Spacca Napoli Pizzeria — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Every time I come back here I’m frustrated and reminded why I don’t eat here often. I really want to like Spacca more than I do. Some of the dishes are very good, but the service is poor—sometimes verging on bad—and their reservation process in this day and age is just stupid.

You can’t make reservations online. You can’t get on the waitlist unless you’re in person. They don’t quote wait times accurately. Even when I called to inquire about availability (which they didn’t have that evening) I asked about the waitlist and was quoted a 45 minute wait and needed to be in person to put my name in. I can basically walk across the entire city in that time! Why can’t I get on the list over the phone? Then they called back on my walk over and created confusion about my table being ready despite me never having put my name in according to their rules. Then when I arrived to get on the waitlist they actually had seats and sat us right away. What was a 45 minute wait was actually not 40…not 30…not even 20 or just 10 minutes…ZERO MINUTES. That’s great! But also…

…just get on Resy, OpenTable, Yelp, or whatever digital reservation and waitlist system. It’s 2023. Good grief.

The service is never good, and our recent visit was frustrating: we basically never saw our server and any time he came around he was in a big hurry. Horrible.

The food is all pretty solid, but there are plenty of other Italian and pizza places across the city I prefer. The burrata is massive and delicious, probably the best one I’ve had. If you want just a big serving of burrata on some good bread, this is the one. The pizza is good, but I have a hard time recommending given the other really great pizza places in the city even just within the Neapolitan pizza space (I’m NOT talking about deep dish).

The dessert options overall are pretty great. If you can leave space, I recommend doing so and trying some of them. The tiramisu was pretty good, the nocciola is a chocolatey calzone basically, and if I recall correctly the panna cotta is my...

My most recent experience at this restaurant was disappointing unfortunately.

First off, your sparkling water prices have gotten absolutely ridiculous….$5 for a large which is a 500 ML bottle of San Pellegrino. What happened to the 750 ML bottle of Ferrarelle (real Neapolitan sparkling water) that used to be the same price. 16.9 oz or 500 ML bottle of water is not a “large” by any means. How do you split 16 oz bottle with 2 people??….each person literally gets one cup…that’s a joke. Go to any other Italian restaurant in the city, you pay the same price and you get the true large (750 ML bottle).

Secondly, I can tell the difference in ingredients in the pizza used as of lately. It has tasted better in the past, and as a true Italian from Napoli, you can clearly tell the difference in ingredient quality. Maybe the local Americans cannot notice the difference but you cannot fool a true Neapolitan. Seems like we are beginning to cut corners, please change back to the way it was before.

Lastly, where is the manners when serving food?? We have our appetizer come out and only 5 minutes after while we are still in the middle of eating the appetizer the pizzas come out?? (Meanwhile no room on the table for everything). Common courtesy is to bring out the main course after/once the guest has finished their appetizer. Clearly this made the dining experience feel rushed and crammed (especially with my 1 yr old son at the table with my wife and myself).

Idk maybe it’s me as I am expecting a true Italian experience and proper service manners when eating out just like I would in Italy. Shame on me I guess if...

The best meal I’ve had all year. Not only was the food fantastic, but they truly understand hospitality.

I dined alone and had to change my reservation last minute, and they fit me in immediately. My waiter, Leo, was very helpful and enthusiastic about the menu, without any fluff or theatrics. The restaurant operates efficiently like a well-oiled machine, without feeling chaotic or rushed. All of the staff were very kind to me and made me feel extremely welcome.

The gluten free pizza lives up to the hype—without a doubt the best gf pizza in Chicago. Leo noted that they cooked the pizza on a sheet pan inside the oven to prevent cross-contamination, but there is still risk as there is gluten present in the kitchen.

I asked Leo for recommendations and let him curate my meal. I started with a glass of the Biancolella, which was delicate yet warm (tasting, not temperature!), and the Insalata Eoliana. The arugula salad was perfect, with incredibly fresh ingredients and just a freshly-squeezed lemon as dressing. The caper berries were super fun to eat! Then, he recommended the Diavola pizza and it hit the spot. The cheese was so delicate; eating it felt very intimate, like a kiss. The soppressata was perfectly spicy and the gluten free crust was delicious. I had the flourless chocolate cake and an espresso for dessert, and my mind was blown. The cake was rich yet not dry, and it was served with fresh vanilla bean gelato and amareno cherries. Wow. I’ll dream of this.

Overall, blown away yet not surprised by how excellent this meal was. Spacca Napoli is a family love letter to...