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Pupatella, a Local Neapolitan Pizza Chain Undergoing Expansion


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So no nuttin' until the restaurant is up and running? Their website is rather useless.

They used to update it a couple of times a week, but there's just the two of them, and with a baby around and starting a new restaurant, I can see how updating the website might fall down on the list of priorities.

Yeah, it sounds like they're pretty busy. They're writing about the restaurant on their blog, and their last entry says that they're doing alot of the construction themselves because of the expense.

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Banner on the website says OPEN NOW, but I would call first.

It is open but not serving the complete menu. We had the salami, goat cheese, and olive special and a plain cheese for the kids. Both were excellent and the kids preferred the salami and goat cheese (of course).

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It is open but not serving the complete menu. We had the salami, goat cheese, and olive special and a plain cheese for the kids. Both were excellent and the kids preferred the salami and goat cheese (of course).

Say hi next time. :lol:

We tried:

  • the real margherita: buffalo mozzarella, basil & olive oil
  • grilled sausage, grilled onions, mozzarella
  • prosciotto, arugula, parmesan
  • white pizza with mozzarella & ricotta
  • arancino

Brilliant stuff - instantly on my top 5 area pizzas.

Congrats, Enzo and Anastasiya!

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Agree. Had 2 red pizzas with various toppings. Great stuff and soupy in the middle just like in Italy. It has been a few years since I've been in Naples but Pupatella equals my memory of Da Michele and Cibo. There are definite logistics issues to be worked out with ordering and timing but worth a trip from anywhere in the area (though a very small space so probably best to go in the off hours).

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Yes, there are definitely service/process issues to work out, but they were working very hard to keep order. Anastasia said they were slammed earlier in the day and ran out of pizza dough, so we ordered the gnocchi and arancino and my daughter had some gelato. Our order got lost so Enzo gave us a pizza while we were waiting for our other food--very nice gesture. The pizza was delicious as always, but it is not as crispy as the pizzas they serve from the cart. They had an explanation in the FAQ portion of their website.

The gnocchi was excellent. It was soft, yet still held its shape, and was served with bits of fresh mozzarella, basil and sauce. Large portion for $7. I couldn't eat it all. The arancino was huge--a little smaller than a tennis ball--and filled with flavorful meat, peas and cheese. The website says it has beef, but it tasted more like bacon. Good stuff! I nabbed a taste of my daughter's mix of chocolate and pistachio gelato and it tasted fresh and was served at the right temperture (not too cold). They had about 10 or so flavors: chocolate, vanilla, lemon, mango, chocolate hazelnut, pistachio, blackberry, raspberry (can't recall all of them). Our whole meal cost less than $17.

I really hope they do well. We'll certainly be back.

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It is open but not serving the complete menu. We had the salami, goat cheese, and olive special and a plain cheese for the kids. Both were excellent and the kids preferred the salami and goat cheese (of course).

Beer? Wine? I tried to check the website, but our "Smartfilter" here at work flags it as pornographic. :lol:

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Beer? Wine? I tried to check the website, but our "Smartfilter" here at work flags it as pornographic. :lol:

There were a couple of beers in the cooler. The website mentions that they have a small but relevant wine list, but I didn't notice whether they had the wines in stock yet.

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There were a couple of beers in the cooler. The website mentions that they have a small but relevant wine list, but I didn't notice whether they had the wines in stock yet.

On Saturday evening, the only beer they were offering was Heineken, but I was told they'd be expanding the offerings in the coming weeks. As for wine, there were three bottles sitting on display. I didn't pay attention to what they all were though, because I locked in on the first one I saw-- Grotta del Sole Gragnano, that perfect pizza wine. Fizzy, red, chilled.

As for the food, the pizzas and arugula salad were excellent.

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On Saturday evening, the only beer they were offering was Heineken, but I was told they'd be expanding the offerings in the coming weeks. As for wine, there were three bottles sitting on display. I didn't pay attention to what they all were though, because I locked in on the first one I saw-- Grotta del Sole Gragnano, that perfect pizza wine. Fizzy, red, chilled.

As for the food, the pizzas and arugula salad were excellent.

Ah, my favorite wine from the 2 Amy's list. Now another reason to try this place.

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I headed over to Pupatella on Saturday, and the people in front of us in line got the last pizza. It was opening day, and they were far busier than they expected so they ran out of pizza dough, I was more upset for my wife who has not had their pizza before and had to watch everyone in line enjoy their delicious Neapolitan pizza. It turned out to be a blessing. Since they were out of pizza, we got a salad w/ Arugula, prosciutto, Parmesan and a lemony dressing, a risotto ball the size of a fist, and the gnocchi. I am really glad they ran out of pizza because I would have never tried the other menu offerings since I like their sandwiches and pizza so much.

The gnocchi was fantastic, simple flavors, well executed. I highly recommend it, plus its a huge portion of deliciousness for the cost. Since they were out of pizza we got a free glass of the fizzy italian red wine mentioned above. Very refreshing, and complemented the meal.

I really liked the design of the place and I am happy they did not go the route of fake stucco walls, and ivy every where you look. I am looking forward to heading back and trying the pizza and gelato.

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We wanted to thank everybody for coming and enjoying our pizza. We felt so lucky and fortunate that you came to the restaurant last couple of days. It is a scary thing to open a restaurant and you guys give us confidence that everything will be alright.

Enzo & Anastasiya

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We stopped by tonight around 7pm and there were a couple of families there but overall it was pretty quiet. The sign at the register said cash only today and I didn't feel like finding an ATM so we were only able to buy a single pepperoni pizza. There was a nice char on the bottom of the pizza and the flavor was really fresh. Definitely a good option for the summer months when we can't stand cranking the oven to 500 degrees at home for pizza. I'm looking forward to getting back and trying more of the menu since everything coming out of that oven looked great.

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Congrats on your opening! I'm just giong to copy and paste my 4-star Yelp review to the end of this message. If you guys get some time, I'd love to talk to you about your journey from cart to restaurant!

I'm so excited that these guys opened up a restaurant. I had been wanting to try their cart forever but was also drawn away because of the long wait.

I got there around 11:30 today to avoid the lunch rush and I'm very glad I did - the one rush followed right behind us and then faded (so I'd suggest coming in at 11:30 or 12:30 while the store is still relatively new and unknown.

Between the 5 of us, we had:

1 pizza with mushrooms, onions, sausage

1 pizza with mozzarella, spinach, pepperoni

1 deep fried calzone with mozzarella, basil, grilled sausage

1 deep fried calzone with gouda, basil, ham

1 sandwich with salmon and other stuff (that they ended up turning into a pizza because they said the bread was too doughy?)

1 arancino

5 free scoops of gelato thanks to the advertised special on Yelp! :-)

I'll admit that I'm not a fan of Neopolitan pizza, but I can certainly appreciate their work. The freshness of the ingredients really shines through in their pizzas, and it's especially apparent in the mushrooms, sausage, and onions

As for the calzones, I've never had ham on anything that I've particularly enjoyed until today. The ham in their deep fried calzones was especially tender and flavorful!

The arancino is extremely rich and filling. You might be able to eat one of these and be completely satisfied since it feels like you're eating a heart attack. Definitely get this one to share if you're going to do it!

I'm no expert on gelato, but one of the girls at lunch said it was great stuff, and I'd have to agree. The hazelnut is pretty awesome, but it dominates the palate so much I could barely taste any of my friends' scoops. I was okay with that though.

However, there were some issues which I will attribute to their recent opening:

- I know they just got a new awesome oven from Naples, so maybe they're not too used to it and dealing with a big lunch rush at the same time: the tops of the pizza were perfectly done, but the bottoms were still kinda flimsy a times so that your pizza would be pretty floppy when you tried to pick it up. Maybe this is also due to how fresh the ingredients were, as fresh ingredients do tend to contain more water.

- And maybe this is just because of the Neopolitan style, but I was a little disappointed in the calzones we tried. It was too doughy. (And the dough itself is interesting, it smells and tastes like a chinese donut.) And as we were sharing all our spoils among 5 people, we tried to cut the calzones into pieces for everyone. As soon as we did this, the watery sauce began leaking out of the calzone making everything soggy. I've never seen the innards of a calzone so watery.

- The watery sauce from the calzone caused a problem with the plates on which your eat-in orders are served. It's just a piece of cardboard the size of the pizzas they sell. Since this was a completely flat piece of small cardboard, it really caused a mess.

- The order/pickup system is a bit confusing. At first, they called out an order number which I guess must have been on the receipt? After that, they just started calling out what the order was. It would help if this was more standardized/apparent

- Table cleanup was almost straight forward: there's a trashcan at the front of the restaurant by the door, but we had no idea what to do with our silverware! We ended up putting all of our utensils in a water cup and that became the receptacle for utensils for us and the rest of the restaurant.

There seems to be a good amount of seating here. A table for 6 and a table for 8 in the back, a few 2-top tables, and a bunch of bar-level seating. I'll be back to check out the sandwiches - those always looked so good to me.

Congrats to these guys for going from cart to restaurant!

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I got there around 11:30 today to avoid the lunch rush and I'm very glad I did - the one rush followed right behind us and then faded (so I'd suggest coming in at 11:30 or 12:30 while the store is still relatively new and unknown.

Say hi next time. :lol: You are correct that there are still some kinks to be worked out here. That said, the pizza was very good and still a reasonable $7 for a margherita. Regarding perceived moistness, you might be interested in the following excerpt from the Pupatella FAQ:

Why is my pizza wet in the middle?

Fresh, high-quality mozzarella cheese used in our pizzas has higher water content then “brick” mozzarella used by majority of American pizzerias. Our mozzarella comes from a farm shaped in balls and packed in water, rather than in dry “bricks”. Therefore higher water content makes for wetter pizza. Elsewhere, if you are eating a pizza from a wood-fired oven and your pizza is not slightly wet, they are not using fresh mozzarella.

I thought Neapolitan pizza is supposed to be crispy.

No. Real Neapolitan pizza, baked in the real Neapolitan oven in blistering fire, cannot be crispy. The resulting product must be soft, pillowy, fleshy, and light.

What are those black spots on my pizza? Did you burn it?

No. Due to the high temperature of the wood-fired oven, Neapolitan pizzas develop what is known as “leopard spots”. They are small spots (about size of a dime) on the crust and are a distinct characteristic of true Neapolitan pizza.

Can you leave my pizza in the oven for an extra minute to make my pizza extra crispy please?

Our wood-burning oven burns at temperature of nearly 1,000 degrees. Pizzas are baked in 1 minute. If we leave your pizza there for another minute, it will be severely burnt.

Why pizza made at the restaurant is not as crispy as pizza from your pizza truck?

Pizza made at the truck is made in a gas oven with a longer baking time. Thus, crust dries more and is more crispy. Pizza from our wood-burning oven is NOT supposed to be crispy. Traditional Neapolitan pizzas are soft and pliable, not crunchy or crispy.

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I stopped by last night right at closing to grab a quick, to go, real Margherita. Even though I came in at closing they were happy to make the pizza. Man was it good.... I think it rivals 2 Amys. I am happy to see another really good pizza joint in the Ballston-Clarendon area (the other being American Flatbread). I also love that they have Mexican Coca-Cola. I am slightly addicted to the stuff after visiting Mexico.

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I stopped by last night right at closing to grab a quick, to go, real Margherita. Even though I came in at closing they were happy to make the pizza. Man was it good.... I think it rivals 2 Amys. I am happy to see another really good pizza joint in the Ballston-Clarendon area (the other being American Flatbread). I also love that they have Mexican Coca-Cola. I am slightly addicted to the stuff after visiting Mexico.

I agree. I was just there for a late lunch. Excellent crust! And I was fascinated by the stretching technique. They put the topping on a small disk of dough and stretch it to get it on the peel and then stretch it to about twice the size rather than seasoning the completed disk. So it is a two step process: shape to a small disk, season with toppings, move to peel, stretch to twice the size, load into oven.

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Just went for the first time, and since I've never been to their cart (wish I worked in Ballston...) it was my first Pupatella pizza. I will say this--it is not enough to say that this is the best pizza in Arlington. It's really fantastic. I think everyone above has discussed all the flavor and texture elements that you need to know, but just go get a pizza and you'll know what they mean.

We had a margherita, margherita with pepperoni, two Mexican cokes, a glass of fizzy wine, and two gelatos (chocolate and chocolate hazelnut) for around $37.

The operation is clearly new, and as such none of the following are gripes, as they are to be expected when opening a new restaurant. I was going to comment that they need to get A/C and an ice maker, but lo and behold the power was actually out when we went, as it came on right as we were leaving. So clearly just a case of bad luck and not their fault. That said, the restaurant had no ice for the drinks from the drink cooler (which were of course now warm due to the power outage), no plastic utensils for to go orders, and one lonely Heineken as the beer selection. These would be easy areas to improve that were only lacking because of the unfortunate circumstances.

It appears as if the gnocchi (which I was going to get) is no longer on the menu, which is a shame because I love gnocchi. Perhaps it could be a special once a week or month, like is done at Piola.

It would not surprise me if this restaurant becomes incredibly crowded as word spreads. It's really quite good, and I am thankful to its owners for opening it.

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Note on the arancino - the menu says "stuffed with mozzarella, peas & beef (or no beef)". No beef, to me, means no beef - and no fake beef. I ordered one with no beef, and when I cut into it, beef. Or rather fake beef, that tastes like bad sweet bacon. I thought I was ordering "stuffed with mozzarella & peas".

Pupatella, can you clarify on the menu? I have heard of this same issue when you order them at the cart.

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The pizza here is quite delicious. While I might normally prefer a crispy crust, this style was really good. I also had the arancini, which was great. Very tasty. I took my pizza home and it traveled (not very far) just fine. This pizza is very well-suited for reheating in a skillet, where it heats up and transforms into a crispy crust pizza. Get an extra and save it for breakfast.

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I have now eaten there twice this week, both times with my one year old son. He loves the pizza (margarita - it's his first foray) and the rice balls. And so do I - today, I tried the spicy salami, olives and goat cheese pizza. No leftovers.

Yes, there are some kinks to be worked out but the owners couldn't be nicer and I love the simple decor. And I can walk there with the stroller . . . think that counts as exercise enough to work off a gelato??

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Had dinner here tonight and while I thought the pizza was good, I wasn't blown away like many others seem to be. Had the pizza with sausage, grilled onions, and mozzarella and the +1 had the special white pizza with mortadella which was draped over the finished pie. We also split an arancino which I thought maybe was too big as the mozzarella inside seemed to have a bit of melting to do still when I cut into it, that said, the flavor was good and the outside crisp.

I'd categorize the pies as good and I would certainly stop by if in the area, I just wouldn't make a special trip.

On a separate note, I sincerely hope that their AC issue is temporary as it was quite warm in there tonight (and would be brutal for the chef's in front of the oven if it was warmer than the 84 degrees it was this evening).

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Just polished off my first prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, and Parmesan takeout pie from the friendly folks at Pupatella.

In Summary: Oh, hell yeah.

The ROPES (random observations on the passing environment & scene):

  • Gleaming, inviting, whimsical decor
  • More tables than expected
  • AC? We don't need no stinkin' AC
  • Olive oil poured from a copper vessel; watch for this, it's beautiful

I think the oven winked at me, picture proof enclosed.

I'll wink back on my next trip.

post-5654-127577551243_thumb.jpg

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Oh my,

what a difficult day we had today.

We want to apologize to everyone that came for the A/C problem. Waiting in line for 1/2 hour with no A/C is no fun at all. Thank you everybody for your patience.

On the plus side, we're training to make doughnuts - ask for them soon! They'll be better than what we had in the food cart.

P.S. Had a loud complaint from a barefoot customer about the service....Yes, you know who you are, I know you read this forum. Dude, next time you decide to complain about the service in a restaurant, please put some shoes on.

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P.S. Had a loud complaint from a barefoot customer about the service....Yes, you know who you are, I know you read this forum. Dude, next time you decide to complain about the service in a restaurant, please put some shoes on.

Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. :lol:

My damned cobbler failed me - the bastard said it would be another three days. I was starving and needed sustenance. Two Chefs Pizza refused service; I had nowhere else to turn.

I really did enjoy the crust. And that fizzy-assed red thing you were pouring by the glass, too! :D

YDD,

Fred Flintstone

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Dude, next time you decide to complain about the service in a restaurant, please put some shoes on.

Culprits captured on tape.

Sorry about the rough day. They get better. If it's any consolation, A/C is the bane of my existence too. A/C to restaurateurs is like gravity to drunks...always out there just waiting to fuck up your day.

Keep up the good work!

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Boo on barefoot guy! Good luck with the AC - Jeremy and I will see you tomorrow night for our weekly fix!

Oh my,

what a difficult day we had today.

We want to apologize to everyone that came for the A/C problem. Waiting in line for 1/2 hour with no A/C is no fun at all. Thank you everybody for your patience.

On the plus side, we're training to make doughnuts - ask for them soon! They'll be better than what we had in the food cart.

P.S. Had a loud complaint from a barefoot customer about the service....Yes, you know who you are, I know you read this forum. Dude, next time you decide to complain about the service in a restaurant, please put some shoes on.

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Boo on barefoot guy! Good luck with the AC - Jeremy and I will see you tomorrow night for our weekly fix!

Hey beachgirl! It's been a while. Looks like you've made some lifestyle changes since we last saw you, based on your profile pic. LOL Remember the twins? They'll be six next month! We'll be down at the beach in August.

I saw a negative review on Yelp that sounds like it could have come from barefoot guy. Still, this response from a Pupatella rep was probably a wee bit too harsh:

"We are sorry that you did not enjoy your visit. The AC and ice issues will be fixed within the next few days. As far as the food goes, you obviously have no idea how Neapolitan pizza/calzones should be. They are wet because we use fresh mozzarella that comes packed in water, not the low-quality dry one that you obviously prefer. I also doubt that Mario's uses the top of the line ingredients that we purchase. But based on your review you obviously can't taste the difference."

Politely directing him to your FAQs might have been a better way to go, since he did take the time to write a long review instead of just saying "This place sucks." Just sayin...

I wish we lived closer to Pupatella (and Orso, in my former employer's building) but at least we have American Flatbread out here in the boonies.

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I saw a negative review on Yelp that sounds like it could have come from barefoot guy. Still, this response from a Pupatella rep was probably a wee bit too harsh:

"We are sorry that you did not enjoy your visit. The AC and ice issues will be fixed within the next few days. As far as the food goes, you obviously have no idea how Neapolitan pizza/calzones should be. They are wet because we use fresh mozzarella that comes packed in water, not the low-quality dry one that you obviously prefer. I also doubt that Mario's uses the top of the line ingredients that we purchase. But based on your review you obviously can't taste the difference."

Politely directing him to your FAQs might have been a better way to go, since he did take the time to write a long review instead of just saying "This place sucks." Just sayin...

I love the reply to that guy on Yelp. That guy sucks SOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. His reviews are short and extremely unhelpful, just like I and many others have told him on the Talk threads: http://www.yelp.com/topic/arlington-to-all-you-restaurant-owners-contacting-me-after-the-fact (I am Steve L if you're wondering)

Edit, sorry to go off-topic :-) The FAQ on www.pupatella.com is helpful :-)

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Pupatella destroyed my dreams.

All day today, I fantasized about the prosciutto, arugula, and Parmesan blessing available in pizza form at Pupatella. I blasted right through my normal lunch time, knowing an immensely satisfying meal would greet me in the early evening.

And my dream started to come true. I strolled in and out of Pupatella in no time flat, lucky to find few competing diners in line. Once I arrived home, I polished off half an arancino and dove immediately into my coveted meal.

And that’s when my dreams shattered in the form of gli occhi più grandi dello stomaco.

Although immensely delicious, even half a stuffed arancino makes for an immensely hearty starter. If you need to stretch a pizza or two across multiple people, order a few of these fried spheres to split and share.

Because then, like me, you’ll find an abundance of leftover pizza at the end of your meal.

And you’ll weep. Because you really, really wanted to have more slices and simply did not have the room.

Dream: Denied.

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I got carryout from Pupatella last night, and they knocked it out of the park.

This week's special pizza is inspired by Chris Bianco - how could I not? White Pizza with Red Onion, Rosemary, Pistachios, and Parmesan ($10)

Then a custom-built Pizza ($7) with Tomato Sauce (free), Fresh Mozzerella ($1.50), Roasted Mushrooms ($1 for porcini, portobello, and button), Garlic (free), and Beef Pepperoni ($1) for a total of $10.50.

Finally, a Sausage Panini ($8) with grilled sausage, sautéed onions, and fresh mozzerella.

All three were fantastic while being very different from each other - the panini in particular is going on my regular rotation.

This is the best carryout pizza I've had in years. My first visit here (a month ago) was good; this visit was sensational. Bravo!

Cheers,

Rocks

P.S. And yes I know panini is plural, but I use it in the singular, too. :)

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This is the best carryout pizza I've had in years.

From the Orso topic, a month ago:

I had three pizzas tonight at Pizzeria Orso, and the third-best pizza of the evening was the third-best pizza I've had in the past two and a half years.

So, the obvious question - how would the Pupatella pies have stacked up against Orso's if they hadn't been takeout? :)

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...This week's special pizza is inspired by Chris Bianco - how could I not? White Pizza with Red Onion, Rosemary, Pistachios, and Parmesan ($10)...

I had that same pizza two days ago, and I just about died from the awesome.

Does that make me a zombie?

(here's hoping so)

(braaaaaaaaains)

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I want to give Pupatella a few more tries before I really make a final decision, but I think the pizza I had today was very good, but it lacked the finesse of the pizzas at Orso. The crust wasn't as much of a highlight, but there were more toppings, but for people who don't care as much about the bread itself they will probably like Pupatella better because the toppings really shined and were put together well. I had their specialty pizza with their homemade sausage which was great sausage, but the pizza had too much cheese for me, it had so much it was gloopy. But that is something that I am not sure is typical which is why I would like a couple more tries before I make a final decision. I will say it is nicely priced for big portions. And the eggplant arrancini where really good, crispy with great flavor. But I like the crust at Orso better after my first attempt.

But will definitely be back to try more as there was a lot about it I really liked, especially that sausage. And their sandwiches looked really good too.

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[T]he pizza I had today was very good, but it lacked the finesse of the pizzas at Orso. The crust wasn't as much of a highlight, but there were more toppings, but for people who don't care as much about the bread itself they will probably like Pupatella better because the toppings really shined and were put together well.

Agreed on the crust. Crust is denser at Pupatella (still good though - just prefer orso's).

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Although you can eat Pupatella's cold the next day... I decided to try a bite before heating the oven and the sausage pizza cold was really good cold so I ate it that way. I didn't expect this, but was pleasantly surprised.

Stopped by today and had a great pizza + yummy gelato - thank you Pupatella!

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Stopped in today for lunch - excellent roasted tomato, artichoke heart and fontina pizza that I split with my one year old. Pleased to see that he likes artichoke hearts - we're in the test-all-foods phase now. And a rice ball for him too - disappeared quickly. Still so, so happy to have this choice right by my house.

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