Da Legna at Nolo — Restaurant in New Haven

Today, I had the absolute pleasure of hosting our monthly “Slice Mob” gathering at Da Legna x Nolo on State Street in New Haven. This place is a delightful blend of modern design and old-school pizza-making charm. The high ceilings and open kitchen, featuring two wood-fired pizza ovens, create a spacious and inviting atmosphere. The aroma of freshly baked pizzas from the wood-fired ovens greets you like a long-lost friend as soon as you walk in.

Our group of six, driven by hearty appetites, decided to order 11 pizzas. To be fair, we were hungry. This allowed us to sample a variety of flavors and still have some to take home. Our resident meatball aficionado, Steve, kicked things off with a meatball appetizer, as is his tradition. (He’s even considering starting a podcast called the “Meatball Minute.” But I digress…) The meatballs were tender and juicy, nestled in a pan of freshly made, perfectly seasoned sauce, accompanied by dollops of ricotta. They were a succulent prelude to the main event.

As always, I began with the classic Ode to Flo pizza. The naturally leavened crust provided a subtle yet distinct flavor, offering a slight tang that elevated the overall taste. The sauce was fresh and perfectly seasoned, highlighting the natural sweetness of ripe tomatoes, complemented by the slight nuttiness of Parmigiano Reggiano. Perfection!

Next up was the Broccoli Rabe and Sausage pizza with mozzarella—a white pie showcasing the same amazing crust. This combination of savory sausage, slightly bitter broccoli rabe, and creamy mozzarella created a harmonious trio in every bite. It’s a perfect melding of traditional Neapolitan style—naturally leavened, tender cornicione (crust) with a nice leopard-patterned char adding smoky notes—and New Haven style, characterized by a thin crust with minimal flop. Da Legna x Nolo has certainly earned a top spot on our list, and we eagerly anticipate...

We have been customers at Da Legna for over a year. It has been our favorite pizza place. Being from Italy, it has been challenging to find pizza dough with a similar texture in the USA. Finally, Da Legna provided a product that was similar. We typically go on Saturday evenings and sit at the bar. Today we decided to go for lunch. We ordered the same pizza we always do: arugula with prosciutto. The bartender explained we couldn't order that it was against company policy. This was the first time we had her as a bartender and thought it was very bizarre. We explained that this is what we always order. She went and asked chef Daniel Parillo if he would make the pizza we request- he declined. The bartender suggests another pizza that was similar, but not the exact product we have always ordered or were requesting. We ended up going with just the arugula pizza as is. When we left, very disappointed of the poor experience we had just had after being committed customers we asked chef Daniel Parillo why he couldn't simply make the pizza we requested and charge us extra as they have in the past. He explained it was against company policy, thanked us and wished a great day. We explained, unfortunately, due to the poor experience, we would no longer be customers and be able to recommended Da Legna to our community. He smiled, shrugged it off, said " I'm sorry" and that was it.

At the end of the day, this isn't something that needs to be so complicated. A customer asks for a product that's in house, they charge extra and everyone is happy. Unfortunately, we weren't presented with a resolution. We wish Da Legna the past, and wish we could still be customers. Why would we pay for poor service when we can't even pay extra for the food...

Let me mention one thing in the beginning: I don’t like big restaurants. I’m more of small, cute, cozy places with a character. Nolo is too big for my taste. Even though it's quite modern and sleek, it still feels cold and uninviting. We stopped there on our way back from Craig's castle which was quite a disappointment to travel for an hour just to overlook the view. I mean, it was beautiful and everything, but not worth the long travel. We ordered their four cheese pizza, chicken wings and home made pasta with crabs and veggies. Well, what can I say? Pizza was nice, it didn't leave me saying "omg, this is the best pizza ever", but it wasn't bad either. They went pretty heavy handed on sauce for the wings and even though David asked for well done wings, they were pretty underdone. One thing is unclear when they serve wings with all parts together, it's so hard to break them into segments, especially with so much sauce, it was all over David's face and when he tried to break them into pieces we were scared the sauce would splash all over us. Lela's pasta was good, nothing crazy either, not sure how to describe it. I've had simple Cecio Pepe at Eataly and it was to die for. So, I know how good and simple pasta should taste. Ah, and the dessert, complete disappointment, if it wasn't for David, I would have sent it back. We ordered apple crumble which of course was pre made which is understandable, but the pieces of apples were hard and not warm enough. Will I ever go back there?...