Na’Pizza — Restaurant in Etterbeek

As you would expect from a pizzeria that reaches the top 50 best pizzerias in Europe (Italy excluded), our dinner at Na'Pizza did not disappoint. The interior of the place breaths Naples, with several canvases containing pictures of the Ovo Castle, the San Francesco di Paola basilica, actor Massimo Troisi and the cabaret duo Totò e Peppino. But the purpose-built wood-fired oven in which the Neapolitan pizzas are prepared, still remains the eyecatcher.

The extensive menu contains a large variety of red, white and special pizzas. My initial choice, the Carretiera with fennel sausage and friarielli, was not available since the friarielli season had ended (a sign that they only use fresh ingredients). My plan B, the Porca Vacca with cooked ham and soft buffalo gorgonzola, was a worthy replacement though. The dough was sturdy enough to hold the center of the pizza together, despite the weight of the cheese and the topping with olive oil. The crust was light and chewy, but was still easy to tear apart - a sign of well-developed gluten in the dough. What stood out for me, was that the ham was chopped up in fine strips, rather than entire slices. This was also the case with the toppings on other pizzas, and made for a good distribution of the ingredients and taste.

As appetizer, we decided to share a plate of fritto misto. Apart from the polenta fritters, which did not have a distinct flavor, the other types were exquisite. The arancini with rice, peas, bacon and mozzarella filling were crunchy and tender at the same time, but my favorite was still the fluffy montanarine, topped with fresh tomato sauce and basil.

The food was great, but the service - even though polite - was poorly organized and reduces my rating by 2 stars. It took a significant amount of time before the waiter came by to get our drink order. As we were in good company, I did not really mind the delay. Then, while eating the appetizer, the same waiter was urging us to finish quickly because "it was time to order our pizza", and started taking away plates that were still half-full. When we just finished our main course, the bill was put on the table because we had to make way for the next round of reservations. It's a pity that we had to suffer the consequences from their lack of...

It's a common battleground of interwebs discussion boards: where to find the best pizza in the world? As if such a thing really existed. Is it Italy? Is it New York? Blah blah blah. For my money, the best pizza is not a dish; it is an experience. It has to come with the jollity of being served in a friendly, unpretentious, and perhaps slightly chaotic place. The best pizza comes fresh out of the oven tasting faintly of wood smoke with an almost biscuity edge, a soft thin savoury centre, good quality toppings, and it must be eaten on a terrace with someone whose company you most enjoy. A good pizza is supposed to be a treat, a fun meal and (dare I say it) the opportunity for a casual romantic date. Where better than Na'Pizza can you combine all these things? Nowhere. Simple as that. The interior is more pizza oven than restaurant, the long line of salivating pizza aficionados queuing round the corner of the street is a dead giveaway. If you are lucky enough to secure a wobbly terrace table, then take it. The wine is not great but it's perfect, the service is barely adequate, but it is ideal for the occasion. The setting brings Na'Pizza back to the humble authenticity of the only dish on the menu. Don't even bother reading the rest. The pizzas are huge, and excellent. They are made to the exact specifications that I expect to have the following effect on the consumer: excitement, eyes and mouth wide open with anticipation, closely followed with tears of happiness streaming down your face. Next you start talking with your hands and all of life becomes passion again. Mia nonna would approve. This is one of those secret foody addresses that few people talk about, but every foody secretly loves. If it's pizza (the dish and the experience) you want, this is the place to go in Brussels. Is it better than Italy or NYC? What a...

Mise à jour en réponse! Réservation au nom de Claudio, pour 20h ! Pas 19h30! Je suis arrivé à 19h55. Lors de la réservation, on m’a signalé que je devais laisser la table à 21h30max! Vous nous avez fait partir à 21h05-10! La table à côté de la notre, était assis AVANT NOUS et était encore présent a notre départ! Pourtant, on avait apéro, entrée et plats! Ils se sont limités aux plats. Vous nous confondez avec d’autres clients! Et PERSONNE, je dis bien PERSONNE avant vous, n’était venu nous dire qu’il fallait partir dans les 30 secondes après le paiement. Je décris les choses comme elle l’était! Rien n’est inventé ou oublié! Soit! Vraiment dommage … ——————————————-

Je suis assez déçu… la nourriture était excellente, comme à son habitude! A mes yeux, dans le top 3 des pizza sur bxl. Par contre, le service, le pire de tous! Déjà, je réserve. Le principe, c’est donc d’avoir une table réservé pour mon arrivée. Table pas prête, ce n’est pas grave… Soit, on s’installe. Après 2 min, on nous demande de changer de table… ok, pas de stress. On commande et recevons nos boissons, puis 10 min après, on nous rechange de place! Génial! 15 min qu’on est là, et on change déjà 2x de place… soit, ok… rentabilité.. je comprends. Nous mangeons, apéro, entrée plat dessert café, service rapide, ok .. boom même pas le temps de boire mon café, addition sur la table, et direct, on demande d,encaisser. Ok… je paie cash, et je laisse pourboire.. trop bon, trop con! Même pas le temps de respirer , le patron arrive et toc sur la table, « merci de libérer la table »! Pas un au revoir ou un merci! Ta manger payer, CIAO! Sérieux?, une honte… vraiment triste. Les restaurant italien sont connu pour être chaleureux, ici, c,est tout l’opposé! Vraiment une pompe à fric… d’une tristesse! J’adorais ce resto, il a chuté dans mon estime. Heureusement que leur pizza a est excellente mais tous le reste...