Friday night date night on the nicest evening of the year so far felt like the perfect excuse to…read morefinally check out Nonna Ilva after seeing it all over social media. I was craving pizza, my adventure buddy was craving a cheesesteak, and this seemed like the perfect place to satisfy both.
Parking is street-only, but it's free after 5pm, which is a win for dinner plans. I managed to snag a spot right out front without having to parallel park or circle the block, which honestly felt like a small victory before the night even started.
We had planned to meet at 5:30pm, but due to a slightly delayed adventure buddy situation, we walked in closer to 5:45pm -- right at peak "everyone else had the same idea" time. The place was absolutely PACKED. There was one table left in the main dining area (which we grabbed immediately), though we were told there was additional seating in another room. From our table out front, we had a full view of the action...which turned out to be both entertaining and a little telling.
Going into the evening, I had already done my homework (because of course I did) and had spent the week narrowing down my order. Everything on the menu sounded incredible, but I ultimately landed on the Broccoli & Sausage Pizza Bianche -- a white pizza topped with mozzarella, broccoli, sausage, chili oil, and burrata. My adventure buddy chose the standard cheesesteak (hoagie roll, onions, provolone), which was exactly the level of culinary risk I expected from him.
It quickly became clear that Nonna Ilva was significantly understaffed that evening. We waited about 15 minutes before anyone came to take our drink order, and the three staff members we saw were absolutely hustling -- managing the dining room, takeout orders, and a steady stream of DoorDash pickups. They were working hard, but there were simply too many customers for the team on hand.
When our server did make it over, we placed both our drink and food orders at the same time to avoid any additional delays. About 20 minutes later, the cheesesteak arrived -- hot and solid, though a bit more straightforward than expected. Despite ordering it with onions, it came out fairly plain with just steak and cheese on a toasted roll. Flavor-wise, it delivered, but it didn't quite stand out.
About 10 minutes after that, my pizza arrived -- and WOW. Absolutely stunning. Piled high with sausage, broccoli, and burrata, and finished with a generous drizzle of chili oil, it looked every bit as good as I had hoped.
The timing, however, was a bit of a letdown. My adventure buddy had waited to eat until my food arrived (a noble decision), but by the time the pizza hit the table, his cheesesteak had cooled off quite a bit. Not ideal, but we made the best of it.
Now let's talk about the pizza -- because this is where Nonna Ilva completely redeemed itself for me.
I have been on a lifelong search for a truly great white pizza, and more often than not, it's been a disappointment -- bland, oily, and clearly an afterthought on most menus. But Nonna Ilva? Nonna Ilva cares about white pizza.
This was hands down one of the best white pizzas I've ever had. Perfectly balanced, flavorful, and clearly crafted with intention. The chili oil brought just the right amount of heat, the sausage and broccoli were generous and well-distributed, and the burrata? Game changer. I've never seen another local spot incorporate burrata into a white pizza like this, and it absolutely made the dish.
This is the white pizza I've been searching for. The kind I will go out of my way to come back for again and again.
Unfortunately, the service side of the experience just didn't match the quality of the food that night. The staff was clearly overwhelmed, and it showed throughout the entire visit. Even paying the bill proved to be a challenge -- we eventually walked up to the register and waited in line with DoorDash drivers just to close out.
We still left a good tip because the effort was there -- the team was working hard -- but the overall experience inside the restaurant felt chaotic. I had originally planned to grab dessert from their case, but decided to skip it and head elsewhere given the situation.
Next time? I'll absolutely be back for that pizza... but I'll likely go the takeout route like many others seem to be doing.
Because while the service may have struggled that night, the food -- specifically that white pizza -- is 100% worth coming back for!
