizza; I feel it gives the toppings a chance to shine. But, it is important to remember that the dough must still have flavor. This dough tasted like nothing. It was like a dry cracker. Our pizza had grilled radicchio, goat cheese, chicken, pancetta, and pesto. The pesto had almost no flavor, the pancetta was just salty and lacked body, the chicken also tasted like nothing, same with the goat cheese, and because the other toppings could not hold their own, the radicchio was just limp, bitter and mixed with the tasteless dough to create some weird, mildly gross sensation. 20 bucks for that? Yeah, no thanks. Not to mention that we were COMPLETELY unsatisfied and had to buy more food elsewhere. What an unsuccessful night of wasted money. My advice: don't go here unless you're equipped to handle disappointment.
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Among the best thin crusts around! Pizza is crispy with a choice of toppings ranging from fennel to potato to corn. The pizza combinations are unique and not too cheesy. There are a few pasta dishes to choose from, which are delicious. They are flavorful but not too creamy.
They bring water to your table in carafes so you won't get thirsty. Very European. The lemonade drinks are top notch. Salads are generous and flatbread is a good snack.
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Seeing as I'd completely forgotten about this place after dining here w/my friends back in December, you can guess where this is going...
The pizza is allright. Our potato & onion pizza got a little burnt if I recall correctly, but not-burnt parts were pretty good, as was our 3 cheeses and pancetta. Mostly I remembered worrying about our unstable-feeling pizza stands, cuz my pals told me they'd seen another table where the stand tipped, and hot pizza & pan went crashing all over.
The wine list and bar seemed full and extensive, yet our waiter seemed pretty clueless about wine in general. He irritated me; he just kept trying to upsell. My friends had to really stress that $6-7 glass request.
It's OK as a standard local/easy destination, but don't go shelling $5 on toll just to get 'artisanal' thin crust pizza here.
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Great place to grab dinner or get it to go. I love their heirloom potato pizza, I never knew that potatoes were of the heirloom variety but these are good. I have eaten here a couple of times and have yet to venture into the rest of the menu, but given it's convenient location, I'll be back to critique more.
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Extra star because of the nice atmosphere.
Started off with the bruschetta appetizers. Yikes.
Pretty pricey pizzas. I've had thin crust pizza before but this was more of a quesadilla sprinkled lightly with toppings. As I was sitting there watching the cooks package the to go orders, I couldn't help thinking, boy that's overkill on the big cardboard boxes. For those skimpy pizzas you could have used paper bags. Needless to say, left still unsatisfied.
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Really yummy thin crust pizza! The pizza margartia was the best-- incredibly fresh tomato sauce and not too much cheese. Friendly waitstaff.
Pizza Antica has definitely become a favorite... they seem to have solved their initial service issues, and now that they've been open several months, it's a pleasure to dine there.
I especially like their sausage, tomato, and caramelized onion pizza, and their cool beer selection.
It will be really nice to sit outside in the summertime. Although I worry about the kids running around the piaza area, with the cars driving right through...
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A new pizza place in the Strawberry Hill (??) strip mall. I was having lunch with my Aunt, and we met here for lunch today. The place is big, with tiled floors, but the tables are a bit small, but well spaced. One strange thing they do, is when they re-fill your soda, or iced tea, they bring a glass and pour directly into yours. Not quite sure what to make of this yet! The water is kept chilled in a glass pitcher, and served in chilled glasses.
The salad I ordered was the chopped bacon and tomato salad, which was just OK. My sister's Cesar salad was much better. The pizzas are of the thin crust variety, and range from $7.95 to $9.95. I had the Calabrese Sausage, onion, and pepper pizza, and I added garlic. The veggies tasted like they were caramelized either by the wood burning oven, or beforehand. Either way, it was good. My Aunt had a sausage and mushroom pizza wish was also good.
If you are up that way, check it out! Lots of parking too. OH ... there are locations in San Jose in Santana Row, and one in Lafayette. Take your pick!
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A nice "gourmet" pizza place with about 10 different types of specialty pizzas. However, you can choose from many different toppings and make your own. Tried the sausage, pepperoni and Fontina which ended up being a pretty good choice. The sauce is tasty, the crust is crispy, and the sausage wasn't spicy, but still had lots of flavor. The pepperoni was ok, but not as good as the sausage...
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i didnt think this place would be anything great since its in a random shopping center and it sounds like its wants to be this old famous pizza place.
when you walk in its just an open floorplan of tables and a great view of the kitchen. i came here in the middle of the afternoon so there wasnt any wait or any people in there really. we ordered the roasted red pepper soup, ceaser salad and a small pizza (cheese, sauce, mushrooms, onions and fennel sausage). the soup was really good. it almost tasted like tomato soup but if u concentrated on it for a few sips you can taste the red pepper. the salad was good too...it was just a salad. it could use some color to it i for 8 dollars. the pizza was a thin crust pizza but it was really tasty. i usually like thicker crusts but the thin crust complimented the toppings. my bf also ordered a coffee which was served to him in a french press but for 3 dollars a coffee i would say go to starbucks around the corner.
service was good, our waiter asked us if we wanted sauce on the pizza which i thought was a good question because the pizza prolly would have been not so good without it.
i would come here again but it is pricey for the amount of food you get. and i would not recommend coming here on a busy night. no one wants to sit in the middle tables, they just look uncomfortable.
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Great brick oven style thin crust pizza, but don't get the Sanpellegrino Aranciata and Limonata which were the 6.5 fl. oz. bottles and priced at $2.75!!! That's right, not only would such a price be outrageous pricing for the 12 oz can, but for the 6.5 oz bottle it's a freakin' crime. All I know, is that where I was willing pay up for 'za, I felt like they put a pole up my butt on the drink. A damn shame I tell ya. I'm all for a restaurant making a buck, but this method just goes a little too far and puts this restaurant in the category of restaurants I won't be visiting any time soon just because the drink price was offensive. A damn shame given that the pizza was tasty. If you decide to visit this restaurant, definitely blow off the soft drinks and go for the wine.
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3.5 Stars.....
I like the food. At my office we order at least once a week from them and someone will go pick it up.... The quality is good and prices are fair... However, every time we order (and a different person will order each time) they mess up our order. One time two staff members ordered the chopped salad... the chop salad was on the menu. I went to pick up the order thinking everything was okay... because I was charged for two chopped salads.... Well when I got back to the office the people who had ordered the salads each got a BLT salad... so they called Pizza Antica to complain. (by the way Pizza Antica was very nice about the whole issue) However what they were told is the chopped salad is no longer a menu item. We all wondered why they wouldn't of told us that when we ordered and/or when I picked up the order it would of been a perfect time to say "we don't make chopped salads anymore"....
There have been many mistakes and one of us always gets an order that is mixed up or not what we ordered... but we let it go now because we all believe the food is good and its close to our office and since we live in a democracy the person who gets a screwed up order just goes with the flow...
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I generally agree with Aaron D. on this, but dislike it more...
I can't say I find any pleasure in eating at Antica. The inside has the acoustics of Grand Central Station, except that there are more kids screaming (mine included). The outdoor seating is better...
However, it is the food and service that give me the most pause here. After giving the place many tries, I got tired of: waiters messing up orders, or the timing thereof; skimpy cheese and toppings on pizza (good crust though); and even skimpier proteins on salads - I paid $2 extra for chicken on a salad and literally, got a tablespoon of it! I sent it back and they made it better, but still...
Also, the wine prices are outrageous! Especially if they offer you the "special," which has been as high as $16 a glass. So you can drink it in the atmosphere? No thanks.
First of all the decor in this place is coo-coo in a bad way! The whole place is small black and white tile so it makes you dizzy if your not careful and it feels super cold and sterile like a bathroom. There is no color in the whole place and the sound is awful because of the tiles everywhere. This paired with screaming spoiled brats running around did not make for pleasant conversation. The service was really slow and the wait staff were like zombie personalities. The caesar salad tasted like nothing, literally no garlic no flavor , super bland. The pizza itself was ok nice thin crisp crust but NOT worth going back !
Very solid food and service. Had a great mushroom soup and chopped salad with bacon and chicken -- the latter, crisp, fresh and not over dressed. My friends pizza was excellent, very tasty. My only criticism is that the place feels a little cold. Very high ceiling, black and white tile floor, huge space where the sound bounces around everywhere. So it ain't cozy -- but the food is great.
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Enjoyed a nice sausage, portabello mushroom and caramelized onion pizza with a chopped salad yesterday with a friend. I love the pizza's crisp thin crust and flavorful toppings. The chopped salad was also made to perfection, light and tasty. The service started out a little slow, but everyone was pleasant and we enjoyed our lunch.
a pretty good place for a decently priced meal. they're open late and have a decent variety. their salads are ok, but i hear that the pizza and pastas are good. can't give it 4 stars yet cuz i didn't have the pizza, but i'd give it another shot for sure.
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if you are dining at pizza antica, you must try their gnocchi. it's the best gnocchi i've ever tasted. it's al dente (i'm not sure you can use this phrase to describe gnocchi). what i'm trying to say is that it's perfect, not too hard or not too mushy/soggy. this is my usual: blood orange soda, start with either small ceasar salad or butternut squash soup, and gnocchi. their pizzas are great. but i always get the gnocchi and never get sick of it!! can't you tell that i LOVE their gnocchi? so 5 stars for their gnocchi. :)
we had a great dinner experience here from the service to the quality of food.
very surprising as one tends to have certain preconceived ideas of places that are a chain (even if there's only a few locations) and if it's located at what seems to be a strip mall.
the restaurant looks nice from the outside and inside it's open and you will definately not feel cramped with the super high ceilings...
our server was knowledgeable, professional and gave us consistantly great service and checked up on us without being overbearing.
my husband and i shared some antipasti, mushroom soup, two small pizzas, and a dessert. the portions are good but not too much so you get to try a few different things without becoming way too stuffed.
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We give the pizza 5 stars! We had the basic (Marguerita) Tomato/Basil/Mozzarella but added Prociutto - it was delizioso!
The Spicy Fennel/Portobello/Roasted Onion with added Tomato sauce was also very good. We don't like our pizza burnt, so we asked
that it be slightly underbaked - it was perfect! The field greens salad was nice - just be sure to get the "Piadini" bread for a side with the salad. They were really great. Very spacious place...maybe the tables
could be a bit larger. We will definitely go back. I wish they would open up a place in San Francisco.
really solid restaurant--the food doesnt have the super-refined feeling of picco's in larkspur (pizza antica pizzas are a bit greasier and rougher), but it's pretty close. i had a pizza with tomato sauce, proscuitto, and heirloom potato, and it turned out to be really delicious! highly recommended combo. i also went with someone who ordered pear and pesto on their pizza...i actually don't know if pear is on the menu, but if you're feeling adventurous, you should definitely give it a shot--it's surprisingly yummy and goes really well with the pizza. overall, a comfortable and tasty place to go if you want good food but you're not in the mood for anything too fancy.
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