I give this place five stars because the people are incredibly friendly, the space is adorable, and the food is absolutely amazing. We had attended a fundraiser earlier in the evening and were coming to Spacca Napoli with arm loads of raffle/silent auction items we had purchased and won. It was nearing close, since we had gone to the fundraiser first, but our host graciously sat us in a corner where we would have space to store our winnings and never hesitated to suggest we sit down and order. Despite being 15 minutes to close, our waiter never rushed us, and gave us plenty of suggestions on what to order. We went with a simple buffalo mozzarella and red sauce with a prosciutto Asiago and rocket pizza. Both were absolutely delicious. I could go on and on about the crust and the sauce---everything was so authentic and fresh it's hard to know where to begin. I think the crust is really what sets it apart though. Before we left, the host explained to us the difference between "Napoli" pizza and other kinds of pizza, and that's really where he difference lies--the farther north you go, the more "crackery" they become, and the closer to Rome the thicker they get. But in Naples, it's the perfect amount of thin and fluffy, crisp but soft. And the sauce on top of that--perfection. One of the best and most authentic pizza places in the city, hands down!! read more

Killer pizza, lively setting, attractive prices. Only suggestion for these folks is a slightly more generous pour on the wine.

Well well well... Food was great, wine was good. But never in my life have I ever been at a restaurant where lots of money was spent and as soon as the check is signed the hostess asked us to vacate the table for another reservation. Bad call on the managements part. The whole night was oddly timed expect from the very slow waiter at he beginning to the super fast "let's wrap it up folks --thanks for the cash now get out". The manager said they apologized for their bad timing but the owner encouraged them to ask people to leave. This only tells me that the owner is arrogant and greedy! Customers are much more appreciated at Pizza hut! It's too bad because I liked their food. In a big city like this I can go to another Napoli style pizzeria ! What started as great reunion amongst friend ended up as a bad restaurant experience. Bad manners! Have fun counting your money, Owner --- cause you just lost 8 customers! read more

awesome place for pizza! i was told by an italian friend that this is authentic pizza from naples and he also agreed it was top-notch. they had this spicy olive oil that i wanted to drink, it was so yummy. on your way out, everyone gets a mini-cannoli. i wanted to steal the whole plate it was so yummy. also, if you find yourself waiting (i got lucky and seated right away), they hand out fresh foccacia bread to quell your gnawing hunger pains. great place, i am def coming back! read more

If you are looking for the BEST pizza in Chicago, look no further. Spacca Napoli is amazing! I am a pizza lover and ex New Yorker who has been searching for something along the lines of Di Faras, Grimaldis, Joes, Johns, Patsys, Lombardis, etc in Chicago and the only pizza hat I have found that not only meets, but exceeds all of those is Sapacca Napoli. IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE 6 STARS I WOULD!! Everything about this place is PERFECT. - The service is outstanding (I got there before it opened today and waited on the street benches until it opened and someone came out to bring me water while I waited before the place was even open). Then once we sat down the waitstaff couldn't have been more helpful and personable. After finishing our meal, we were sitting and just digesting and relaxing and instead of how most restaurants want to rush you out, the owner came out with two glasses of moscato for us to enjoy while we were sitting! - The food is unbelievable (the crust is uber thin yet deliciously doughy at the same time). In terms of what to order, the pizzas with red sauce are really good, but the ones without sauce are not to be missed. Definitely order one with prosciutto and arugula, and the one with sausage and rabini (but we subbed arugula for the rabini) because they are both fantastic. I can't say enough good things about this place. I plan to make this a weekly (if not more) visit. GO HERE - it's worth it! read more

I've been here multiple times now and each time is more disappointing then the previous visit. After coming back from a recent trip to Italy and have great experiences, the pizzas here at Spacca are bland. Another reviewer described it as "pita like" and would agree. The service is generally good overall, but in the last visit, we felt rushed. Every 3-4 minutes someone came by asking "are you done? can I take your plate?" When I'm holding a piece of pizza in my hand eating it, figure it out - I'm not done eating. I don't think I'll be back. read more

I had wanted to go to this place for a long time and finally made it there. IT WAS MEDIOCRE AT BEST! If you like the taste of burnt pizza crust you'll love this place. The center of the pizza was soggy and under cooked, the edges were black with charred dough. The place was extremely noisy as if I were in a tin can (poor acoustics!). The eggplant appetizer was mushy and tasteless! The mozzarella appetizer was just ok, once again the bread served with the mozzarella was BURNT! The meal was $100.00 for 2 MEDIOCRE pizzas, and 2 appetizers and a bottle of wine. Just about everyone who has written a review loves this place..... I don't get it. I've had Much better pizza in Chicago at a fraction of the price. SKIP IT! read more

My family and I had reservations for this place. When we got there, they showed us the worst hospitality I have ever seen. First, our table was set for 6 instead of 7. 2nd, they did not want to move us to larger table. The owner told us straight up, "Sorry, I cannot move or bring another table for you. I can recommend other places to eat if you'd like." Once he said that, we were out of there. Why should he get our business if he spoke to us like we were of no value to him. read more

This place is absolutely amazing. Everything about this experience was perfect. The prosciutto on my pizza was the best I've ever had. We all had a free cannoli at the end too. Even the mint at the hostess stand was great. So glad we tried it out. read more

Great wine selection and amazing pizzas. Never really had the type of crust they serve here, as it is a little more doughy, but i found it pleasant the way it was cooked. The toppings were high quality, especially the anchovies, and they had a great selection of wines. The service was excellent and contributed to to an overall pleasant dining experience. read more

my fiance has been on a big pizza-making/-eating kick. and not just any pizza, the real deal, neopolitan-style pizza. he's searched high and low for san marzano tomatoes, bufalo mozzarella and various recipes to achieve his ideal pizza (to the point, that i had to take a full month-long hiatus from eating pizza because i was so sick of it). in this quest, he heard about spacca napoli and was dying to go. spacca napoli didn't disappoint. if you're looking for a neopolitan style pizza in chicago, this is your place. we ordered the bufalina, funghi and bianca con bufala pizzas. all were fantastic, but the bufalina (basically a margherita pizza) was the big winner. it's delicious. the crust was perfectly cooked in the woodfire oven and the ingredients were all very fresh. the only downsides to this place are that the atmosphere is so so and it's slightly pricey for pizza, but well worth the slight up charge for the fresh ingredients and simple, yet great taste. must try: bufalina pizza read more

If you are ever wishing you knew what it was like to have real Italian pizza, or you recently took a trip to Ital and would do anything to just have another bite of the wonderful heaven that is Italian pizza (my case) then look no further than Spacca Napoli!! This place is the most legit place for Naples style pizza in the US! You definitely won't find Italian prices here, its very expensive compared to its Amalfi Coast sister, but worth it! Hand dipped Ricotta, perfect amount of veggies, and amazing wine make for a pretty authentic experience. We only had pizza and wine, which was plenty if you are determined to finish your pizza, which I highly recommend. All the pizza choices looked amazing. When we were there they had a special chef in from Naples, and the special with dipped ricotta, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers was OUT OF THIS WORLD!! Falanghina wine is a favorite of out friends in Italy and the glass we had at Spacca Napoli took me back to sitting on that hill it what seemed like the middle of the street listening to my friend talk about why America is better than ITALY. BOY, Please! But really, go to Spacca Napoli, drink wine, eat pizza, and write great reviews so this place does not ever go away!! So much love! read more

Coming from a pizza lover, this is some of the best pizza I've had. Fresh ingredients and flavor. Absolutely delicious food and great service. read more

Went to Spacca Napoli for the first time tonight. At the waiter's recommendation, I ordered the margherita pizza. It was good, but it tasted like something I could have gotten at Sbarro. We ordered a bottle of wine and before we were even finished with it, the manager was trying to make us leave because he needed our table for a party that was waiting. We paid for our meal and were just trying to finish what we purchased. ????? His rudeness will be the reason that I will not be returning. read more

The best. It's not cheap pizza, but the quality is amazing and well worth the price. The whole family loved it. Spacca Napoli should definitely be tried. read more

GREAT party room that seats 20 people plus the most amazing Napoli pizzas with fresh ingredients, decent wine list. Celebrated a birthday there and they couldn't have been more accommodating! Parking not a problem, at least on a Sunday afternoon when we went. Try the prosciutto figs. read more

BEST pizza in Chicago. Excellent EVERYTHING ALWAYS. Been coming here since they opened a decade ago- perfect & authentic every time.

We were in Naples in September and can confirm that the pizza did remind us of authentic Neapolitan pizza. However, the ambience and atmosphere reminded us of a strip mall in the suburbs. One very nice touch was the owner handing out the most delicious mini cannolis to all the patrons on their way out. read more

What a wonderful place! We tried the Caprese salad and the mozarella just melted in our mouths. The pizzas are delicious and light. I had one with prosciutto on it, and the meat was divine. Definitely worth multiple visits. read more

Boy has this place gone downhill, since I first started eating here two years ago. Maybe it was just a off night, but the meal we had there last night was so bad, that the waitress kindly comp'd the bianca nero pizza we ordered and was very apologetic. The inside of the restaurant smelled of burnt bread and every pizza that came out while we were there (8-9 pm) was black on the raised crust edge and both our pies were selectively burnt on the bottom. My mushroom and sausage red pie was so soggy that I couldn't pick up a slice and the mushroom white pie with truffle oil (a former favorite) was greasy, soggy and had such an off taste, we couldn't finish even a slice of it. Perhaps the owner/chef sitting out in the dining room eating and drinking with some guests had something to do with it, that or the oven was at the wrong temperature (not hot enough if I had to guess), but I won't risk it again, there are too many other thin crust pizza palaces that are steady and consistent. And I'm a bit weary of the overpriced juice glasses of wine. read more

Artisanal Neopolitan style pizza without the seediness of Naples. Authentic brick oven cooks the pizza perfectly within minutes. Loved the white pizza with prosciutto and arugula. read more

This review veers a little off the 'traditional' review. Hopefully, it will give a little insight into more than just what most people see when they visit a restaurant. First of all, the cooking and presentation of food is an art form; and like all art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You cannot be 'everything to everyone' and it is a fools folly to try. Just as you may be thoroughly in love with a particular movie or musician, you will find it utterly baffling that your friend can take it or leave it. That is part of what makes any art form so fascinating - the passion it stirs within individuals. Pizza is such an art form. In a city such as Chicago, with it's tempting variety of pizza styles, it is not difficult to engage in a heated discussion over what establishment has the 'best pizza' or 'best service' etc. You will not find any 'perfect' restaurant (or 100% agreement of reviews) in this city. The Italian culture cherishes art & food - from the dock worker to the fashionista, the Italian people are filled with passion. This is the feeling of authenticity Spacca Napoli successfully recreates in its restaurant. From the beautifully decorated mosaic imported Italian brick oven to the pureness of the Italian ingredients, to the family ambience it seeks to create. Unfortunately, some reviewers fail to appreciate the authenticiy of this experience. Others, don't understand why a small restaurant that is immensely popular will not book a party of 9 at 7:00pm on a Saturday night. These people have never owned a small restaurant. It's a business - livlihoods depend on it. Most parties of this size trickle in over the course of an hour, often not ordering until all are seated. Often, several do not show. A small restaurant does not have the luxury of holding tables. Spacca Napoli is doubling in size with an addition slated to open very soon, which will allow it to book reservations for large parties, which will alleviate some reviewers issues with reservations. However, they must understand that an owner should treat all guests equally important. When you have patrons waiting an hour for a table and see 3 tables for a party of 9 sit open while they trickle in either late, or not at all, you alienate more customers that way. It is the only way to treat customers equitably; unfortunately, some people can't see beyond their own world - they need to. When the owner is personally handing out food samples and wine tastings to patiently waiting patrons, how can one possibly complain of that? Of the thousands of restaurants in Chicago, you can't count on one hand the restaurants that treat their customers this respectfully. (A side note: I have seen Rick Bayless, sitting on the bench waiting patiently for a table just like everyone else). Obviously, when you have over 300+ reviews as Spacca Napoli does, and the vast majority have glowing reviews, has been recognized as one of the outstanding pizzerias in Chicago, the United States, and the world, by the Italian organizations that recognize outstanding authenticity, excellence and adherence to quality, you must be doing a LOT right. I'll let the other reviewers speak about the food, beverage and ambiance in more detail; it's not too hard to see why this place is so loved and frequented by so many regular customers. If you haven't visited Spacca Napoli yet, you need to make a point of it. If you love authentic dining experience, an owner passionate about people and the food he serves, then Spacca Napoli should be high on your list. read more

Went to Spacca Napoli with Windy City Pizza Club. Excellent service and good pizza!

RUDE RUDE RUDE. I went with a party of. 6 at 500pm. I immediately noticed there were no tables for 6 outside, but there was a table for 4 and a table for 2. I told the hostess that our party of. 6 would willingly split up. To my surprise and dismay we were told this was not possible.. "They cannot do it". To me nothing is worse than rude service. It is a neighborhood restaurant I will not return to.. Oh by the way those 2 tables were empty a majority oftentimes we were inside.!! Many places have great pizza and polite service. Those are where will spend my money! read more

Well, I'd like to start with saying that pizza is in fact very good. my review is on the customer service and attitude of the staff. We have been here many times and always come during non busy time ( 3-5pm) on weekends and sit outside on the nice days. We have a infant that cannot sit up yet, so we keep him in the stroller. Until last time... we put our name down and waited for 20 minutes only to be told that the do not allow strollers inside their outdoor sitting area ( news to us, as we came every halfway nice weekend this spring) . Huge disappointment and wasted time! With young child your time is very limited as anything you do revolves around feeding and nap schedule, therefore the fact that Spacca Napoli staff wasted almost half an hour of the two hours we had is not appreciated. We had to leave and will not be back . For all parents of the newborns- If you want to eat there your child will have to be left outside of the sitting area on the sidewalk !!!. absolutely not acceptable. read more

OMG BEST PIZZA EVER. to die for! yum. everyone and anyone needs to go there before they die! amazing food. such nice people work there. i feel like im in italy! great great place! yum. go there alll the time. desserts are great too! pizzza,salads,everything there is great!! read more

We've finally returned to this place. After several years, we came back to a familiar and yet still exciting place to eat fresh and tasty pizza napoletana. The dough is delicious and ingredients are fresh. We ate outdoors on a Friday evening at 5:45pm. It was getting crowded but we were still able to get a table. I walked in earlier and put my name, waited then they seated us when my guest arrived (remember to have all guests there, otherwise, they can't seat you). Service was friendly and attentive. There's no pressure to order more but they do ask nicely. We hope to be back soon. Wish they open a branch in the near north area. However, their location is right for the neighborhood, easy access via the CTA brown line or lots of pay parking on the street. read more

The worst pizza place ever!!! Aside from overpriced and not that excellent food, they got the worst customer service. Their 2 hosts dont really do their job quite well. 3 times (in 3 different occasions) i called in to check with them first if something i wanted from the menu is still available and the host or hosts would say yes but i had to come in to order the food face to face because they don't take in orders over the phone, so i would come in to order just 5 minutes later after my phone call (i live only 3 blocks from them) , knowing that the food i like is available, and whenever i come in, they (2 hostess in 3 different times would say "oh, im sorry, we just ran out of it"!! Seriously?!!! I just called in to check 5 minutes ago!!! And seriously?!! This just happened to me for the third time!!!! They dont even deserve one star!! They are the worst! read more

Celebrated baby showed recently. Our server was super nice, very helpful. Food as always outstanding, everyone love it!!! Great place.

Pizza and octupus appetizers were both great. The food came out very quickly. I would give the food five stars but I am deducting a star for a slow wait staff. They also have a nice patio in front. read more

I always walked past wondering how this restaurant was. It was always busy lunch or dinner. Today I got the chance to try it. The place was packed! The Vera Pizza Napolitana sign was reassuring. We were seated by the window. The decor was simple with Usual Italian pin ups on the wall. We ordered the arancini. Which came plain looking. They were good, but would have liked a sauce. Maybe they don't do that in Italia. Next came our pizzas. The base was soft and very much like a naan. The toppings were cold, clearly they didn't see the oven inside or barely. I was expecting my mozzarella melted with a little bit of char on the tomato sauce and tomatoes. The base was delicious but the topics lacked flavor. Like there was something missing. We got dessert too, we liked the desserts. The service was clean and friendly and not over friendly. We was disappointed in the pizzas that's all, maybe if I had gone with 0 expectations I would have liked it. read more

yum. it has been hard for me to find pizza i like in the city. for some reason everywhere I try has a cardboard tasting crust (besides Ian's). Spacca Napoli, why have I not tried you before? Yum, that's all I can say, great crust, stringy cheese, tasty sausage, fresh ingredients. Thank you Spacca Napoli, I knew I could find a place near my apt that was great. read more

This is a great place! We had a great bottle of wine and the pizza was authentic Italian pizza. Highly recommended. Although, maybe I should be giving a bad review so it doesn't get so crowded there! read more

My experience... well... kinda sucked. As far as Neopolitan Pizza goes, I'd say it's certainly up to par. Nonetheless, the service was absolutely pathetic-- the hostess's extreme curtness and visible resentment after we had asked to change seats to accommodate for my father in law's neck problems, the server's and busser's overzealousness in taking our dishes/boxing our food, another hostess's 5 minute monologue of where to find the bathroom with countless frivolous details, the constant unnecessarily ear-piercing screeching of "CORNER" every time a worker entered a new room, the cheesy obnoxious jokes by the water boys every time our waters were nearly empty such as: "My water sense is tingling." The whole experience was a frenetic, messy ball of cringe and discomfort, not to mention the prevalent and surprisingly audible bitching about the tables from servers; all we intended to do was to dine peacefully and we didn't get that. read more

If I could give them more stars I would. Everything, and I mean everything was soooo good! We started out with the grilled octopus that was cooked to perfection, followed with pizza(I don't remember exactly what mine was called) that was mouth watering and ended with dessert that was chocolate Gelato with Cocoa powder sprinkled on top. DELICIOUS. read more

This is quite possibly the best pizza I've ever had. Simple margherita pizza, tasted like it was straight from Italy.

My husband and I come here for every anniversary. We make it a point of ordering the special, and it has never, ever disappointed. The pizzas are incredible--best in the city, in my opinion--and the staff and atmosphere are always impeccable. Please never leave us, Spacca Napoli! read more

So I heard Spacca has the best pizza in town?!?! Also heard its pizza like in Italy!?!?! Ok so here I am w/ belly full of pizza writing this and i would say its one of the better pizza's in the chi. I literally just got back walked in the door and onto yelp! Pretty hard core, I know! :) Well the best way to describe Spacca's way of pizza is exactly how I remember it in Italy a few years back. To the T in the word italy...haha. Anyways had the funghi. Mighty delic (Pronounced Delish!) Anyways pizza came out in literally under 10 min. And thats normal for this place so dont be alarmed....Fresh ingredients, good overally taste, service was exceptionaly great. Then for desert had the special crepe nutella. Ok please note its not an actual crepe but its kinda like a thinner version of pizza dough w/ nutella in the middle. Please dont let my bad description fool you. It was really good! Well overall this place was good and probably the first pizza that I can remember that actually reminded me of the pizza in Italy. And in most cases I hate writing for places that have hundreds of reviews bc in most cases someone cant enjoy or learn from your review but on the other hand I felt a good place like this still needs to get the support from their customers. I would really liked to have given a 5 star but BUT my fav pizza place deserves a 5(I wont mention the name bc this review is only about this rest but if you are interested in my opinion check out my profile). If only yelp implemented half points! Good stuff Spacca!!! read more

Thin, Italian style pizza. This was incredibly good. Perfect amount of sauce, dough and cheese. Can't wait to go back!

First impressions make all the difference. We were greeted at the door by a friendly brood, which I assumed included the owner. We were seated immediately and ordered wine shortly thereafter. Hubs is an expert at California wines but when it comes to Italian, his taste only goes so far as women (ahem, his spicy Italian wife) :). The waitress gave us a a great recommendation for vino and we were all please. We ordered the Insalata Mista which was plenty for 3 of us to share for a starter. We all ordered our own pizzes from there. I ordered the Bianca Rucola (White Pizza with Arugula), Hubs ordered Salsiccia and Funghi (Sausage and Mushroom) and my FIL ordered the Salsiccia and something else (I liked the wine that much). I'll first start by saying that I don't really like white pizza all that much. It's not that I don't really like it so much as I like the red better. I guess I thought I would try something new, but ended up regretting not getting something with their delicious red sauce. I had some of hubs pizza - The red sauce was homemade with serious love. You could just taste the fresh. The crust was delectable and chey - I don't love crunchy crispy crusts, so this thin, puffy style reminded me of being in Italy all over again. Something to note : The atmosphere is family friendly. It's very well lit (which I liked) and you really get the feel that you are sitting in someone's kitchen (although not too crowded). Be prepared for it to be loud and a bit raucous earlier in the evening. What I am saying is, if you are kid-less like we are with a short patience for other people chitlin's, mentally prepare yourself... :) Lastly, I do have 2 beefs with Spacca: 1. The mushrooms on hubs pizza were out of a can. What?! Freshly homeade tomato sauce and then mushrooms out of a can? It was like bad icing on a delicious cupcake... 2. I asked the waitress if they had cannolli (that's the only dessert I break the diet for) and I never heard back, so I assumed no. As we were walking out the door there was a full plate of mini canolli's at the hostess desk!!! I was so very sad... :( read more