Pasta & Vino — Restaurant in Maryland

Customer Service Where It Counts It was a quiet sunday evening. I was in the walmart parking lot mulling over my dinner options when I got that gut feeling that today, today was an Italian day. One of those rare occasions when my stomach speaks to me and it's not just an embarrassingly audible gargle. Pasta. The message was clear. Now mind you, I'm not from the area, so I had to rely on the google and good old fashioned laziness. I wasnt looking to drive more than 10 minutes in any direction. If there was going to be more than 4 turns involved in the directions, I wasnt interested. Limits the options. Makes decision making easier. You're welcome. Carrabba's offered me the safety of the chain, but no. I'm lazy, not boring, and I wanted to take a risk. Driving into the unimpressive strip mall, whose highlight is a run down grocery store, was promising. If they disappointed then it was to be expected. But boy, did they deliver. Inside, I stood alone at the hostess station wondering whether I should wait or if I was expected to ring a bell and yodel my arrival. My plan was to order to-go. A large sign on the back wall declared "carry out pick-up" above an open window to the kitchen. I hesitantly approached the counter like the awkward roommate creeping out of their basement bedroom just to scamper back at the first sign of occupation. I returned to the hostess station and grabbed myself a menu. I didnt know how much time I would have before my presence was discovered, but when they came I would be ready. Ready to order. Ready to eat. Ready to stumble over the Italian name of the pasta my ever decisive stomach had chosen. Turned out that back pick-up window was the right place to be. The waiter greeted me at the hostess station. A laid back greeting that was rough around the edges. The type of greeting that says "I'm comfortable here. This is my zone. My second cousins fathers best friend owns this place." I was lead back to the carry-out window where I did quickly and boldly attempt the italian words that meant, chicken breast topped with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, marsala sauce over speghetti. YUM. If you're currently looking up their menu so you can see which dish I am referring to then I'll save you the time, because I did just that. It's the chicken voldostana. And if you're thinking, "what fool cant pronounce voldostana" then f* right off. Now we get to the good part. I was nervous. The time had come. Should I have ordered bread? Would they be kind enough to add a slice or two to my order? Would it be rude of me to make such a request after I had already paid? A cardboard tray with TWO white paper bags was brought to the carry out window and I knew it was for me. In one, a saucy delight. The highly anticipated pasta I had been craving since the walmart parking lot epiphany. In the other, a whole frickin loaf of bread. And that's when Bella Napoli stole my heart. Bless the staff. Was I greeted as soon as I walked in the door? No. But was I greeted with a big smile and a friendly welcome? Also no. Doesn't matter. When I left, they were practically family. The food was everything I hoped it would be. Delicious. Thanks for reading you bored, hungry lump...

Food was good and the decor was good. The manager/owner was friendly and even interacted with the kids in a playful way. The staff was friendly. However, We were placed with only 1 waiter (who was a bit overwhelmed and absent minded) for a party of about 40- 50 people (half being kids) when we made reservations ahead of time so that we could have the party room and they could plan staffing accordingly. 3 of the people in the group ended up jumping up to help out with coordinating food orders, dolling out food, and getting drinks. Would have given 5 stars if they were properly staffed and we didn't have to basically wait our own tables. We sat for a while with no drinks or bread and often had to chase down the waiter to get any refills. We eventually asked for him to just get pitchers of different drinks for us to manage the refills. This helped free him up to manage food orders.

Edit: The Manager/Owner came into the party room space a few times and a few of the parents, including myself, came out and to the counter to ask for items a few times. The view of the room, the plethora of empty cups on the tables, and frequent need for customers to go to the counter (where seemingly idle staff stood) should have been plenty of evidence to a good manager/owner that something wasn't right. At 4 and 5 star restaurants the above situation would have never happened. The waiter should have asked for help if he was being overwhelmed, the manager/owner should have a good enough understanding of the operation to know when something that obvious isn't right and know his staff well enough to know when they need help. The star rating could have been lower but I gave leniency due to the rowdiness of the kids and due to the friendliness of the staff and manager/owner. Not to mention, I had been to the same restaurant a few times over the years and had better service so it is very possible that our experience this last time was an off day.

Note to other potential customers: This restaurant is worth giving a chance especially if you have never been there before and don't want to go to yet another...

A very personal experience with a genuine Neapolitan owner. You can speak Italian here, this is not a franchise. Menu is altered to taste the good pizza of Napoli but also the food expected by Americans. Very tasty and crispy pizza - just as I like it - I could not finish it, that’s how big it is; both my mother and I had leftovers for the next day. Reasonable prices for the high quality. The owner makes his own mozzarella and has also Italian spices and sauces for you to take home (check the shelves near the register). Parking available in the strip mall though the front of the restaurant is most time already full of cars. Packed inside but the waiting time seems to be short. I took the pizza home in order to listen to Italian music and enjoy the real Italian meal with my mother. Tomorrow I will go back, I can’t wait to see the pizza guy swirling his dough again :)

Editing a couple of years later after returning from overseas:

This restaurant is a true American patriot. I also saw the way they sanitize the tables: with chlorine wipes; they wholeheartedly apply prophylactic/ hygienic measures.

Their olive oil and homemade mozzarella as well as the Pizza Margherita (aka Pizza Napoli) is still as amazing as I remember it. I lost weight eating half of it by the next morning; something great about the chemistry. Imagine: the pizza diet! I'm in for that.

That day I listened to Italian music, spoke the language, ate the mouthwatering pizza, and all the way around, enjoyed the cultural experience with Pasquale and staff.

I'll...