“On all fronts, the Cappelli’s pizza did well.”
Extensive menu, quick service at Cappelli's
The door at Cappelli’s Pizzeria opens onto a counter that looks like a busy take-out joint, with a counter and a visible kitchen in which staffers assemble and bake pies at a furious rate. But keep walking past the counter, and you will enter a bright dining room full of comfy booths and tables with quick and efficient table service. That’s where Ruth, Dan, John and I settled in for dinner on a recent Saturday.
Cappelli’s Pizzeria
3642 N. Buffalo Road, Orchard Park
662-2290
3 1/2 pennies (out of four)
“Extensive menu.”
The Cappelli’s menu is extensive, populated with every kind of pizza (from the personal, which starts at $4.75, to the 32-piece sheet for $21.99) and subs. Sub categories included classics (ham, salami, cheeseburger, royal) and specialty (Steak and Onion Ring Sub, Pasta Sub) or Parm Subs (chicken finger, sausage and meatball). The cheapest half-subs were the bologna and cheese pizza for $3.25; a full Chicken Strip Cordon Bleu Sub will set you back the most, $7.50.
There are also many variations on the dough-and-filling theme, from wraps and calzones to flips, wedges and tacos, as well as pasta, soups and salads.
Ruth’s “authentic Pasta e Fagiole” ($3.50 for a bowl) was packed with beans — garbanzo, white and kidney — and carrot, celery and onion in a fresh-flavored tomato broth.
John ordered a sausage and cappicola sub ($3.95 for a half) and found it delicious. “This is a pretty nice sub for $4,” he said, with plenty of tangy cappicola and a slab of sausage on a fresh toasted roll.
We also ordered Daily Special No. 3, a 17-inch cheese pizza and a double order of wings for $24.75. The wings were not as large as some, and seemed a bit hotter than the medium we ordered, but they were moist and flavorful. We ate every last one of them.
Pizza is a simple dish, but the ingredients must be good individually and work well together. The crust must be crisp on the edges and tender to the tooth; the sauce must be nicely balanced between acid and sweet, and the cheese must enhance without overpowering. On all fronts, the Cappelli’s pizza did well. The crust was nicely browned, and the sauce and cheese played off each other’s flavors perfectly. It was so delicious that only a few slices made the trip home.
— Anne Neville
Cappelli’s Pizzeria is open from 10 a. m. to 10 p. m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a. m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and from 2 to 10 p. m. Sunday. It is handicapped-accessible.
I ordered a large chicken finger salad ($7.95) with mild fingers. It came out quickly, so I encouraged the others to dig in, and we agreed that the fingers seemed spicier than mild. The salad was bountiful and crisp, with plenty of iceberg, shredded cheddar and tasty grape tomatoes.
