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WhitneyTM, anonymous:

Overall:

• Quality:

  4/5

• Vibe:

  4/5

• Service:

  4/5

• Value:

  4/5

"Olivella's Avera Pizza Napoletana." Translation: Yum.

Spurred on by recent Pegasus pizza controversy, I tried out this little spot. Tucked away on McFarlin, so tucked we almost didn't see it, is teeny tiny Olivella's. It's an odd location, within a block of Stromboli Cafe and Pizza Hut. The place is precious (kudos to whomever designed it). Exposed brick walls with little candles tucked in holes, lots of wood, art, & mismatched seating. Tiny as it is, there was a table for us. At 7 pm there was plenty of parking and at the other tables (6? maybe, 2 small cafe tables outside) were families & SMU students. Two sets of giant double doors were open to the outside. Not sure how that will work when it's raining or 100 degrees. No less than three casually-clad servers helped us right on time, every time.

On to the food: I am not qualified to review pizza this fancy. All I can say is man, was it good. We got the Mezza Metro (that's the size) Margherita (described as "The original from Naples, house-made mozzarella with tomato sauce & basil") and added pepperoni. We split a decent if slightly watery Caesar while we waited. Cokes come in cans with ice for $2. The pizza showed up on a wooden plank with a stand; it looked hot, crispy, almost too pretty to eat. We did eat it, of course, and it was delicious. I've never been to Italy, but now I feel like I can imagine what the pizza is like. Rustic and fresh and not overwhelmed by bread, this pizza was amazing. Our only disappointment was that we hadn't ordered more. The Mezza Metro ($17+) is good for 2 small appetites; next time I think we'll go for 2 "regulars" ($12+). There are 10 other pizzas to try, plus innumerable combinations of additional toppings. The menu features the history of pizza from the region, and claims they accept Euros! Desserts sounded great but we'd been bad enough already.

I met the proprietor, a humble, kind man who seemed sincerely interested in our experience. We told him it was great, and I promised I'd pass it on. Definitely try this place; I get the feeling we're lucky to have it.