Napoli — Restaurant in Wellington

Context: Heard a lot about this restaurant, thought of giving it a go and finally planned for a dinner (on a weekday evening) there with a lot of expectations. Called them the day before and asked if they can serve 'Spaghetti Aglio e Olio'. The lady on the phone was polite and responsive, she said that it's not on their menu but they can do it for us on request. I repeated myself and asked her to confirm as one of us would like to have that particular dish in the dinner. She checked once again and confirmed that it shouldn't be a problem and recommended us to reserve a table asap as it might get busy at dinner time. I reserved a table online with a table preference in the note.

The dinner time: We were there on time and found that the preferred type of table is not available and we were given another small table (which I understand might happen and it was just a preference based on the availability only).

Atmosphere (4/5): It was bustling and cozy at the same time. We felt quite comfortable in there and liked the vibe.

Service (2/5): We had a warm welcome on arrival, could have been an easy 5 for their cordial service until this happened - while placing the order, I mentioned about the conversation I had with them on 'Spaghetti Aglio e Olio' the day before. And to my surprise, the lady who was taking the order refused to serve it, saying they can't serve as it's not on the menu. On request, she checked with kitchen again and said they can't make it. Instead they offered a kid's meal (small portion) of spaghetti but with just butter on top (nothing else in it). It was a complete ruiner for us at that moment. But we thought we would adjust and gave it another go by requesting to add some prawns and veggies in it. Once again, she went to kitchen and came back negative saying they can't add anything and it's what it is. Really hard to understand, was it a big deal to make such minor customization, specially when they promised something and failed to comply?

Food (2/5): We ordered one coffee but was served two instead. As it was already on the table, we didn't return the other one and one of us had it. Both the coffee were well made and was refreshing. Fried Calamari was quite good, moist and very well seasoned, the salad which came with it was good too - the rating of 2 is for the coffee and calamari, rest of the items were not up to the mark at all. The Pollo Pizza was bland, not well seasoned or flavored, even after mixing the chilli oil and chilli flakes. I had Napoli style pizzas before (in Italy itself), it's not at all a good match with that, disappointed! Then came the spaghetti dish they suggested (which I already mentioned above) - first they brought a different type of pasta and when we showed it to them, they replaced it with the spaghetti. But the dish was a total upset for us, completely bland and no taste at all, it's just a plate of boiled spaghetti with some butter. Finally, ended with a chocolate gelato which was ok.

Value (2/5): Price of the food was on the higher side but at par with most of the restaurants in CBD, so was not a surprise to us. But based on the taste, experience and feedback shared above, can't rate more than 2 in this.

Overall, had a high expectation from Napoli but was a bit disappointed. The taste of food and service could have been much better. I would request them to be a bit more flexible (in terms of using add-ons in the food) and please promise something to the customers only if you can comply, otherwise it can spoil the whole experience of the customers and their hard earned money as well. Hope these helps and look forward to seeing a better version...

The best Italian restaurant. Not preconditioned on location or being outside Italy! Pizzeria Napoli knows it’s craft and has steady clients from opening at 5:00pm. If a full restaurant at 5:00pm doesn’t account for how good this Italian is, you must try for yourself.

The menu is strong offering several pizzas to satisfy your most connoisseurial slice-eaters and your mates who reliably ask for the meat lovers. Pizzeria Napoli has five calzones that represent the best dinner you could ever have! And the calzones come with a delicious side salad, for even more excuse to order it!

The pizzeria also offers up delicious Italian pastas and traditional dishes from all over the republic. The simplicity of the food and the skill on each plate means this will become your trusted local Italian eatery.

The staff are quick and charming, with all the bombastic charm of the most quintessentially Italian man. Be sure to ask after their superb range of wines, especially for matches drawn from all over Italy and broken down by region: Chianti, Toscana, Nobile, and so many more. Follow the specials on wine and your education will expand at a rapid rate. For the non-wine drinkers, the Pizzeria has great craft beers from local breweries like Garage Project, and they pour a fantastic Aperol Spritz.

Finish with a wonderfully filling pudding, made like an 89 year old mother who loves her son! Be sure to grab a bottle of chilli oil at the counter as you pay. It’ll be an excellent souvenir to remind you where you now go for Italian.

Go here and enjoying converting to the strong following of the World’s Beat...

Great! 2nd best pizza and lasagna in the WORLD. At least in the 100 or so countries we have been to. I eat pizza everywhere and this was just wonderful. Great crust cooked just right, just the right amount of cheese and toppings. Crispy salami and tasty sauce. The lasagna was soft throughout and very tasty, excellent meat and sauce. We literately had it the leftovers for breakfast the next day. I eat pizza everywhere and will have another tonight in Rotura and Napoli was one for the best ever. My wife says second only to Moosetooth in Anchorage Alaska. The lasagna was second only to Tomasso’s in San Francisco. Maybe a little more melty cheese would get it closer. The service was some of the best in our 3 weeks we have been in New Zealand, though overall we thought restaurant service in New Zealand has been pretty poor. Napoli was the exception right from the beginning they were helpful and the waiters were constantly walking around looking to see if everything was good. And they were packed, with a 30-45 minute wait for a table. The only less than 5 star was the bar service, they were slow and less than friendly for bartenders, but they made good very detailed drinks. [we were sitting at the bar] Took the guy several minutes to find a bottle of Chianti (in an Italian restaurant and it was the first or second wine listed on their wine list). But that was totally a minor thing in an otherwise awesome...