"Zarella is a pizza-focused Italian spot in River North from the team behind Alla Vita. The menu: uncomplicated. The neighborhood: busy. The booths: big. This place is crowded, and it's also perfect any time you need to get a random assortment of people together. There are dueling pizza styles, tavern and “artisan” (thin but with a puffy edge), and both have tangy crusts with admirable structural integrity. Zarella’s winning formula of pizza + giant bar + upbeat pop music equals an easy, reasonably affordable, low-stakes place." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen