Average food, so-so scene and bad bathroom location at Canelli's — but hey, it beats delivery

By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We opened the glass door of the bustling, month-old Canelli’s Pizzeria just after 8 p.m. on a Saturday and seated ourselves.

Service: Surprisingly, our waitress was at the top of her game when the restaurant was busiest. Once a few tables cleared out and things mellowed a bit, she started slacking on refills, and we sat with crumpled napkins on our plates for a good 10 minutes before finally asking for the check.

Meal: It’s a super-casual, quick-bite place, but I was still irritated when we got our pizza before our wings and undercooked breadsticks. I ordered those starters in hopes of keeping my guests from gnawing on the table, but the late delivery rendered them useless. The hefty hot wings were crunchy, with a big kick, and we managed to polish them off between slices of our not-so-thin Neapolitan pizza (they also serve a not-so-thick Sicilian). Our small Monster Pie had an even coating of fresh, flavorful ingredients, although our slices were a little flimsy. The fry-bread-like calzone was an unexpected and unappetizing twist on the Italian classic. Inside its nontraditional, faintly sweet, deep-fried dough was a bunch of ricotta cheese and a light sprinkling of sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, pepperoni and green peppers. No sign of my must-have calzone companion, Mr. Mozzarella. The baked ziti lacked any zest (the marinara reminded me of the pizza sauce) and wasn’t baked long enough to crisp the cheese on top. But at $6.75 with bread and a small salad, one can’t expect much.

Scene: Big with the families, this small dining space can get pretty chaotic and loud thanks to a thriving delivery service. Wrought iron and European artwork dot the soft peach walls.

Bathroom break: I had to snake my way through a handful of delivery kids to get into the women’s private restroom. These guys need to find another waiting spot — one was literally blocking me from opening the door to get out.

Tab for four: $54 with tip and tax for a dozen hot wings ($5.50), herb breadsticks ($2.25), two small dinner salads ($2.75 each), small thin-crust Monster Pie ($14.25), special calzone ($7.25), baked ziti ($6.75) and a large soda ($1.65).

If work weren’t buying: I’d dial-up Canelli’s for pizza and wings over any of the delivery chains.