Pupatella — Restaurant in Richmond

Unfortunately our experience tonight was not nearly as rewarding as we anticipated or had been led to expect. Our advice to others reading this, is to read closely all reviews, not just the glowing ones that may appear on the front end. We are not fully aficionados, but have 50+ years enjoying a wide range of pizza all over the US. We were excited to try this location, and drove nearly an hour to get there this evening. First, we arrived after 6:30 PM as a four person party of 60-65 YOs. No problems being seated as it was seat yourself and take the menu as you go. The front line greeter and register staff were polite and helpful, but that is where our good review takes a turn. At ordering, which is done by you, standing at the register, you are required to pay before eating, and encouraged to provide a "Tip" with that order. Again, not a restaurant process, but more like a drive thru burger joint, excluding the tip which is not warranted for fast food level service, but we always oblige the workers, which are often poorly paid. The prices are exorbitant for the size of the pizza and the sparse toppings. The menu advised us that the crust was thin, but that was a big understatement, as what we received, was barely sufficient to support the toppings, and failed quickly upon lifting. One of our party was so disappointed with the pizza he received, that when the "waiter" appeared again, he asked to return the pizza. While the taste of the food was fairly good, the value was severely lacking.There was no follow up by any staff concerning the returned selection. No offer to refund or to remake the item, and at departure, we discovered the owner was onsite, and still, no one even questioned our satisfaction with the dining experience. We departed sadly, with disappointment and the feeling that our experience and opinion were of no concern. My friend made his displeasure known to the nice young lady at the register and asked about a manager and was told the owner was on site, but that fellow was absolutely not interested in addressing any concerns. For a total meal cost of $110 including prepaid tips, for 4-10" pizzas, 2-glasses of wine, 1-bottled soda, 1-appetizer, and 4-glasses of water, we felt as though we had been held up and robbed. The plastic serving plates were badly scratched and dingy looking, the table was leveled with wads of paper napkins under the feet, and they were surrounded by a variety of food scraps that should have been swept up prior to seating new quests. While this location is in the Fan district, and probably is supported by youth at VCU and some locals, for a restaurant supposedly having a 4.7 review average, it is apparent those reviewers must be accustomed to eating in a bar setting, instead of nicely maintained establishments, that provide a good quality pizza, at a reasonable price. So sad, and disappointing, as we drove a long way, past many restaurants of great quality, to have a fast food grade experience, at a supposedly 4.7 star...

TL;DR: Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. My partner is a pizza fanatic and was very pleased with this restaurant. We went twice in one weekend because we were so excited to find a pizza place that had this style crust. Highly recommend!

The ambience: Clean and classic. You can see the pizza and the oven right when you walk in. Unintrusive low music volume. Overall volume stays low enough that you don't have to shout to talk to the other people you're eating with. Plenty of tables of varying sizes and a back room with long hightop tables that larger parties can sit at.

The pizza: The crust is thin, chewy, charred, and tender (in all the best ways!!), fresh and bright tomato sauce, creamy and light white sauce, and fresh ingredients all around. I loved the diavola and the onion tart the most. I wish there was a bit more basil on any of the pizzas that have basil, but that's just a personal preference (I really love basil!). All of the pizzas have 4 slices and will fill up an adult no problem. Pizza reheats up great in the airfryer!!! (300* for about 4.5 minutes)

The rest of the food: The green salads were awesome. I would eat the Amalfi side salad every single day if I could. The mustard in the vinegarette wasn't overwhelming. Everything was nice, fresh, and light.

The Croccante salad was also good, the chunks of ham were yummy. I don't like crunchy croutons and I was hoping these would be homemade, but they weren't so I ate around them (again, that's just a personal preference!)

The caprese salad was as expected. The mozzarella was fresh, as was the basil, it was presented nicely with a side of that yummy homemade bread.

The garlic and cheese bread was out of this world!

The mini charcuterie board was okay, I liked the olives and the cheeses. The homemade bread was delicious.

Parking: You might be able to find parking on the street, but there's a parking lot in the back of the building. It's shared with a B&B but we had no issues finding spots. The lot needs an update so be careful of the uneven ground. If you need a walking aid or wheelchair be extra careful :) Note: one server said that they get extra busy when shows happen at the Altria theater and on Saturdays, this may affect the parking.

Service: We had great service! Greeted and seated quickly both times we went. I didn't catch the one person's name but he was super nice! Shelby was fantastic. Checked in with us a perfect amount of times, answered all our questions with great knowledge, and was so nice and helpful. We also had another server Taylor who also answered any other questions we had and was very sweet. Note: they have a military discount (neat!)

Bathrooms: 2 gender neutral bathrooms, both were clean and well lit with 2 trashcans (1 for papertowels and 1 for feminine hygiene products).

Overall, Pupatella is the real deal. We are super happy that we found a Neapolitan-style pizza place. We plan on making more trips to Richmond to sight see and get more pizza because it's absolutely...

First time visit and was not disappointed. Found the place through Google and Yelp, read the reviews, and had a good idea of what to expect. I have no idea what others were expecting for them to be so unhappy.

First, it's Neapolitan pizza. That means thin, soft crust that shouldn't have but 2-3 toppings, 4 at most. It also means a straight forward, authentic toppings. This is not gourmet pizza in the same vein as Bottoms Up or Mellow Mushroom. It's cooked in a wood fired oven and it cooks quickly. If this isn't what you are looking for, maybe try somewhere else?

I can see it getting backed up if it's packed. We went at 6:30 and the place was half full. Things came out quickly.

Yes, you order and pay at the register in advance and a tip is suggested. This might be a put-off to those expecting table service, but we didn't care. The staff was friendly and conversational.

I also don't understand what people are expecting in terms of quantity when it comes to prices. We split a salad, plate of olives, and a sausage and onion pizza. $23 and we were full...and we went hungry.

Be realistic going in. You are going for a particular type of pizza. You are not going for a fine dining experience. You are not going to a CiCi's pizza buffet.

Maybe we got lucky. I'm glad we went and look forward to...