Moravela&#x27;s Pizzeria

Never again!! I supported these clowns during COVID, gave them 1 star for overcharging and…read moreunderdelivering, and got no apology or acknowledgment. My wife called them the day before my birthday to ask if they could handle a 5-pie order. Today, she called to order and was told to bug off because they wouldn't fulfill it. That said, I'll never order their overpriced pizza, and rest assured, I won't patronize the River Tavern owned by the same. That's a twofer of loss. Ego is not your amigo. And neither are we. Good riddance. You caused us quite an inconvenience. ZERO STARS. Had we not called the day ahead to make make sure they could, we would not be upset. But the arrogance of the person on the phone and the lack of concern in our opinion deserves this harsh review.

Otto is a fantastic pizza spot in Chester. The place is nice and cozy and have a great bar area…read morewhere Lisa. We were able to watch them pizzas and make them fresh out of the oven. All the pizzas were so good but we decided on the pepperoni and the meatball white pizza. Both are equally good and I cannot decide which one I like better. The pepperoni had calabrian peppers and rosemary, which was unique to me not too spicy and the pepperoni for good. The meatball Peter came with the Parmesan sauce and cherry tomatoes which I don't like but I really enjoyed it on this pizza. Two small pizzas somewhere good size for two big men. I really enjoyed talking with all the crew there. Shout out to Connor, Noah and Matt. They have a nice local draft list but they were on the pricey side at $10. I can't wait to come back to try out the rest of the pizzas.

Brilliant branding design . . . the logo reads correctly from inside, or from outside. O's for tomatoes (or pepperoni?), T's for mushrooms!

Four Cheese

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Rye Manhattan

Pizzeria Davinci

3.9(31 reviews)

1.9 mi

Davinci in Deep River is our #1 spot for great pizza. Love Tom, the owner, who is the most upbeat…read moreguy you could ever hope to meet. My favorite pie is spinach with pepperoni, but honestly, every pie they make is delicious!

This is such a terrific pizza place! The owner Tom is devoted to his pizzas. I have had most of the…read morespecialty pizzas and honestly can say they are all delicious. My fav is the DaVinci. I am partial to white pizzas and all of those are super tasty. We had brought a bottle of wine in the past and drunk it there with pizza and I even brought a little candle. It made it very cheery. For a takeout pizza place, this is super consistent and quite reasonable.

Spinach and feta specialty pizza. Amazing! Sorry I was a little late taking the picture but you get the idea. :)

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Chambo's Italian Deli

4.8(29 reviews)

1.4 mi

Great juicy sandwiches that having you enjoying every bite. Service was quick I called in my order…read more Cute little hole in the wall deli vibe.

Chambo's is a delicious local spot with fantastic value. The service is great but the food is…read moreinsane. Highly recommend!

Meatball Grinder

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Ham Sandwich

Brickside Pizza

4.2(48 reviews)

4.4 mi

A nice night to grab a pizza before heading in to see a show at Ivoryton Playhouse. We ordered at…read morethe counter and the waitress/ hostess brought our pizza to our table. It was a nice night to sit outside . Our soppressata pie had a sweet honey on it so it was sweet and spicy. I wish the crust was a little crisper on bottom and there was enough grease to soak up two napkins. However the meat generously coveted over the entire pie and had a good flavor.

This used to be our favorite pizza spot. I mean, the pizza is one of the best in the area. We just…read moregot pizza for the first time at the new location. They now only offer one size and it is only enough for one adult :) and the price is still the same as their old large pizza. This seems like a pretty bad business decision, hope they figure this out. Pizza is too competitive in this state to start gauging prices.

Outside

Sunday dinner pizza

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Arugula and prosciutto pie!

Privateers Pizza

4.6(36 reviews)

5.0 mi

Visited Essex and came across Privateer's Pizza. One of the few places to get take-out near by. The…read morestore itself was relaxed, no frills. Service was great. We didn't know what to expect but the pizza was excellent! We got the BBQ chicken pizza, flavor was great, crust was perfect. If I lived near-by I would certainly come often!

First time here and went in for slices of pizza and sodas. Pizza was excellent! The atmosphere was…read morewarm and inviting and staff was very kind and helpful. Definitely will be back soon!

Fireplace and booth

Cheese pizza and Meatball and onion

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Best Pizza in Essex CT

Deep River Pizza

4.1(36 reviews)

1.7 mi

•$

While traveling through the area we decided to have lunch. Our first choice was closed so we…read moresettled on this restaurant. After viewing the menu, I decided we would share an Italian grinder that proved to be light on the protein with the whitest iceberg lettuce I have ever encountered. In addition, the requested oil was minimal as were the spices. I do hope the owners are not holding their breath waiting for my return.

A day of sightseeing and hunger brought me here. Disappointing. Overcooked, too greasy, and just…read morenot good overall. Friendly people, and the pizza is certainly edible, but you can do much better.

Italian grinder

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Kitchen preparation

Morina Italian Restaurant & Pizza

4.3(45 reviews)

3.0 mi

Great menu with a be lot of specials Portions were very…read moreferrous and server was very good Nice atmosphere . A great place to stop on the way to the Goodspeed We will be back

I like to come here before the Goodspeed. I sit at the bar. I had the penne alla vodka and added…read morechicken. It is cute inside and service is friendly.

Grilled swordfish, burnt roasted potatoes and vey

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River Tavern

3.8(271 reviews)

0.8 mi

•$$$

A while ago, my wife and I had a positive experience at River Tavern. That experience has endured…read morein our minds through a number of less positive experiences. After a recent disappointing experience at RT with my son and father, I have to accept that the the initial positive experience may be the exception and not the rule. RT is located in Chester Center, which is a top CT town. Top tier location. The restaurant is cute, but cramped. After we were seated, a while passed before we saw our server. We were ready to order for 10 minutes and she still hadn't checked in with us. I told another employee that we wanted to see our server. She shook her head and we waited another 5 minutes. We finally were able to order. Then people who arrived after us, and ordered after us, received food first. Multiple tables. Through multiple service issues, there was no recognition from the employees about the issues. Our primary server asked how things were going when she first checked in with us. I told her the truth. And she didn't seem like she cared. She was apparently hoping that I would just say "good". The food was mixed. My son and I split a burger and an order of chilaquiles. The chilaquiles was good. The burger was medium rare rather than the medium we asked for. The burger was underseasoned. It may not have been seasoned at all. The bottom part of the bun was cut at a weird angle. As the juices flowed from the burger, it soaked the short side of the burger bun so that it was unusable. My Dad said his salad featuring peaches and nuts, barely had any peaches or nuts. I'm unlikely to eat at River Tavern again anytime soon. 2.5 Stars

One my favorite spots of 2026! I wish yelp would allow…read morefractions of stars as i would rate this 4.75. Beautiful dining space tucked behind a street front bar entrance. Contemporary wood paneled room with a window wall overlooking the river below. Expertly made martinis followed by watermelon beet and feta salad; and wild mushrooms with Parmesan bread crumbs, mint, fried rosemary and whipped ricotta. Both were very tasty expressions of the season. Our table raved over the tagliarini with a local beef, pork and veg ragu and a shellfish version with a spicy puttanesca. The menu changes regularly to highlight the best of the season and local producers. Sometimes it's nice to eat delicious food with no blasting music, at reasonable prices (app/salads: $12-16, most entrees high 20's to $36) just hanging with happy well fed adults enjoying conversation. It would have been 5 stars but for the forgetting of complimentary bread service until we asked for it during the entrees. The bread was mediocre and chewy. Our primary waitperson sort of disappeared for a bit. An evening special of soba noodles with julienne vegetables was really just a bowl of noodles with little evidence of any veggies. Regardless, I've recommended to about 10 people already today and I'll keep doing so!!

Fish sandwich

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Outside on Market Sunday

El Bracero

4.5(19 reviews)

1.8 mi

Really happy with our meals and very friendly service. Street tacos and quesadillas were perfect!…read moreAnd the salsas - red and green were amazing.

I ordered a burrito around 7 pm one night here. It's a very small little taqueria in Deep River. It…read moreis decorated with colorful Mexican decor which adds to the charm. It's a take out place though - you can eat at a 3 person small counter by the window. There are no public bathrooms though. I ordered a pulled pork/carnitas burrito which was fine but not excellent. I am picky about meat & I felt the pulled pork had a strong flavor which I am not a fan of. It was a generous portion & had the requisite rice, beans, pico, cheese in it. I always try a places 3 different times to be fair to the restaurant. I will be back to try some other menu items.

Taquitos

Meatball grinder

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Entrance! Plenty of parking on the street.

Grano Arso

4.4(243 reviews)

0.8 mi

•$$$

One of the best meals I've ever eaten in my entire life! If I could give 10 stars I would! The…read moreservice was a 10, the ambiance a 10, the food a 10. This place is an absolute must try!

The positives first.. we all ordered the $39 specials which come with a first course of beet…read moresalad.. delicious or minestrone soup.. adequate, a main meal of chicken piccata or pasta in a tomato bacon sauce. The pasta dish was tastier than the chicken. My husband said the potatoes were very good but the chicken could have had more flavor. The highlights were the fabulous bread and the vanilla gelato. Somehow even though I was sure I had reserved our table it was not secured , but the woman I assume was the manager found us a spot. We told her we had a show and assumed she would pass that info to our waitress. We ended up getting nervous when a lot of time passed and we still had not received our entree. We mentioned we had a show to our waitress who replied,"you could've started with that! " in a very condescending tone. Obviously we had , but apparently the message had never been relayed to her. We did enjoy our meal but that reaction put a damper on our evening.

Allá vodka and cavatelli

Misticanza: lettuces, shaved fennel, carmalized lemon vinaigrette, aged cheddar

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Mussels

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6 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

J G.

0

3

0

6 years ago

The girl that answered the window for takeout tonight 6/19!20, told my husband to fucking leave because he was looking through his money to give her a tip! Not sure we'd go back!!! Terrible service!! read more

Crystal S.

0

3

0

9 years ago

My family and I LOVE Moravelas! Christian is awesome and his staff is great! The chicken wings - HOT with garlic on top is delicious!!!! A+!!!! read more

Arnold W.

3

9

3

12 years ago

Great pizza, i mean this place has some of the best. Get the garlic knots. They have great service and a convenient location. I will be back. read more

C S.

0

3

0

10 years ago

Cristian and staff are wonderful! Yummy food!!! The garlic knots are simply delicious!

H D.

0

3

0

7 years ago

The past couple of times I called, they were much more responsive.

Ed W.

4

87

4

14 years ago

Good food but service sucked tonight.

Moravela's Pizzeria - italian - Updated September 2026

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