That's a Spicy Meatball

Topolino's Pizza's new Capitol Hill location, on 12th Avenue at E Denny, has only been open for business a week, and Seattlest has already eaten there approximately 72 times. We've never been to their other locations (in Bellevue and Madrona), but then again, those establishments aren't right near our apartment.

Family-owned and -operated for decades, the restaurant's definitely got that laid-back family feel. While waiting in line, the employees in the kitchen will converse with you about the neighborhood or World Cup action. If you're lucky, the owner (with his heavy Brooklyn accent) might just make you a mini cannoli to sample while you wait.

As to those cannolis, our resident expert on all things Eye-talian has given them a hearty thumbs-up. The rest of the grub ain't bad neither. We haven't gotten to everything on their extensive menu just yet, but we've ordered a variety of subs, the pizza, and a few salads. So far, it's all been satisfying. The subs come on toasted homemade bread, topped with a generous portion of mozzarella cheese. We love condiments, so we were glad to see that that chicken caesar sub had more than enough sauce to go around. Another standout, the Mediterranean tuna sub, had big chunks of pink tuna, capers, and green olives, which were nicely complimented by oregano.

Topolino's doesn't offer pizza by the slice (boo), but their sign says they can have your pie ready in five minutes, and for the most part, this is true. The kitchen has the hand-tossed dough ready to go, allowing the pizza to be made in short order. But if there's several people ahead of you, it'll be less like five minutes, and more like fifteen. Still, that's not bad, especially since it's quality: fresh plum tomato sauce and whole milk mozzarella, with pecorino cheese sprinkled on top before it goes in the oven. The particular pizza we ordered (chicken and artichoke) could have used a little more by way of toppings, but overall the flavors were well-balanced. We'll be back, guaranteed.

Topolino's Pizza
Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight
Sunday 3pm-10pm
206-323-1560