Napoli’s Pizza is one of the restaurants in an area of uptown Hoboken I don’t normally frequent around dinner time. Along Washington Street in the area of 11th and 12th, I’ll go to Schnackenberg’s for breakfast, Biancomano’s for lunch, or Giorgio’s Bakery if my sweet tooth needs sating. But for dinner, I’ve always seen uptown Hoboken as an area of high-end restaurants out of my price range and, generally, out of my league. But stereotypes and generalizations are a dangerous, and often misleading thing.
While a decent amount of students have likely ordered Napoli’s delivery (as spoiled by distance as we are, anything above 11th aside from Biergarten is a trek), the seated dining experience is quite pleasant. Even though it was the middle of the dinner rush, seating was quite doable, and we were even able to take up a larger table than the two of us would normally use. Everything is clean and well-lit, and you feel like you’ve just entered something between an Italian kitchen and a small bistro. The waitstaff are extremely friendly, help you figure out what to order in a snap, and refill drinks as soon as the straw starts making the oh-so-unfortunate slurping noise. As nice as the staff and environment of Napoli’s are, the real star is the food.
For a smaller first course, we decided to split a personal pie. Seeing as Napoli’s primary sell is their pizza, reviewing it was absolutely essential. They have quite a few selection of pies, everything from classic to complex, but nothing so wacky that it borders on endangering its status as Italian pizza. Shooting for simple, we went for a classic margherita pie, and it was honestly quite a bit larger than we were expecting. Cut into four slices instead of six, the crust is thin and crispy, but not so much crunch that the pie falls apart. The sauce, in some places shallow enough that it’s baked onto the crust, is relatively flavorful, but doesn’t necessarily stand out on the pizza. The cheese is similar: baked on in dollops throughout the pie, not overwhelming, just there. Overall, a well-balanced thin crust margherita pie.
The pasta dishes, though, really are something. Napoli’s has an assortment of pasta, heroes, wraps, and others; but we had our hearts set on pasta. First, the spaghetti and meatballs. While we launch into a conversation about making homemade meatballs, we’re not disappointed by the dish. While the meatballs appear pan-fried (unless you spend eight or more hours making them, they have to be) with a slight crisp on the edge and more taste of onion than was expected, the texture was good and the meatballs were some of the better ones I’ve found in Hoboken. The other dish, the blackened chicken pasta, came with various steamed vegetables (judging by the softer texture, definitely steamed) and a creamy sauce with a slight kick, but nothing that detracted from the main ingredients in the dish.
While the taste was pretty good, even more impressive was the value. We were expecting rather small portions given the lower prices of each dish (around $10 for each item we ordered), but we were astounded by the portions. I’m even a bit ashamed to admit I couldn’t finish my pasta dish in a single sitting. Anyone who knows me knows I never leave a meal unfinished, but I will admit defeat to the portions provided by Napoli’s.
Uptown Hoboken is known for upscale restaurants and a generally classier feel than the parts of Hoboken closer to the train station. Such an environment can be somewhat intimidating for a younger college student, but sometimes, convention can be bucked. Napoli’s Pizza is an outlier to the stereotype, with lower prices, large portions, and a comfortable, friendly atmosphere that’s bound to surprise and satisfy.
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