Pulcinella

Last night, my family and I had the pleasure of dining at Pulcinella Italian Restaurant, following a recommendation from a friend from Rome. From the moment we walked in, we were transported to Italy with the authentic atmosphere and warm hospitality. The food was nothing short of spectacular. Every dish we tried was a testament to true Italian cuisine, bursting with flavors that reminded us of a cozy trattoria in Rome. The staff were incredibly attentive and made us feel like royalty, ensuring our dining experience was perfect from start to finish. One of the highlights of our evening was the unique cocktails. They were unlike anything we’ve had at other restaurants, adding a special touch to our meal. Overall, Pulcinella Italian Restaurant provided an unforgettable dining experience. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for genuine Italian food and exceptional service.

Came here on Tuesday, after an unsuccessful and unpleasant short experience at Osteria Chef's Table. I came in with my best friend and the warm welcome was just delightful. Got sat down and our server was just an amazing soul! The food took a bit and god it was worth the wait. We got the lunch special deal. I had a small fennel and arugula salad and a bruschetta. I hate olives, but this was just pure magic. Delicious! Then I ordered the gnocchi and after taking one bite? Totally made in house. The portion was perfect and the timing was impeccable. From getting the salad and then our entree. Allowed us to digest our food, to be prepared for the main course! Cecilie was just amazing. I'll definitely be back again for the patio in the summer. If you're ever in the area, definitely have Cecilie happily serve you! Cannot recommend this place enough. They also have a mini market inside the restaurant and the freshly baked bread? Smelled devine. They have sauces, olive oil etc. Please drop by for sure! Come in for that lunch special for $22!

We have been there almost a month ago. Great service, My week Napoletana pizza craving satisfied!

The restaurant offers a large outdoor patio dining area. The indoor dining rooms are nice in size. The food was excellent. Friendly staff. Really enjoyed this place 😊 the pizza is really good 👍

Great outdoor seating and solid Italian options. Service was a tad slow, but if you’re sitting outside or have a good conversation going it shouldn’t be a big deal. Would probably go again with a group for lunch or dinner.

Pretty good Italian food and very nice staff. The quality of the food has improved since last time I was there 7-8 years ago. One feedback to the restaurant is that the second floor doesn’t have much air circulation and gets a bit warm. The floor manager moved us to the main floor which was a lot more pleasant.

My favourite is the classic spaghetti al-pomodoro. Simple, filling, and delicious. My experience was great, the staff were lovely and friendly. The servers I’ve had were all very attentive. The only thing is that there are times where the flush in ladies washroom doesn’t work and the tissue in the stalls have ran out.

Had a nice dinner here featuring a comfortable dining environment (there are 2 levels) and friendly servers. The food all came at once after a slight delay and it just tasted alright. I found it to be very safe and lacked some of the punch other restaurants have but the portions were big and good for large groups or families with kids. I would have preferred the pizza to be cooked a little longer as it had a bit more chew than I wanted.

An Italian joint specializing in Neapolitan pizzas and other Italian fare. Wasn't overly busy on a Saturday night and we managed to get a party of 9 in. We had a young server who did his best to keep up with us and did a good job, although he forgot to take my order until I reminded him, but we were a fairly large party so I don't blame him. My entire party agreed that the appetizers were phenomenal! I highly recommend getting the caprese salad, they source the burrata from Italy itself and it was wonderful! Other favourites of mine was the arancini made with this flavourful saffron rice. Heads up the size of the arancini are huge and comes in 3 per order. I also got the mussels which were also very delicious! Other favourites from the rest of my group was the meatballs, the mushrooms and the calamari. The only one I wasn't a fan of was the bruschetta, felt like it was an overly salty mix of tomatoes and olives on a piece of flatbread. I didn't end up getting any pizza because I pretty much filled up on all the appetizers. The rest of my party did and they all said they enjoyed it and had plenty left for leftovers which is always a bonus. One aspect of the place I really did like is that they had a mini market at the front selling some of produce, pasta as well as some of the items from their menu (including their arancini!). I picked up their homemade pesto so I can recreate the caprese salad at home.

So disappointed! First time here and I had high hopes. Started off with a Margarita pizza and watched the chef burn the first one and remake it. Actually it was pretty good. Center was a bit soggy but I didn't mind. Next I had the chicken. Sounded great but then after waiting over 40 minutes for it, it was Sooo over cooked, it tasted like cardboard. I get it, stuff happens but maybe you take it straight back and offer to make it right. Instead the weighted said "let me ask what I can do". Then you would think a manager would come over and apologize? Well, nope! It a thing. I'm not from here, maybe it's a Canadian thing? Wow!

This actually has nothing to do with the restaurant. It has to do with the behavior of their van driver - expensive looking Mercedes van BTW, with the business name and logo on the sides and back. On Saturday July 6 2024 their driver was behaving in a very obnoxious and borderline dangerous manner on 17th Avenue SE. Tailgating, speeding, blasting his horn at anyone going "too slow", screaming and swearing out the window at the other drivers, and weaving in & out of lanes. All in all it was classic road rage idiocy from whoever was driving this business's company vehicle. There was moderately heavy traffic that no one could do anything about but this guy's actions on 17th Ave made it that much worse for anyone unfortunate enough to have him come near them. I hope the restaurant is good. Hopefully I can get there one day to see for myself. Their driver though? Get a leash on this guy before he hurts or kills someone in traffic from his raging.

I'm surprised I haven't written a review of this place yet. It's been around forever and it's amazing and always has been. I have dreams about this place its so good. My favourite dish is the caprese salad actually! It's a star! They also have wood fired authentic pizza. Wine menu is amazing. Food comes out quickly. And waters are ALWAYS full which is a big thing for me. I love when severs never leave your water empty. That is a sign of good service for sure. If you want they have a tiny store at the front where you can purchase some of their ingredients. They have amazing pesto sauce that is a must try! Definitely recommend if you're in cowtown.

Excellent margarita pizza!! Great service! Beautiful restaurant! Wonderful summer patio. I've tried a few dishes & everything is great!! You've gotta try the cannoli too! Yum!!

Pulcinella is a Kensington classic--my family has been a million times and it never disappoints. I don't know if it was the heated patio or the fact it was my last supper before lockdown, but it really hit the spot. RATING: 9.5/10 -Pulcinellas One of my favourite cocktails is an amaretto sour and they shake one up that's especially delicious--extra citrusy and sweet--the amaretto shines. It really is hard to stop at a couple. For my mom and me, the arancini is the star of the show. I don't think we've ever been without starting with this appetizer. We've made it our mission to try and find somewhere that tops this arancini, but have yet to find one. It consists of rich risotto, wrapped around melted mozzarella, breaded, fried and smothered in marinara sauce. It will blow you away! TIP: These are large and filling! The order contains three--one per person is ideal, leaving room for your pizza or pasta. We order extra pizza for leftovers the next day. Pizza is our go-to. That's not to say that the pastas and other menu items aren't good, but we are creatures of habit. We love the Diavola. It's a tomato based pizza with salamino (spicy pepperoni) that provides a nice bite! We also ordered the Tartufo which is a white pizza with plenty of cheese, shaved black truffles and an egg yolk that you break on top. If you're a truffle fan, you must try this. All in all, Pulcinella's is always a good choice for any occasion. Patios are closed but plan to hit this one up when things reopen. It's heated, has a nice view and is tucked away from all the bustle of Kensington.

beautiful location and decor , i sat outside on their lower patio menu has great selections, big portions with medium pricing but everybody seems a little arrogant/miserable, almost like you are boring them a bit of a turn off

I used to really enjoy Pulcinella's but have found their pizza to be underwhelming and pretty mediocre my last two visits. It's unfortunate but I don't think I'll be back.

Our group had a server named Mike who was very unprofessional and made the wives at our table feel uncomfortable with his comments. Poor quality service due to this and will not go back.

Arancini was really good, hence the 1 star. The rest was terrible. Pre COVID this place was excellent. Tonight the service was practically non existent. My gnocchi was mush and my friends Carbonaro was completely tasteless. Won't go back, super disappointing.

Who doesn't like a nice sit down Italian place! Situated in the heart of beautiful Kensington, you will find lots to do before or after your meal all within a short walking distance. We went in without reservations on a mid week & for a table luckily. I do recommend calling in advance if possible. The ambiance is a fusion of 50s diner retro mixed with classy Italian elegance. Our server was very attentive and accommodated our needs for non-dairy with the kitchen staff for our pizza...you'll see in the pics. The best part of the food was the starter meatballs. Perhaps the best ones I've ever had anywhere!!! Full of flavour, right amount of tenderness & texture. We couldn't finish our pizza so we had it to go. Unfortunately we forgot the box at the table as we were heading out. Wish someone had pointed it out to us :( I'd like to go back for a chance to make this a 5 star review- Server/ Host knowledge: 4 Server/host attitude: 4 Fast service: 4 Food Menu: 4.5 Drinks Menu: 4 Food quality: 4 Food Portion: 4 Ambience: 4 Distance to other tables: 4 Cleanliness: 5 Comfort: 4 Waiting time to get seated: 5 Price: 3

Extremely disappointed with the $17 Kale Caesar Salad I ordered for pick up today to have for lunch. It was a I think $6 would be a more appropriate price range, and it should be listed as a side dish.

Though review to write as I'm torn... bottom line, this place rocks and it's amazing, but I think it could be one notch better... The atmosphere, hang, and environment is awesome! The service, staff and way the restaurant was run was too notch. The drinks, quality of ingredients, and everything we ate was amazing! But, my one big complaint... being I LOVE (and seek out) a proper Neapolitan pizza... the pizzaiolo (pizza maker) "killed" the delicate, delicious, dough... the dough looked fermented nicely, was in nice round airy balls, but then he killed all the delicate air bubbles and took the life out of a proper Neapolitan crust by slamming it on the counter over and over and over and over (see photo)... slow down and treat it MUCH more delicate and light handed please!!! Other than that, this place rocks! Just please treat the dough with a MUCH softer touch and this place will really stand out!!!

Stopped here for lunch with a friend, I was looking for somewhere else so glad I found this place instead. I had the parmigiano, it was fantastic. It's kind of a rustic neapolitan pizza place their wine selection looks amazing though because it was a lunch I didn't get to try it. The service was super friendly and the food came out really quickly ideal for a lunch. We shared the calamari appetizer which was also amazing. Cooked perfectly nice and tender with a ever-so-slightly spicy tomato sauce The decor is really nice clean and well looked after. But nice old floors really give a nice atmosphere to the overall Ambiance of the restaurant. I will definitely have to come back and try this place for dinner at some point.

Authentic Italian pizza, so good it reminded me of the wandering the streets of Amalfi. The vegetarianism our group has always found something she liked too, so if you're about that life this is a solid choice.

A high-end Ospitalita Italiana certified restaurant that unfortunately falls flat. Atmosphere: 2/5 - Charming Italian decorations overshadowed by the dust & food on the floor and seats. Not the best music playing. Tight spacing between most tables. Nice patio. Price: $$$$/5 - Average for a high-end restaurant so expect to pay more than you would at Famoso Customer Service: 2/5 - Service was poor, speed was slow. Location: 4/5 - Beautiful location in a great part of Calgary. Not much in terms of nearby parking, unfortunately. Taste: 3/5 - Good quality, fresh ingredients in a sizable serving that somehow managed to disappoint none the less. Menu: 4/5 - Great selection of authentic albeit generic Italian dishes. Sustainability: 1/5 - Didn't notice any efforts to be a sustainable restaurant. Strengths - Beautiful location & authentic menu Weaknesses - Slow service, no explicit sustainable efforts, expensive Good items to buy: Gnocchi al pomodoro, lasagna, cotto Summary: 2.7/5 - Being the only Ospitalita Italiana certified restaurant in Calgary made me come in with high expectations and I was unfortunately left disappointed. When I was there the restaurant seemed more like the place you go to get turnt with your friends rather than go on a nice date (which is why I was there unfortunately). There were multiple groups of people drunkenly yelling at each other. The pizza I ordered had way too much arugula. So much so that I thought it was someone else's salad when I first got it. The menu had a great selection of authentic Italian items but fell flat because it didn't have anything unique to make you want to come back again. I feel the service from my waiter was poor because they didn't refill our water until asked and took 17 minutes and 44 seconds to get our bill. Overall, I would not recommend going to Pulcinella. There are many better options for Italian cuisine in Calgary (Bonterra, Centini...). Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope it helps you!!

I have frequented this restaurant quite often in the past, and I was very disappointed with the food offering the last time I dined there. The quality of food one expects of Pulcinella was just not there. I ordered fettuccini carbonara. It was not made with pancetta, but some type of ham was used instead of the real deal. Even regular bacon would have been a more acceptable substitute. I realize that a restaurant business is a tough business, however one can expect a consistency of acceptable food quality and service. The pasta was very hard, and not cooked anywhere near al dente. The thin sauce could best be described as a soup, and not a proper sauce for a carbonara. My friend ordered a shrimp dish, and she complained that it was extremely salty. I think most Calgarians would agree that dining out is an expensive proposition these days. Getting a substandard meal for an above average price is very disappointing indeed.

Pulcinella pizzas was delicious just the right amount of cheese. We could see them make the pizzas. Great branding very thin the bathroom was so nice and clean . I Rate this place five stars!

Underwhelmed by the food. Pizza seemed like it was thrown together without integrating the ingredients. Very high price for very little cooking. Didn't try other items but was surprised by the lack of flavour and how the pizza had items laid on top of it. Prefer Una by a factor of 10.

We really love Pulicinella! It's really a treat to have this restaurant in kensi, it's likely the best pizza in the neighbourhood. As Rebbeca C. mentioned, it can be loud here, but we've been lucky with coming at less busy times and by sitting upstairs, which seems a bit less noisy. If you are looking for thin crust, artisanal pizza in Kensington, look no further than Pulcinella. They offer both red and white sauce pizza, and you will likely be pleased no matter which you order. We have had a few pizzas off the menu and the crust is always outstanding. They update their menu regularly and the severs are great for guiding you in what to choose. For appetizers we've tried both the calamari and arancini, both were so good! I'd recommend this place in the summer, for wine and pizza on the second floor patio.

Finest example of Napolitan Pizza ( Buffala Mozzarella!!) but the other menu items also rank among the best! The carbonara being my fav. Great wine list ( I've never encountered a bad choice, in fact have made many discoveries). Love the vibe of the place too, always vibrant but not so loud that you can't enjoy an intimate dinner. Prices are very reasonable considering the food, service, vibe. First choice for Calgary dining!

I used to always give Pulcinella a 5 star, but the calimari this time was bland and used to be amazing, my fiancé's carbonnara was slightly undercooked and not its usual full silky taste, and my lasagna although tasty was also missing the mark by a bit. The service as always was amazing, they are terrific at taking care of you!

So I decided to try out yet another pizza place. I had my fingers crossed that this place would turn out to have the best pizza in Calgary, but unfortunately I was left disappointed. Upon entering the restaurant I was surprised to see how busy it was on a Thursday evening and this got me excited that maybe I had found the next best pizza and had maybe been missing out on something big by never having been here before. We waited about 10 mins for a table for 2 and were then seated in the main dining area. The decor was interesting and had an upscale feel. Maybe a little too upscale for what I prefer but thats a personal opinion. The music was also a little too loud which made it difficult to carry on a conversation. No complaints with the service. A menu was brought over right away and we were faced with a huge selection of pizzas to choose from. There were some other tasting sounding appies and pasta dishes but we went primarily to try the pizza. We decided to start with the bruschetta as an appetizer and were pleasantly surprised with this start to our meal. Very tasty!! We finally decided on 2 pizzas to order; the pulcinella and the capricciosa were delivered to our table promptly. However I am sad to say that I did not discover the next best pizza in Calgary. The centre of the crust was soggy, the ingredients seemed somewhat cheap, the toppings were also a little too scarce and was just an overall disappointment. I am such a pizza lover that I will normally keep eating pizza way past the point that my stomach tells me to stop, however this pizza didn't keep my appetite past a couple slices. We boxed up the rest and I haven't even been intrigued enough to bother with the leftovers. Also felt this pizza was way over priced for what it was. Id maybe come back here for appies and wine and possibly to give the pasta a shot but if I'm in the mood for pizza there are many better Neapolitan pizza options in town. I 'll have to give this one a pass.

Good food. But they don't know how to slice a pizza. Just picked up food and if I was in a hotel what am I supposed to fold it and eat or tear the pizza off until cheese hits the floor ‍

I've been here on several occasion, and finally I can write a review. It's been quite finnicky in terms of food quality, and I didn't want to give it a stellar review and change my mind shortly after. On some of the good days, or not so busy hours, the pizza is fabulous, crust is thin and cooked just right, cheese is melted just right, the prosciutto is just perfectly crunchy to the bite, and the basil is fragrant. Service is pleasant and keeps your water bottle replenished. On bad days or busy hours, the bottoms of the pizza are completely soggy, the prosciutto is chewy and the other toppings are just everywhere. Service drops significantly, or plain MIA. The only things that are consistent on their menu are the apetitizers and dessert. The SALTI NBOCCA is TO DIE FOR. Well, anything spread with nutella is always good. Overall, I really enjoy my meals here, I just learn to come at less busy hours.

Poor Service: I asked for a bread-free sandwich, and no cheese. The server approached our table 5 times to clarify if I had allergies or gluten intolerance. If I did, I would have informed her first time that she returned to table. I eventually cancelled my lunch order. I ate a tossed salad that was added to wife's order. Wife had a vegetali sandwich that was extremely greasy, gobs of oil. No food quality check by server. Nice patio.

Love Pulcinella! Cute restaurant in the middle of lovely Kensington. It's a little noisy when it's busy but the food and service are always wonderful. They also accommodate for large groups which is fantastic!

I was in Kensington and it was lunch time, I looked around and saw a couple signs for pubs. I looked on Yelp to see which pub was rated higher, so I went into the pub, and found...not a pub at all. There is a sign for a pub outside, and Ristorante Pulcinella is not well marked out at all. So, I came across this Italian joint completely by mistake. I was greeted by a lovely young woman who showed me a menu and then to my seat at the bar once I decided that this was a suitable alternative to the pub I was seeking. My server came over, answered a few questions for me, and poured a pint of Carlsberg. I saw the prominent wood fired oven in the back, and was told that pizza was there speciality, so it was a no brainer to get the Diavola pizza. Tomato sauce, mozza, parm, spicy salami and basil. My pizza arrived quickly. A very good size, probably 12" or so, thin crust, wood fired pizza. It looked and smelled incredible! Now, if you come here, don't expect what North Americans have come to think pizza should be. There was a good coverage of toppings, but nothing over the top. This is how pizza is actually done, the Italian way. First bite and I was sold, tomato! Tomato sauce that actually tastes like a tomato! Who would have thought.. Fresh, bright and a little bit acidic, perfect! I got into the pizza and the crust was very tasty, crispy on the edges, but it got pretty soggy in the middle as I ate. The cheese was delicious, and the spicy salami was indeed spicy. Not blow your face off hot, but the more you ate the warmer your mouth stayed. The Carlsberg helped though. I did find the pizza a bit oily. I am not sure if it was olive oil drizzled on, or if it was the rendered fat from the salami, not complaining, but I did mention the soggy crust. Service was good, I was not there at a busy time though. Food was very nice. I will be back.

Another stop on my brief weekend in Calgary. We were brought here for dinner by our amazing conference leaders...LOVED the neighborhood! All of our meal was chosen for us which was completely fine by me...luckily we were able to sample what I can only imagine is EVERY single pizza that they make! Because it was prearranged, I am not familiar with the names of each pizza. But each one was delicious! One of my favorites had what I believe was a bacon/ham of sorts and was absolute perfection! The crust is thin and crispy and the toppings and sauces are fresh and flavorful!

Absolutely appalled at the service I received tonight. I have been to this restaurant once before, and it was a pleasant experience. I had a SkipTheDishes gift card and thought I would use it here. BIG MISTAKE. I found a huge black hair in my cheesecake upon taking it out of the bag. I could have tolerated this mistake, as it was innocent enough. However, upon eating my pizza I discovered anchovies cross-contaminating the mushrooms, and as a person with an ANAPHYLACTIC fish allergy, this was extremely distressing to me. Pandemic or not, this level of quality control could be fatal, and is absolutely unacceptable.

Very good pizza, this is not your morphed North American pizza altered to fit North American tastes, it's the real thing! I ordered the Quattro Stagione and was very good, crust was thin, crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Wines: they have a very good selection of Italian wines, not cheap but if you like south European wines these are excellent. I had a couple glasses of Sardinian wine, loved it! Had a wee bit of room left for desert...I ordered the Tiramisu.....it was good... But I'm originally from an island very close to Sicily so I have had better. Service: very good, pleasant, attentive and knowledgable on what they are offering

Yikes! This has got to be my worst review yet for any restaurant in the city. I had high expectations based on previous reviews. We came for a girls' night out, so at least the company was lovely. Our server had a mediocre understanding of the menu, and had an overly casual (bordering on creepy) attitude with our group. And... it was... so slow... At least the food was great, right? At nearly $50 per girl (one entree and a glass of wine each, plus shared calamari), we really ought to have stayed in instead. The gnocchi was bland and overcooked, the calamari slimy. Not fun.

This place is in a very cool location in the middle of kensington and it is a quite fancy restaurant. We did have to wait for a little bit even though we had reservations at 830 but the staff was very nice and the service was great! The pizza is a very nice thin crust with a nice mixture of flavours and it is quite filling! It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had but it was quite delicious. I highly recommend getting the Nutella on fresh pizza dough for desert it was incredible

Fair quality but over priced. Menu quite pedestrian. Not sure why so popular. Location I guess

You got brah, they bought use shots. The pizza is lit

I loved everything about Pulcinella...the trendy yet comfortable decor, the vibe, the friendly and knowledgeable staff and most of all the FOOD! It is fairly expensive but I felt that it was worth every cent. The food was served very quickly, my friend and I split the arancia e finicchio salad followed by the wild mushroom pizza and for dessert the saltinbocca (Nutella pizza). We were both sporting food babies by that point but seriously considered getting another pizza because the first one was so amazing. We rolled out of Pulcinella full and very happy...

In terms of service, ambiance and location, Pulcinella would get 5 stars hands down. In terms of the quality of pizza however, Pulcinella gets two stars in my books. I"ve had A LOT of pizza in my day and age and when I was told that Pulcinella served the BEST pizza in town, I was ready to be blown away. I was blown away all right, but for all the wrong reasons. My pizza was soggy, totally flat, and burnt in certain places. It was AWFUL. I'd much rather have the $6 Ristorante pizzas that I can pick up at the supermarket. What's worse is that I had taken a couple of friends from Chi-Town and they were both completely disappointed in Pulcinella. My visit to Pulcinella was completely humiliating and disappointing. There is NO chance I'll ever be back.

I went to this restaurant for my good friend's 24 birthday. Luckily my friends and I always have a good time together because this restaurant experience was horrible. From start to finish everything was just bad. The service was terrifyingly bad. Our waiter was slow and un-attentive, and not to mention looked like he was the most depressed man in the world. He made poor excuses as to why our food came out at weird times and even spoiled by friends surprise birthday cake by asking when to bring it out (despite our earlier arrangements). And then there was the food. Way over priced and bland. I ordered a starter salad which was a bowl full of pre-packaged lettuce and exactly two cherry tomatoes. No other vegetables in sight. I also ordered the calamari which was freezer burnt, overcooked, and caked in bland tomato sauce covered in lemon juice. Extremely un-appetizing to say the least. I tasted all my friend's pasta and pizza only to be further disappointed. The pasted was also flavourless and the pizza crust was soggy. We spoke with the manager after paying 18% gratuity for our large group (a tip we did not think fit the service whatsoever) and he seemed apologetic and informed us the waiter in question was leaving. Needless to say, it is such a shame Pulcinella cannot deliver delicious food and great customer service because the restaurant itself is in a great location and has gorgeous decor. I won't be coming back here and I recommend you avoid it,too.

It's important to know that Pulcinella isn't a normal pizza joint, at least not for Canada. You won't find super deluxe triple bacon pizzas or random ingredients that don't make a lot of sense for a traditional pizza. Nope, the food served with the pizza being the focus, is traditional Italian food. This is Napoletana style Pizza. The ingredients used are of the highest quality and truly make the pizza the delicious creation that it is. The atmosphere is fun, but elegant. It's great for a date or a small group of friends. There is a great wine selection and as a whole, it's simply a great experience for everyone.

Food: 2.5/5 Service: 3.5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Overall experience: 3/5 (1- Terrible; 3- decent; 5- Fantastic) I've been to Pulcinella a few times and had an 'OK' time. In terms of being the best restaurant to go to for Italian pizza, I recommend to NOT come here (hence the Yelp's 2/5). The taste, quality, and cost of the pizzas are not worth it. The restaurant's décor is very modern and "fresh". It has a nostalgic feel to it with large photos of Italy and people making pizzas hanging on the walls. They even have a brand new Vespa located in the middle of the room! The focal point however is their large wood burning oven where you can see chefs roll out fresh lumps of dough and then sticking it in the oven to bake. I visited Pulcinella a few years ago on the weekend for dinner which was extremely loud and busy - pizzas were backed up so food came out slowly and the quality was horrendous. My recent visits were during lunch on a weekend so the food came out in a reasonable amount of time and the servers were friendly and attentive. Pulcinella's serves authentic Napolenta pizzas for ~$15-$20 each and can go up to $20-$30 depending what you get. They are about the size of a medium pizza, and come with or without tomato sauce. They also serve some tasty traditional Italian appetizers (~$15) such as calamari and bruschetta. I highly recommend the 'Antipasto Misto' ($27) which is perfect for sharing between 4-5 people. It consists of assorted pickled and roasted vegetables (sautéed caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, eggplant), peppers stuffed with cheese and meat, black and green olives, prosciutto, and mozzarella. It's a little pricey but the quality and variety of ingredients is terrific especially if you eat it with the freshly baked bread provided. You may have to order more bread, but I guarantee you will be pretty full. I tried most of their tomato sauce pizzas which has a base of mozzarella, parmigiano, and basil with additional toppings such prosciutto, mushrooms, salami, or artichokes. If you love cheese though, I recommend the 'Quattro Formaggi' ($19) which has mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmigiano, emmental and basil. Full of flavor and cheesy goodness! Overall, the pizzas were only okay...the crust always comes out limp and gradually gets soggy towards the middle (it was not crispy at all). There weren't enough toppings and sometimes it was overwhelming salty. The biggest turn off though is the burnt areas around the crust so you get that nasty bitter taste.

Terrible pizza, its actually a shame given the ingredients are of good quality, but the dough is soggy, the pizza comes out warm but the bottom of the "crust" is black with soot. We had to leave and go eat elsewhere, thats how bad it was.

I seem to be 'swimming against the current' here, but here's my two cents. - I do not fancy soggy pizza. Maybe it was the EXTRA liquids from the canned mushrooms and artichokes the chef did not account for. YUK - I expected to find a little more than a single basil leaf chopped and diligently distributed over the an entire pizza - especially for a pizza where 'fresh basil' is one of its main ingredients. - To end in a somewhat positive note, the pizza crust was good (I do make my own pizza dough at home so good means good, it would have been great if it wasn't soggy and burnt) Overall, I was NOT impressed. The pizza we had reminded me nothing of the authentic- simple- fresh - thin- crusted pizza we had in Italy.

The worst service I have ever experienced in Canada. We got there pretty late on a Friday night, so they weren't busy. We got seated immediately and the waitress came over, looking unimpressed, and dropped two menus on our table. No water was offered to us. We had to flag her down 10 minutes later to put our orders in, yet no water to be seen. We ordered a margherita pizza (upgraded to burrata cheese), mussels and caprese to share. Our food came out suspiciously fast - makes you wonder. At that point we finally asked for some water and proceeded to have food. The mussels : probably the tiniest mussels I have ever seen and a relatively small serving size. Really?! Caprese: the cheese tasted nothing like burrata. For reference sake, burrata means buttery in Italian. Well theirs tasted rubbery. And boy was it salty!!!! Margherita: the pie was over cooked and overly dry, it tasted like it has been sitting under the lamp for hours. Burrata had the same rubbery taste and the rate sauce tasted cheap. As we were choking on that dry pizza dough and rubbery burrata, there was only one thing we were hoping would save the day - a damn glass of water !!!!! Nope, no such luck, we never got our water. Never.

Wow, everyone on Yelp either loves Pulcinella or will NEVER go back there! I guess that's a strategy to keep new customers coming? To try their luck? This restaurant has a special place in my heart, as I went there on my husband and I's first date, and we went there the night he proposed. He didn't propose in the restaurant, but the servers helped him with a small portion of it. That's a story for another time, and probably another medium unless I can review his marriage proposal on here. BUT, I will say that I don't really love the food there. We went twice (the two occasions listed above) and I made sure to tell him that I wasn't really interested in going there on every special occasion because I didn't really love the food. I see what everyone means about the crust and the sogginess. I can't speak to how it's served in Italy, so I'm not sure if it's authentic. We probably won't go back there for a long time, it is indeed pretty spendy and it doesn't really blow you away.

Ristorante Pulcinella was at the top of my "to try" pizza list. I had heard that they used ovens from Italy and are one of the only Associazione Pizzaioli Napolitani pizzarias in the world. Impressed by this knowledge, I was expecting to be totally wowed. I wasn't. The decor is really nice - I liked everything about the set-up. That was a plus. The pizza itself though, well....it's expensive, as expected. And I just didn't enjoy it very much. I found the crust totally soggy, to the point of tasting undercooked. It was burnt around the edges. There was not a lot of flavour. The 2 people I was with said they liked it, but I did too. I think we were all embellishing because we were supposed to like such an authentic pizza. I'd recommend it to try out for sure because pizza is totally a "to each his own" kind of thing. For me, this one doesn't belong on "my own" list.

Pulcinella is a solid showing for Neapolitan style pizza in Calgary. Yes the have the proper oven, yes they have fresh ingredients, yes the have the Associazione Pizzaioli Napolitani certification, and yes they have a wonderful selection of wines to compliment. Big checkmarks for all areas. But for the love of San Pietro, why do they deliver these marvelous creations to the tables on china plates? The heat from the pizza is trapped and becomes soggy instead of staying crispy and chewy. I will go back to Pulcinella, it is a marvelous place, but I will ask that they plate my pizza either on paper, or a wood cutting board.

Good classic pizza base, with a non-watery tomato sauce and enough cheese (common Neapolitan pitfalls). But be warned that some topping combos work better than others. In particular I am a sucker for the ones with arugula on top. A bit pricier than some Neapolitan style spots in town, but with more non-pizza options than most. My tablemates really enjoyed their pastas. Excellent service (friendly, efficient, non-intrusive) every time I've been. Recently renovated (like, last week), the restaurant is huge now that they have taken over the upstairs ex-restaurant space as special event and weekend overflow seating. This should relieve some of the wait-reward star penalty assigned by my fellow esteemed Yelpers.

Our group of 6 went and had a great time last night. Wouldn't have mattered where we went, it would have been great regardless. For our reservation we got seated upstairs, which is too bad since the air conditioning was on too high and we were all cold after a few minutes. We were hoping to sit down stairs since it was so much more warmer! After all it is October and cooler at night, so having air conditioning on is un-necessary for dinner. We ordered allot of different food and drink so we can all try a bit of everything. All of our food was great except for two items. We ordered some bruschetta and the bread came out burnt and tough to eat. Ouch! They loaded it up with lots of tomatoes, maybe to make up for it being burnt or so we wouldn't notice? We just ended up eating all the toppings and leaving the bread. The 2nd item that wasn't very good was the Caprese salad. It was so salty which it shouldn't be since the salad only has three ingredients (tomatoes, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar) we noticed it had rock salt on top and allot of it which didn't make it edible or taste great, so we just left it. Ew! We didn't mention anything to our waiter, nor did he ask why we didn't eat the salad or the bruschetta bread. We just let it be since we knew we had other food coming soon and was hoping for something warm and yummy to eat. Besides those two items, we did order 3 different pizza's to sample, some pasta and calamari to share as well. All were very good. We all drank wine and they have a pretty good selection of wine. It would be great to see some more pizza varieties since all ethier had pork or a couple vegetarian options. Maybe something with chicken or beef for variety? We had a great time and most of the food was pretty good. The place is decorated very well and is nice and modern. Our waiter was okay, but definitely not friendly. The girls at the front to seat you were so nice and made you feel welcome. Over-all just a couple minor things with the food, but besides that things were good.

I think I just ordered the wrong dish, seeing as their specialty is actually their traditional Italian pizzas and pastas and I chose the mussels. They tasted really fishy and salty, the sauce wasn't great, and therefore I wasn't a fan. That said, the staff were super friendly, the wine was divine, and the space is aesthetically pleasing. It's got more of a modern look than an authentic old-school Italian trattoria or osteria, however you still maintain a sense of that tradition with the aromas of the food, and the black and white photographs on the walls of Italian markets, parked vespas on cobblestone, portraits and such. Sure I would try it again, the small taste of the pizza I had was fantastic, so I'd stick to ordering one of their specialties.