This has to be a very provisional, conditional account, as they're still very new, I've only had one encounter, only tried the pizza, and didn't eat in but took it away.
The space is large, bright but handsome and inviting. Overall the vibe is fun and lively. Bustling but not crushingly loud or oppressive.
The menu seems well proportioned, with a dozen apps., a half-dozen salads, 16 whimsically named pizzas, etc. Pizzas only come in one size and are all priced in the mid-teens. Apps seem a bit expensive, but also tend to be built around expensive ingredients (e.g., burrata, prosciutto, various seafood).
We had the Margherita and Troisi pizzas. (That's not what we ordered, but it's what we got. More of that anon.)
I liked the pizzas a lot. The thin but still chewy, foldable crust worked for me. It felt like the right amount of dough-to-topping, it didn't collapse, and was very tasty.
For me, both from a value and a taste perspective, I found the toppings on the scant side. Tasty, but really could have used a bit more. The basil on the Margherita was visible, but barely registered as a flavor. Likewise, the crumbled sausage on the Troisi was tasty but pretty lightly applied, and the rapini was just not present enough to supply the desired bitter green contrast to the meat. One wanted both more rapini-to-meat proportionally, and more of everything. Not a ton more. But definitely some.
Now to the service which, one hopes, will get tweaked as they find their sea legs. We called in the order. A very simple order: 1 Margherita, and 1 Amalfi pizza. Full stop.
The hostess (calls seem to come into the host station at the front, which probably lowers the odds of accurate communication during busy times), seemed to have never heard the word "Amalfi" before. She said "what?" three times before finally responding with "Oh." (Despite the fact that they have a modern, computerized ordering system, it was not a very convincing "oh," and experience bore out my doubts.)
I showed up at the appointed time, waited a not great 15 min. for the pizzas to be retrieved, during which time both the hostess I had spoken with earlier and then a more managerial type quizzed me about my name and my order and appeared confused by my answer. So, between my initial call, and our face-to-face dialogue, I had occasion to repeat that I had ordered an Amalfi pizza at least 6 different times to 2 different people.
The pizzas appeared. I paid. I walked home. My pizza had sausage and rapini on it, not mozz., parm., artichoke, spinach, and goat cheese.
I checked my receipt to see if by chance it included the order as well as the credit card info. Indeed it did. "Troisi" pizza, right there on the ticket.
Called them right back. She says, "Do you want to bring it back?"
No, I do not. I just walked 4 blocks each way in 90-degree heat. I want you to send me the right pizza, or at the very least credit me for the wrong pizza.
Nope.
Frankly, for an enterprise that's been around the block a few times, I find this inexplicable. The location is new, but these folks run several successful businesses. They know how this works. There is no digital phone system so bad that "Amalfi" sounds like "Troisi." That aside, you confirm your orders. That's just basic. At the end of the phone call, and then when you turn over the food, you run it down. Every tiny taco stand and stir-fry store front knows that.
And if you get it wrong, you make it right. The onus is not on the customer.
All that said, I'll certainly be back to try again. Plenty of potential there. Hoping they can make it happen.
Nella Pizza & Pasta, 1125 E. 55th St., (773) 643-0603, open 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
"Strange how potent cheap music is."