Fortina Pizza

I’ve walked past this place for almost a year before trying it. Glad I gave it a shot last week. The happy hours could be better but I loved the brick oven margherita pizza we ordered. The vegan meatballs were great but wish they came with pasta, especially for $18. The wood-fired half chicken was delicious and the sweetness from the sweet potato and dressing from the side salad made for a tasty meal.

This place is difficult to find if you're not familiar with the area. It's located inside of the City Place Mall. I came to try the pizza because Christian Patroni supposedly makes the best pizza in Brooklyn. I guess that assumption is a matter of taste. It was ok. I've actually had better in Fort Worth and Austin. Anyhoo, that one's been knocked off the list of must try's.

If I had to choose just one food item that I'd have to eat for the rest of my life, it'd be the mozzarella sticks here (lovably dubbed "mottz"). A thick, crunchy, thoroughly seasoned shell encloses an impossibly chewy log of cheese. Dip this in their tangy homemade marinara and you've officially crossed heroin off your bucket list. Their other stuff is good too.

The wait staff was friendly, courteous, and efficient. The décor is nice. The food was delicious. We all enjoyed our meals. The drawbacks were: the lighting was way too dim (I had to use my phone to illuminate my menu in order to see it.), the music was way too loud (We had to raise our voices in order to converse.) and, if they're going to show movies on the TVs, they should have closed-captioning activated.

Pizza was delicious (so good I dug in and forgot to take a photo of the pie before it was half gone). The servers were helpful and accommodated our 1 year old. They have a good lunch deal where you get 15% off with your Trader Joes receipt. Lots of seating and they had an eclectic mix of movies playing on their numerous tvs.

4.27.18 - surprisingly really really good. The pizzas are fantastic in texture and flavor. I had serious doubts about this place, and I went in believing it was over-hyped, but it might be an underdog. Now, it's not going to get reviews like Lucali's or Speedy Romeo (side note, as much as I like Speedy Romeo's, some dishes are over seasoned (salty)), but it's a great spot for good pizza and pasta dishes. You get a 15% discount with a Trader Joe's receipt from the same day. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 PM, and most importantly, the staff is simply great and very supportive of families. The bar seems to be popular too, and it does not seem to get too loud despite it getting filled up.