Iniga Pizzeria Napoletana — Restaurant in Ottawa

Went hiking at Starved Rock on Memorial Day. The pizza joint I traditionally go to was closed for the holiday. What to do? Find a new favorite restaurant! From the moment I walked in, I fell in love. They were playing Ned's Atomic Dustbin, 1) an album I haven't heard in far too long and 2) a group I never thought I'd ever hear in a restaurant (outside of the '90s). We ordered a few pizzas for the table: the FUNGHI. the MEDITERRANEO, and the HOT WHITE (without the soppressata). Each one was delicious, but the Mediterraneo was my personal favorite. The rest of our crew picked the Hot White as their numero uno. Our toddler went to town on the Funghi. The crust made each pizza an even better experience! To drink, we ordered a few FRESH LEMON SHAKE-UP's (they were out of the LemonCoco). How refreshing! (And reminded me of a very memorable lemonade I'd have, back in the day, at Navy Pier. For dessert, 3 scoops of gelato please (to share, of course). Pistachio, Chocolate Cherry, and Salted Caramel. Yummy! Oh! In case you were wondering, the music selection went from Ned's to Neil Diamond. Be still, my heart. What a wonderful discovery! So happy to have found this place. We'll...

Iniga Pizzeria Napoletana in Ottawa, Illinois is the kind of place that makes you rethink what pizza should taste like. Tucked into a cozy spot on Jefferson Street, it’s got that warm, welcoming vibe that instantly feels like home—but with the aroma of a wood-fired oven working its magic. Their Margherita pizza? Absolute perfection. The crust has that ideal leopard spotting, crisp on the outside and tender inside, with just the right chew. The sauce is bright and balanced, the mozzarella melts like a dream, and the fresh basil adds that final aromatic punch that ties it all together. What I love most is how Iniga stays true to Neapolitan tradition while still feeling fresh and modern. You can tell they care about ingredients and technique, but they don’t make it feel fussy. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the whole experience—from the playlist to the plating—feels thoughtfully curated without being overdone. Whether you’re swinging through town or making it a destination after a hike at Starved Rock, Iniga is worth the detour. I’ve tried a few of their other pizzas, but I keep coming back to the Margherita. It’s simple, classic, and done...

My family and I were excited to try this place. It looked clean, they had awesome Halloween decorations up, and it was quiet. There were only two people sitting at the bar and one other table of two when we got there. The staff seemed nice. We ordered bagna caulda to start off, which was good. We put in four pizzas at the same time and our server told us she would put them on hold and put our app in first. Not sure if she forgot, or what exactly happened, (it was not busy) but we ended up waiting so long that we decided to cancel our order. (Meanwhile, a table of people across the restaurant who came in after us had gotten their pizzas.) The manager did apologize and offer to discount our pizza and give us to-go boxes to take whenever it was ready, but we didn't have time to wait for it because we had somewhere to be after dinner. We told him we would just pay for our appetizer and skip the pizza. The manager didn't discount our appetizer or anything to compensate for us spending over an hour here and not getting food. Mistakes happen, I totally understand, but I don't think I would try this place again because I don't feel that management...