Ribalta.

The pizzas here are proper Neapolitan, blistered and soft, but the reason I keep coming back is the whole package. There’s pasta if someone in your group is being difficult about pizza (it happens), a real wine list, and the kind of casual buzz where a table of six can get loud and nobody minds. We have ended more than one long walk through the Village at this table.

What to skip? Don’t come here expecting the crispy, foldable New York slice. That’s not what this is, and if that’s your craving you’ll leave confused. Come for the Naples-style pie and the sit-down evening, and it delivers exactly that.

Bringing the authentic taste of Naples to Greenwich Village, Ribalta is a treasured New York City pizzeria. The founder of Ribalta, Pasquale Cozzolino, is keen to point out that in Naples a pizzaiolo (pizza chef) must apprentice for two years before being allowed touch dough. Crafting pie is an art, and Ribalta has it down to a science.

They make some of the best gluten-free pizza in New York City, every pie can be made gluten free for an extra $6. But there is one major caveat here – I wouldn’t recommend Ribalta for folks with celiac disease because the pies are made in a common kitchen and cross contamination is possible.

For fans of soccer (especially Italian Serie A) Ribalta is a hotspot. Games are cast a projector while. And when the Italian national team plays? Welcome to Stadium Ribalta.