When Giannoni’s Pizza opened in Westwood Village two weeks ago, a few people mentioned they’d tried it. Now that some time has gone by, a WSB reader e-mailed to ask us to ask everybody out there for more reviews. Anyone?
My first experience was pretty good.
Went back on a Sunday evening – they were closed. So I’m not sure of the hours but it’s not every night until 10.
Went back on a Saturday and had trouble with the order. I don’t know if it was a new person behind the counter or if I didn’t communicate clearly but I had to ask for 2 of the missed toppings after the slice was baked. Maybe if they had pre-printed lists with checkboxes that we could check what we wanted it’d be easier to order. Lots of sandwich shops do that…
Also, pricing on slices is a little confusing, when does it go up to $3.75 vs. $3.50?
Maybe a day or two after they began, I was walking by and was looking for something to drink that was not diet and not sugary(like pure juice, etc). While they did not have that at the moment, the owner was just so wonderful! She offered water, a seat, etc. Really, really nice. I am on a diet so won’t be going there for the pizza. However, I will go back, I told friends and they all loved the place. Nice goes a longggggggggg way. I really like the owner. The kindness of strangers and pleasant surroundings should go a long way. I hear the pizza is also good.
As an East Coast born, Italian-American who knows from good pizza, I just had to try this place based on the WS Blog coverage. The place is interestingly painted and the staff seemed friendly and eager to please. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the slice of I had. They got the amount of cheese and the taste of the sauce right. But the hand-tossed crust was the nicest part. It is nowhere near the transcendent experience of one of the product of coal-fired pizza ovens on Bleecker Street in New York. But for Seattle it is right up there. Definitely worth doing a drive-by. Now if someone could only do something about the bagel situation.
Haven’t tried it yet as we’re in Nashville (HOT – 109 deg.f today) but amen to the last commenter – as east coast transplantees, we miss good bagels and pizza – usually wait for our trips back east to indulge…
Tried it last weekend for a slice. They seemed a little overwhelmed and did not have their systems down – my slice had only one of the two toppings I paid for and I had to ask again for my soda.
The pizza itself was good though, thin crust, good sauce, nice proportions.
The ambiance of the interior is nothing special, and it was woefully hard to tell from their menus if they deliver, do they?
We were there on day 6. The service seemed a little casual, though maybe they were just tired. Pizza was quite good, I thought, though next time I might ask them to burn the crust a bit more (or even singe it a la Tutta Bella; it was a touch limp for my taste.
Fabulous pizza & wonderful staff. The chef, Franco, is from Naples and passionate about pizza. The owners live in WS (Franco also) & really want to be a local business. I think they have the potential to be great but are still working out the kinks. Have some patience, kindly make suggestions for improvement & hope a local pizza place serving ‘real’ pizza can make it here.
I stopped by with my kids for a quick lunch. I thought it was surprisingly good pizza. The outdoor dining area was great for kids, and we even met another family and exchanged numbers. I thinks it’s a great local place.
We were there this last Tuesday and really enjoyed it. The owner (female) was delighted to hear that we’d stopped by after reading her email on WSB. Service was great. Super friendly. They definitely wanted to make a good impression.
Giving our picky youngster her own slice was a big win for all of us.
My SO, a crust connoisseur, loved his extra-crispy slice and was inspired to give a little speech on the unthinkability of throwing out crust ends.
I got a medium Bianca — white pizza not available by the slice YET — and loved it and was glad to have leftovers. I preferred the medium crust, not quite so “done” as the slices.
The Caesar salad was really tasty too. I didn’t have a chance to ask whether it’s store-bought or homemade dressing.
We’ll be back lots.
Andrew: I’m with you. The texture of the crust is super important. Some of that goodness comes from the way the dough is handled. But much of the character comes from having a REALLY hot oven. I’m talking upwards of 1000 degrees. I didn’t get a close look at the ovens at Giannonni’s but I’m guessing they are gas-fired as opposed to a wood/stone heating deck. Both Tutta Bella and Via Tribunale do a good job of cooking their pizzas hot enough to give the crust that balance of tender and crispy with just a hint of char.
Then there’s Filiberto’s in Burien. Erratic service, terrible setting, but really good pizza – most of the time. Just don’t order anything other than the pizza.
Since we are talking about Burien, I would recommend Vinces. That is the best on the west side. Most west seattle people don’t know about this long time Seattle pizza place. I just sent some WS friends from Chicago and they loved it.
I’ve had their pizza by the slice as well as ordered a whole pie. Very tasty! It’s nice to have a quality pizza place close by so we don’t have to drive all the way out to Paggliacci, plus this place is cheaper AND even better, the staff is super nice and really interested in making sure that the customers are taken care of. You can tell they are very passionate about the pizza and having a quality place. Hurray! It’s about time we had something like this in our neck of the woods!
Although I love the taste of the crust, it was SO soggy both times I tried it. I had to put the slices in my oven at home to crisp them back up. The sauce is tasty. Prices aren’t always what they say in the menu though.
We ate there last Saturday and couldn’t be more impressed. Like others have said, they really want to make sure their customers are pleased and having a great experience. There are some kinks they are working through, but the food is great (both pizza and salads). They are a truly awesome addition to Westwood Village.
Tasty pizza–good crust, flavorful sauce, and just the right amount of gooey, gloopy cheese. Not much in the way of decor, but who cares? Not yuppie, not trendy, not cutesy-poo, not a chain, just a friendly place and a welcome addition to West Seattle.
I’m an upstate new yorker in search of a good new york pizza here in seattle :( . This was probably the closest I’ve tasted. Sadly the inside of the pizza was a little too limp. I would have liked my slices to be cooked alil longer. Besides the limpness of the inner crust it was tastey. The sauce was delicious and the cheese was sprinkled on light enough to mix with the sauce giving you the delicious taste. My pepperoni slice was cooked so that the pepperonis were not overcooked and soft. You don’t want the pepperonis to be cooked too much because then you get a pool of oil. Overall I’m really happy to have such a great thing nearby. Now I don’t have to drive to capitol hill to the most new yorky pizza I can find (Piecora’s Pizzeria). I think they just need to work on cooking the inside area of the pizza alil better.
BTW Vince’s Pizza is pretty good too.
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