Capofitto
233 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106. Phone: 215.897.9999
Worth visiting in a 10 mile radius.
When it comes to taste in pizza, I used to hold true to my heritage. I loved the thick, bready crust of American pizza, and considered its airy, thinner Italian predecessor inferior. While visiting the Old City of Philadelphia though, I decided to try Neapolitan pizza at Capofitto, which the guidebook strongly recommended. It was still pizza, after all, and I was hungry enough to eat anything after a morning of walking all over Philly.
Capofitto is the second project of John and Stephanie Reitano who own a popular gelato chain called Capogiro. Before opening Capofitto, they traveled to Italy to train under a legendary pizza chef and learn to make authentic pizza. Capofitto also serves gelato and has a bar, but the main focus is the pizza, which is baked in a hand-crafted wood oven. It serves multiple variations of the classic wet-center pies, including ones with roasted mushrooms, goat cheese, salami, eggplants, and other traditional Italian pizza ingredients (more on that later). The rest of the menu contains a small selection of salads and appetizers.
There is much more to Italian cuisine than pasta and pizza, of course, so we ordered a salad, which turned out to be an unexpected delight. The base was arugula, accompanied by prosciutto, hazelnuts, croutons, figs, and balsamic vinaigrette. The arugula made a great green-salad base because it provided a tangier flavor than lettuce or spinach. The vinaigrette had an interesting bittersweet citrus flavor, the prosciutto was a dash of salt, the fig added some sweetness, and the hazelnuts and croutons contributed a nice crunchy texture. Often times, the ingredients in an overcomplicated dish conflict, but everything in this salad inexplicably fitted together beautifully.
We ordered three pizzas, which turned out to be a good amount for a party of three. The pizzas were medium sized, but since the crusts were very thin, one hungry person can devour a whole pie. The ingredients were fresh and top-notch, and that went to show in the flavor of the pizzas. The basil had an amazing fragrant aroma, the mushrooms were juicy and crunchy, the pepperoni was spicy, the cheese was rich and soft, and the crust was dripping wet with all the fresh ingredients. My one complaint would be that since the pizza was so thin, it could fall apart if you didn’t cram it into your mouth fast enough. Otherwise, the pizza was great.
After pizza, I treated myself to a helping of what made the Reitanos famous: the gelato. I ordered the burnt sugar, which had a smooth caramel flavor and came in a generous serving. It was creamier than any ice cream I’d ever had and was a sweet ending to a satisfying meal.
The decor in the dimly lit dining room (which used to be a paper factory) is classy but minimalistic, with well-polished wood tables, bright red chairs, and some scattered paintings on the walls. The service is very friendly and the staff don’t hesitate to explain the menu to unknowing patrons. Overall, everything about my trip to Capofitto was excellent. It does everything a restaurant should very well and doesn’t cut corners. If you’re anywhere in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, come here for a meal. I promise you’ll love it.