Itri Wood Fired — Restaurant in Bristol

You know how people sometimes say, "Yo, dawg, go to [place]. They got the best pizza." And you go there, and the pizza's really good? Like, it's really good. But it isn't really any different than the rest. It's just good pizza. But you aren't writing home to your parents and saying, "Hey, dad. I know you and I never write anymore, and like you've all but disowned me. But I just found the best pizza place."

Well, this wouldn't happen if they told you, "My friend, I gotta tell you. Itri Wood Fired has the. Best. Pizza. EVER." (actually, it would read more like, "Itri Wood Fired has the, period, best, period, pizza, period, EVER, period!" But I digress.)

I mean, I know, pizza is pizza around here. You'e had one, you've practically had them all. Slight variations on crust thickness, different recipes for the sauce, cheese is shredded slightly thicker or whatever, all coming to a head in the same old, same old, but slightly better or slightly worse, right? Yeah.

Itri is different.

I promise you.

Here's how it's probably going to go. You'll walk in. You'll get a seat after a short-to-medium wait. You'll look at the menu and decide to get the Brussels sprouts (or not. I said probably). They'll taste great. You like the way the balsamic and the bacon work together so perfectly. You're still deciding on the pizza when you finally just decide to go with the classic Margherita. I mean, it's the only one that looks familiar, except for the short rib one, but you're not a big fan of bleu cheese.

Anyway, you order the mmmmMargerita pizza and have another beer or wine, and then it arrives.

Immediately your nose tells your brain, "EAT. THIS. NOW."

The next part can't be described with words, but just know that what you just experienced will never be experienced again, because once you've found perfection, the next time you go will be a fleeting memory of the first time you took your first bite and felt like you'd finally seen heaven. In a pizza. The way you gobbled down the rest of the slice, and actually decided you just had the best ever crust you've ever had.

And who even compliments a pizza's crust?

Anyway, you'll be back. Everything on the menu is just as good. The staff are great. The outside section in the back is pretty cool. Reminiscent of, like, those places you go in Philly that have little outdoor seating areas, even though you're standing the whole time. They've got a good beer selection, with some Pizza Boy IPA always on draft. They've got a great atmosphere, and

get this

the best pizza you'll ever have in your entire lifetime (if you're not vegetarian, or have Celiac disease) is with their spicy Calabrian sausage. Trust me on this one. You've already trusted me and loved their Margherita...

I was so excited to come to Itri! They had a grilled cheese and tomato soup special which looked really yummy and like the perfect meal for a cold day. When we arrived on Sunday at 12:20pm (the restaurant had been open for 20 minutes at this point), we went to the hostess and asked for a table for 3. She was extremely rude and acted like I was bothering her for even coming to the hostess stand. She asked if we had a reservation, and since we did not told us the wait would be at least an hour, which confused me cause there was a TON of open tables. I knew we’d be having more people meet us, so I asked her if she had a larger table for about 6 people available at the time, to which she told me that would be a 3 hour wait. She added me to the wait list, which I was the only person on it, and again she seemed disgusted that she even had to do that. I was so confused because it was a Sunday, they had only been open for 20 mins and there were many tables open/the place was practically empty. I would have understood if I came in on a Friday night at a 6pm rush & had to wait, but no offense…this is bristol borough, not NYC or LA. We met up with friends later and they told us that they’ve had the same experience multiple times, even when trying to make reservations a week or two in advanced. As well, they also told me that it is very typical behavior of the staff/girls they have working to be extremely rude. Luckily we went across the street and they were more than accommodating. Overall, I feel the hostess should learn how to speak to customers in a more professional/kind way, and not make people feel like a burden to them. Hopefully we will be able to have a more positive experience if we...

I want to preface I only had the Detroit Style Pizza. Bar staff was great, beer selection albeit limited was varied and I settled on a hazy, delicious!

Pizza is limited to only plain, sausage or pepperoni no customization - no big deal. The pie’s presentation is amazing!

Beyond that - the dough had been underproofed resulting in a very chewy pizza which after a while made my jaw hurt, whether it’s old yeast or the fermentation procedure they use isn’t long enough or warm enough I can’t say, but this is definitely the most dense chewy pizza I’ve had in my DSP travels. The cheese mixture they use in house is very very salty. The frico (cheese crust after the dough is par baked) was burnt black and solid.

The other traditional Neapolitan style pizzas I saw other customers with looked very light and fluffy so this place knows how to make a pizza, but this Detroit style missed the mark.

Again the staff was excellent, the vibes were great (clearly people love it, the place was packed), and I enjoyed my time there but as someone who’s eaten Detroit style around the world and spent many years perfecting my own recipe, this ranks even under the chain pizzas.

TLDR: Great staff, cool vibes, burnt crust, salty cheese, dense/chewy dough on the...