Robert G.
Yelp
Because of the positive exchange when I dropped by while in the neighborhood a year or two ago, I decided I would return. After all, Pizzeria Napoletana is one of the best known pizzerias in Little Italy, and in Montreal. I also learned that they accept credit cards, which is important for folks who are from out of town.
I walked in and they were busy. After a short while, I was seated. There was a long table of about a dozen university-aged girls nearby and I was able to preview the service from that. My server was attending to them, checking in with them, and bringing them what they requested. He was also the same way with me, which was appreciated, so I can say that the service is now much better, or it was on this evening.
There was a small amount of confusion. Pizzeria Napoletana puts their own names on their different pizzas. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what they want to do and many restaurants come up with their own names for dishes. However, for a handful of standard and popular pizzas in Italy and elsewhere, they should feature them with the same name and same ingredients. They do for the Margherita. However, I was hoping to find a "capricciosa" or a "quattro stagioni" like the ones I've eaten for years. I couldn't, so the server got me to the pizza closest to a "capricciosa" after telling him what they usually contain and we added an ingredient for a small upcharge.
The pizza was definitely fine, but not memorable like I was expecting it to be. I think it had to do with the edges and interior of the crust, with the edge being a little crustier and the interior tearing apart too easily. If you've had the local pizza from a wood-fired oven in Naples or Campania, it generally is memorable.
The prices seemed reasonable, less so with additions, and in the ball park for what is now a more and more sought after Little Italy. I am glad they now take credit cards because, if they didn't, I wouldn't have gone in. I avoid businesses that don't take plastic when traveling. Also, they are definitely authentic, dating back to something like 1948. If asked in English, they would not say "Naa-boo-lee-dahn," which is what a Jersey Shore Italian-American might say because they are too diluted and disconnected. Even if it's Gino the Canadian, he'll say Neapolitan in Italian closer to how it should be pronounced, even if in the regional dialect.
Pizzeria Napoletana is fine. It's that I've still got a favorite pizzeria in the Montreal area. For most other people, this pizzeria would be a 4. It may be that I'm pickier when it comes to a type of food I grew up with.