ABC7 WLS-TV
Zagat Releases New Chicago Restaurants Guide
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Watch Video
Thin-crusted pizza options
By Steve Dolinsky
April 4, 2006
"We all know deep dish was born in Chicago, but did you know that the original pizza -thin, blistered crust with fresh mozzarella and a whisper of tomato sauce really comes from Naples? A Ravenswood restaurant is now making Neapolitan-style pies everyday proving you can do thin crust in Chicago.
"The Neapolitans, when you ask them what's special about their pizza, they'll close their eyes, they'll begin to dream, they'll talk about the first bite: there's a crunch, a resistance, and then there's this wonderful chew."
Amici Journal
Spring 2007
“The bottom line is , if you want to go to Italy, but just can’t get away right now for whatever reason, go to Spacca Napoli.”
AOL Cityguide
Authentic Neapolitan pizza arrives in Ravenswood
By Audarshia Townsend
"Goldsmith strives to take this pizza place to another level with all imported ingredients (such as mozzarella di bufala, prosciutto and white porcini mushrooms) and service on the level of a four-star restaurant."
Bon Appetit
Artesianal Pizza
March 2007
“For the pizza at Spacca Napoli, the passionate Jonathan Goldsmith goes for authenticity by using almost exclusively Italian imported ingredients: mozzarella di buffalo, San
Marzano tomatoes, and Molino Caputo flour.”
Centerstage
Around Chicago in Seven Days
March 6, 2006
By Misty Tosh
"Looking like a giant throbbing tangerine, this spacious Neapolitan-style pizzeria is just what Chicago needs: A place where you can stroll in, order up a glass of vino, and in less than 10 minutes be presented with a bubbling, slightly charred, basil-infused pizza straight out of a wood-burning oven. Ahhh, Italy. Where have you been hiding?"
Chicago Lawyer
August 2006
“mussels…plump and distinctive…even their broth is alive.”
Chicago Magazine
124 Best Dishes
Antipasto di Melanzane
Spacca Napoli
November 2007
“the eggplant appetizer…is a rich combination of sweetness and smoky depth with a hint of peppery zing and a sharp acidic edge.”
More...
Chicago Magazine
Pizza Slimdown
August 2007
“Everything is in alignment.”
More...
Chicago Magazine
Best of Chicago: Best New Pizza
August 2006
"Since December 1943 ... Chicago has staked its reputation for pizza on deep-dish -- until five months ago, that is. Enter Jonathan Goldsmith, a native Chicagoan who imported from Italy a woodburning oven to a Ravenswood storefront with the mission to make authentic Neapolitan pizza. His perfectly thin, tender, and chewy crust pizza won us over...."
More...
Chicago Magazine
Falling Hard for Pizza
By Deborah Wilk
"any chewy, tender-crusted pizza this place pulls out of its Neapolitan-built oven means happiness."
More...
Chicago Magazine
Best New Restaurants - Best of the Best
Most Authentic Neapolitan Pizza
May 2006
"At Spacca Napoli, even the bricks in the oven are from Italy"
More...
Chicago Magazine
Best New Restaurants
Heat Wave
May 2006
"When every foodie in town starts talking about an oven, you know something big is going on...."
Chicago Reader
It's All in the Oven
Nicholas Day
March 10, 2006
"Jonathan Goldsmith slept just three hours the night before last. His new Neapolitan pizzeria, Spacca Napoli, was so busy on its first Friday that he had to get up at four the next morning to make dough. Now it's Sunday at noon, and he needs to make more. But Goldsmith, dressed in a baseball hat that says "Napoli" and a T-shirt bearing the brand name Caputo (makers of a finely nulled pizza flour), is too enthusiastic about his massive wood-burning brick oven to mind."
Chicago Sun-Times
Spacca Napoli pizza a true taste of Italy
By Pat Bruno
"The pizza is great. The pizza is the best I have had this side of Naples, Italy. All of the pieces for great pizza are in place. The woodburning pizza oven (and a pizzaiolo who knows how to tend the oven) and a perfect crust (a specially milled flour from Italy) are just the beginning. Now come the toppings, all of them so very Neapolitan that you just know that the owner (Jonathan Goldsmith) spent time in Naples getting everything just right. Fresh basil, arugula, prosciutto di Parma, rapini, Italian sausage, extra-virgin olive oil. And then those terrific tomatoes that are laid on the crust with a proper and gentle hand. And then those cheeses - fior di latte mozzarella, mozzarella di bufala -that add the right note of character and flavor.
"I swear, if I put the Margherita pizza served at Spacca Napoli alongside the one served at Antics Pizzeria Brandi in Naples, they would be hard to tell apart. Both have the puffiness of the crust around the edges, a wave of highs and lows that are a joy to behold and even more fun to eat. The burn on the crust edge here and on the bottom there from the high-temperature wood fire of the oven. The flow of tomatoes (used with proper restraint) and the subtle melt of the cheese, which serves as an thin veil instead of a heavy blanket. The leaves of fresh basil spotted across the top. And then the gentle give as teeth meets crust, a gentle pillowy texture, the crust practically melting in my mouth. Am I gushing too much?"
Chicago Tribune
February 22, 2007
“The arugala and proscuitto di parma …we devoured at Spacca Napoli, is peppery, chewy, nutty, smoky and phenomenal.”
More...
Chicago Tribune
Pizza Perfect
February 21, 2007
“The essence of the pizza is the bread…the almost ethereal slightly smoky crust…”
More...
Chicago Tribune
July 20, 2006
“The crust is light and chewy, thin in the center and thick and bubbly at the edges. The underside is perfectly browned, with small intermittent patches of char.”
More...
Chicago Tribune
Crowds welcome pizza done Spacca Napoli style
By Janet Franz
"First impressions: It's hard to miss Spacca Napoli, the only restaurant on this side street in Ravenswood -- first, because of its pumpkin-hued facade, and second, because there's likely to be a passel of hopeful diners spilling out onto the sidewalk most nights."
More...
Chicago Tribune
Oven envy: Chefs turn up heat in the quest for perfect pizza
By Trine Tsouderos
November 9, 2006
"It was built ... in the tradition of classic Neapolitan ovens, similar to the ones built in Pompeii 2,000 years ago. It is the hot beating heart of his restaurant."
More...
Chicago Tribune Magazine
Pedaling to Italy
Lacking a plane ticket to Naples, crisp up a Neapolitan pizza
By Leah Eskin
"The soft dough is handmade in the tradition of Naples, cradle of pizza civilization, home each day to 1 million pizza aficionados and 7 million hot pizzas. Scientists, scholars and pizza fabricators concur: No more than flour, water, yeast and salt."
CitySearch
The pizza crust is so fabulous, I could eat it plain. There is nothing like it.
"The food is excellent and many of the top Chicago chefs have dined there and given rave reviews."
Chicago Conscious Choice
Spacca Napoli Exudes Authenticity
By Janine MacLachlan
".... It was 9:15, fifteen minutes past closing time. Would it be possible to get an after-hours pizza? No such luck: Today's unused dough had just been tossed out. Our hopes dashed, I was torn between admiration for a restaurant that prized quality rather than saving dough for the next day to keep costs in line, and regret at this setback in our quest. But my heart soared as our host, reluctant to let down potential patrons, even tardy ones, broke out the Prosecco, the sparkling wine of Italy, and laid out a selection of antipasti.
"A Step Into Naples, with no Jet Lag
"Every once in a while you come across a place that exudes a vision. For chef/owner Jonathan Goldsmith, Spacca Napoli is it. From the custom-built oven and a logo inspired by an ancient coin to the authentic soft-crust pizza, this place appears to be a neighborhood spot, but it's really a peek into someone's calling. In one of those serendipitous instances of bad timing turned good, we heard a great story to console us for missing the great pizza."
Draft Magazine
March/April 2007
“Like most who’ve walked through the door since its 2006 Valentine’s Day opening, its been a Neapolitan-style love affair.”
Food & Wine
Trends: The Hot Spots: Spacca Napoli, Chicago
July 2006
"The city's newest Neapolitan has a wood-burning oven hand-built by Italian artisans."
Read "Elements of a Perfect Pizza"
Fra Noi
Spacca Napoli: A true taste of Naples
By Charles P. Pecoraro
July 2006 LA VERA CUCINA 100
"Skeptics may suggest that the last thing this city needs is another pizza parlor. But nothing else comes as close to such legendary Naples pizzerias as Di Matteo, Antica Brandi and Santa Brigida as this vibrant new venture does."
La Mozzarella
La tua pizza mi ha fatto piangere
By Lara Postiglione
3/8/2006
"When I bit into it, it put tears in my eyes and I couldn't help it. For the first time 'food' mean to me much more than just curbing my appetite. In a fraction of a second the best memories of my Neapolitan life went through my mind, the taste and the texture of something that I had almost everyday and I grew up with was resuscitated after 4 years."
LTH Forum
Spacca Napoli named by our members as one of Chicagoland's great neighborhood restaurants 2006-7
"Easily the most authentically European pizza in these parts in a long time, or maybe ever... It is obvious that the owner is pouring his heart and soul into something he has a passion for. The crust on my Bufalina pizza was easily the finest I've had in this city. Its bottom was dotted with charredness and had big, light bubbles on the top. To me, eating great pizza always starts with eating great bread, and in this Spacca Napoli excels like no other... The quality of the dough, the tomatoes, all the ingredients is top-notch."
Metromix
August 23, 2006
“ …I’m from Naples where pizza is an institution sacred as the church…Spacca Napoli is as authentic as any pizza found in Naples.”
More...
Metromix
Spacca Napoli
"The owner of this Neapolitan-style pizza place, Jonathan Goldsmith, takes his pizza seriously. He uses premium ingredients like imported mozzarella di bufala and fior di latte (fresh whole milk mozzarella), Italian flour and olive oils. His dough's made true to the standards of Naples; ingredients are mixed in an Italian-made mixer, then hand-extended (not tossed), topped with fresh ingredients and baked in a wood-burning oven."
Newcity Chicago
Conjures an afternoon in Naples
"Airy and crunchy, with bits of char and lines from the floor of the brick oven, the Margherita topped with creamy fior di latte mozzarella, anise-perfumed basil and zingy tomatoes conjures an afternoon in Naples."
New York Times
Dining In – Frank Bruni
May 9, 2007
“In growing numbers, serious chefs and bakers are making, and the food cognoscenti are devouring – exemplary pies inspired at least loosely by the thin crust pizzas of Naples…
You can find in Manhatten at Una Pizza Napoletana in Chicago at Spacca Napoli, and in Phoenix at Pizzeria Bianco…”
Pizza Today
May 2007
“Spacca Napoli is heavily influenced by DiMatteo, a renowned pizzeria in Naples, as well as Trianon in Naples, and Starita in Materdei.”
Pizza Today
Places That Rock
March 2007
“The Windy City is known as deep dish domain, but Chicago has had a recent influx of pizzerias dedicated to serving thin crust so reminiscent of Naples. The most authentic of this breed is Spacca Napoli…”
Skillet Doux
Spacca Napoli
By Dominic Armato
June 24, 2006
"I've had the rare pleasure of trying a new restaurant that was absolutely spectacular in every possible regard. It isn't flashy. Quite the contrary, it's a wonderfully humble little establishment, but it's humility that's grounded in passion. The owner, Jonathan Goldsmith, [has] given Chicago a wonderful gift in the form of Spacca Napoli.
"There's a beautiful simplicity and freshness to a Neapolitan pizza. As food art goes, it's a highly evolved form, minimal, unpretentious and satisfying. In this sense, the restaurant itself reflects its specialty in every way."
Southwest Airlines Spirit
Pizza Joints
PETER REINHART serves up his favorite pie palaces.
February 2008
"Peter Reinhart tells [his culinary students], 'There are two kinds of pizzas: good and very good. By very good, I mean memorable.' What’s the difference? 'The key to a memorable pizza is in the crust more so than the toppings,' says the author of American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza (Ten Speed Press). Here, Reinhart dishes up four pizza places across America that rise to his crusty challenge. Don’t worry, Chicagoans: You make the cut.
Spacca Napoli
CHICAGO
.... Though they’re made like the grandfather of all pizzas, Spacca Napoli pies will never taste outdated."
Spider Jazz
Restaurant: Spacca Napoli
By Spider Saloff
June-July 2006
"The owner of Spacca Napoli spent years in Naples, and what he serves is the real deal. As of now, it's the only authentic Neapolitan pizza in all of Chicago."
Time Out Chicago
The Pizza Issue
November 8, 2007
“…we give even more credit for consistency – the Margherita we had here a week ago was just as good as the one we devoured the first week Spacca was in business. Nicely salted dough…”
More...
Time Out Chicago
March 29, 2007
“Jonathan Goldsmith’s attention to detail is legendary.”
More...
Time Out Chicago
March 22, 2007
“…this Ravenswood pizza shop definitely started a new Chicago trend.”
More...
Time Out Chicago
The 100 Best things we ate (and drank) this year
December 28, 2006
Margherita Pizza #4 Spacca Napoli
“We found the perfect pie at this Ravenswood spot.”
More...
Time Out Chicago
Pie-eyed
Three newcomers will challenge the recent crop of pizza shops, but can they best our faves?
By Heather Shouse
Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2006
... Now serving
Spacca Napoli’s classic Margherita
More...
Time Out Chicago
You gotta have hearth
By Heather Shouse
Mar. 16-Mar. 23, 2006
"He uses natural yeast and Molino Caputo flour like his mentors did in the pizzerias Di Matteo and La Notizia, both in the heart of Naples’ Spaccanapoli district. Likewise, only imported olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte (“flower of milk”) mozzarella and fresh basil are found on the classic Margherita, the “Italian flag” of pizzas that helped earn Naples its reputation as the birthplace of modern pizza....
"The hand-formed crust is paper-thin at the center, thicker toward the edges and, in contrast to the cracker-crunch of Roman pizzas, has the unmistakable chew of a true Neapolitan pie, with a yeasty tang and a hint of salt."
Today’s Machining World
August 2006
“This is the only pizza I’ve had in the United States that even resembles the pizza I ate when I was in Naples.”
Wine Lovers Page
Due Pizzerie
By Tom Hyland
September 2006
"Many people in America have dreamed of operating a genuine Neapolitan pizzeria in America; one of the most successful is located in Chicago.... The owner is Jonathan Goldsmith, an American who lived for years in Tuscany and Puglia and spent a great deal of time visiting pizzerie in Napoli as well as learning how to make the classic pizzas of the South.... Goldsmith has created a successful Neapolitan pizzeria by honoring the authentic flavors of this famous foodstuff. He told me that for a true pizza lover, ’Pizza margherita and marinara are the real things. You taste the cheese and tomato in those pizzas. All the others are just noise.’ "
Zagat
2008
The coveted No. 1 pizza prize goes to this Ravenswood "thin-crust" upstart whose "sincere" owner "traveled the whole of Italy to learn his craft" – and "you can taste the love" in his "fabulous", "authentic Neapolitan" pies whose "slightly charred", "bubbly crusts" are topped with "high-quality ingredients"; the menu is all ’za, antipasto, bierra and wine, the "noisy" environs are "low-key" and "the wait may be long" but it's "worth it."
