Family owned and operated since 1947, Pellicci's has developed quite a following in Stamford since its inception over 60 years ago. Located amidst no-name liquor stores, a golden boxer statue and Lucy's Pizzeria, Pellicci's is clearly the diamond in the rough of Stamford's West Side.

Establishment. Pellicci's old world decor and spacious, low lit dining rooms set the precedent for a superb Italian restaurant. With plucky Italian music and checkered tablecloths abound, Pellicci's delivers an air of class in an otherwise dingy part of town with traditional ambiance, full table service (however slow), and the personal flair that only a family business can deliver. Equipped with a virtual arsenal of Italian specialties, this restaurant can cater to anyone in the mood for steaks, seafood, chicken, veal (all served as platters or family style), and of course, pizza.

Pizza. This pizza clearly combines good quality ingredients and homemade, tried and true recipes to make a stellar product. Pellicci's Neapolitan crust is perfectly cooked with just the right amount of char and crispiness, pairing well with perfectly portioned, delicious, stringy cheese (albeit a tad bland). Pellicci's truly shines with its sauce, quite obviously homemade and perfected as a pasta sauce over the course of the establishment's 60+ year run. While flavorful, the sauce is also very heavy and concentrated, overpowering the rest of the pie at times. Another highlight of this pizza was the meatball topping: an incredibly flavorful and blatantly handmade ingredient that scored perfectly across all of our judges. Despite the inherent quality of each ingredient, these flavors married in a lackluster fashion. However, this shortcoming was hardly enough to tarnish such a delicious pizza.

The bottom line. Pellicci's is an inviting Italian restaurant and while we're positive they have much more to offer than pizza, their pizza is still very, very good.

Establishment: 26/30
Pizza: 23/30
Hits the Spot: 7/10
Large Cheese: $11.95