My friend brought me here after a day of wine tasting in the area. We had to wait about 20-25 minutes for a table, but that wasn't the end of the wait. After being seated, it seemed like the food took a long time to arrive to the table. We had the meatballs, which had excellent sauce, but I don't know that they were cooked completely. The pizza came with the scissors that I guess is their "thing". The pizza was good, just not worth all the hype. Maybe I was just too hungry to really love it this visit. The servers were friendly, though. read more

We were lucky to get the last open table on a Saturday afternoon. It is an intimate dining experience; so, timing is important here if you don't like to wait. I tried the Hell Boy, great selection if you like it a bit hot. Hubby had the Abruzzo, also awesome. Bottom line, it's the best pizza I've had since we moved to Virginia! However my favorite part of the meal was the Cavoletti Di Bruxelles. This is salad perfection. We'll definitely be back. Gotta try the Funghi Pizza & some desserts! read more

Thank God for this place! Coming from NYC, I am a pizza snob and proud to admit it. This is as good or even better than NY! And the curbside pickup was perfect and right on time! Only place for "real" Pizza in Virginia! read more

We dined at Prime 109 Monday night and met Lauren, (Partner) he suggested we try Lampo for lunch. Wow Wow Wow. I travel extensively for business and coincidentally most of my business is wrapped around Foodservice. This has to be the finest wood fired pizza I have ever had. If you are in the area it's a must!!! read more

I love the food and cocktails at Lampo. It always seems busy, which is telling. There are plenty of options for pizza in the area, but the experience at Lampo is special. Everything I've had on the menu is fantastic. I recommend the Abruzzo pizza and the Midnight Stinger for a cocktail. The Stinger is like a mint julep and a Manhattan's love child. It's great if you're a whiskey fan. read more

These four stars are solely based on them danggone meatballs!!!!! Lampo's meatballs are the best meatballs I've ever tasted. I tried the brussel sprouts salad, meatball antipasti, Margherita pizza, and the ricotta donuts. The Meatballs were off the chart delicious. I also had a glass of a sparkling red which was very tasty. I really enjoyed my class of wine. I sat at the bar and the service was amazing. However, (people are going to kill me for this) the pizza was overrated. It was just okay to me. The doughnuts were okay. The crust and cinnamon sugar on the doughnuts was really good. The inside didn't taste like anything, not even ricotta in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and would still recommend Lampo's to others. read more

I can't begin to describe how amazing this place is. We came, we ate, we had to nap. All is good ...... do not miss the ricotta donut dessert. I almost did, and couldn't leave one on the plate it was soooooo good! Rolled out of there, after a great Brussel said, pizza, meatballs and dessert! Can't tell u one bad thing here!!! read more

We happened upon this place and almost didn't go in because no one was on the patio and we thought it was closed. That would have been a huge mistake! We had the kale salad, cauliflower, margarita pizza, meatball pizza, and delicious cocktails. The service was super friendly and the food was some of the best I've had in a long time. The atmosphere was really cozy too. We will definitely be back! read more

So so good. Yes, it's small and you may end up in the back dungeon room. But endure the wait because the pizzas are worth it! They are marvelous, crisp, perfectly made in their coal oven. We had the clam pie and one of the best I've ever had! The sides are also exceptional so don't skip those--lives the escarole (give me the recipe now!), kale salad, and mustard greens special. Top it off with wine... Devine! read more

I have a new favorite word. And that word is Funghi. I don't know whether it's the inexplicable doughy-yet-also-crunchy nature of the crust or the amazing sauce that creates this bed of flavor for what I can only describe as succulent mushrooms, but the Funghi pizza in this place is incredible. Incredible. Highly, highly recommend it. And all the pizzas in this place for that matter. Coming here late at night with a few coworkers, I was surprised to find the place still packed. This place can definitely be a hot spot, whether for post-work happy hour, late night food, or even classy dates. To me, Lampo's has become synonymous to fine-dining pizza. Be warned, the pies (and cocktails) this place serves aren't cheap. But they are definitely worth it. Even the seating here has a very nice vibe going for it - candlelit and kind of pub-like - you can't help but feel very cozy in your seat. You can opt to have your pizza pre-sliced or cut it up yourself with "pizza shears" which are a neat type of scissors to try. Aside from the Funghi pizza, I was able to try their signature cocktail and an Old Fashioned, both of which were very well made. Overall, a great pizza joint that, though a little pricy, can be well worth it. read more

We were looking for a pizza and wine bar and were happy to find Lampo. Parking was around the corner and under a bridge, but once we decided to leave our car we didn't worry about it. While we waited for a table (about 45 minutes on a Saturday night), we were seated on a gravel patio and were able to order drinks which was really nice. The ambience is intimate which we really liked. The pizza was great- I had the funghi pizza with a ricotta base, and my husband had a spicy meat pizza with spicy red base, which was tasty too. We also ordered the bufalo mozzarella, olives, and wine. All in all a great night. I think we'll be back. read more

Lampo has the best pizza I've ever had! The wait can get quite lengthy so we walked around a bit but definitely be wary about that especially since you can't make reservations ahead of time. The funghi pizza is amazing! read more

Geese ... last 2 times we were here service was a disaster. I'm not talking about a slammed restaurant. You can be slammed and not have a disaster. These guys don't have a clue ... sit people outside to wait, no prob. But geese, offer some dang water or a drink. And maybe, just maybe serve people in arrival order. This ain't rocket science. read more

My husband grew up in Italy and he was very excited to try this place out. The building itself is VERY small but it makes a nice place for an intimate date. The service is decent, unless they are packed because you may get overlooked for a bit. They don't let you make reservations and because of the popularity of the place of really is first come first serve. It's also Located on a weird side road with limited parking if you aren't among the first customers to arrive. We went there for date night and We both agreed that the pizza was absolutely amazing! As are their desserts, I would just suggest calling ahead to make sure they haven't run out of your favorites read more

What a gift to Charlottesville! Neapolitan Pizza done perfectly. Everything on the menu is delicious, the Staff is kind, the chefs are on top of their game, and the wait time is always worth it! There's an abundance of parking and the ambiance is . read more

See all

Easily the best pizza (of it's type) in town. Always fresh and tasty. Not cheap thus the four instead of five stars but quality is not cheap. read more

Amazing pizza place but they don't reservations :( Loved the pizza there and the ambience is wonderful. read more

After accidentally hiking 8 miles (Mom's spaghetti) my girlfriend, sister, and myself stopped here my for lady friends birthday dinner. The food and service were solid, but here's where they went above and beyond...our car broke down in their parking lot. They came out and gave us a jump, then one of the owners hopped on his Segway, went home and got a tool kit (i wish that was a joke, and in a way it is, but still...solid dude). I used one of the Mexican cokes to clean the corrosion off the battery terminal and we were all set to ride. I'm not usually in Charlottesville, but the next time my car breaks down, I really hope it's here. read more

Wonderful thin crust pizza and delicious small plates. Try the beets and escarole as side dishes. Pizza was amazing. Trendy but really good. May have to wait. read more

Lampo - PBR and pizza! - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great food. About 5 tables inside... plus outside tables if it's not cold. Fantastic pizza and meatballs.

EXCELLENT - great addition to Belmont! Visited for the first time this past weekend and (although there's pretty limited seating), the stars aligned and we were able to immediately be seated outside. Our waiter was friendly and extremely attentive (even arranged for the chef to modify one of the pizzas for me, which I really appreciated); the atmosphere was lovely (try to sit outside if the weather is nice); and the food was DELICIOUS, from the warm bread we ordered to the pizzas. Zero reservations to recommending Lampo for a thoroughly enjoyable meal out. read more

Lampo - Variation on a white pizza - yum! - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

One of the best meals I've had in C'ville. Came here for a double date (and NO kids) because this place is tiny and we wanted to be able to focus on the food! It did not disappoint. The menu is quite small so if you go with friends you can really share everything tapas style. My favorites were the fresh pizzas (slightly charred crust with a light, chewy crust). We also enjoyed the shaved brussel sprouts salad and the meatball. Everything was great; we'd go again! The only downside is how tiny this place is AND that it's not open on Sundays. We arrived before 5pm on a Saturday so we wouldn't have to wait. read more

Doesn't deserve anything less than 5 stars. Must try the meatballs and hellboy, if its available. Sat at the bar and service was awesome.

This place was confusing at first but quite honestly no complains !! We were told there was a 30 min wait which turned into at least a 45 min wait but you know what? It was worth it !!! This place is tiny but yet super busy for its size !! The number of seats are limited but the minute you get sat you can smell the delicious food cooking !! Great bartender, you won't get bored looking at this one :-) !! This man can multitask like no one's business and yet always smiled and was very professional !! The place could use some improvements, tiny sinks in the bathroom ... place could use another host to seat people and answer those phone calls !! Overall great experience! read more

Some of the best pizza in Charlottesville! Comjng for lunch is a great option if you cant manage to get a table for dinner! The service is great and the pizza is always amazing!! read more

Lampo - Prosciutto pizza! - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Lampo's pizza is divine. The crust is fluffy and chewy with just a bit of char that adds complexity. The funghi is rich and creamy, the margarita had a perfect balance of acidity, sweetness, and fatyness. Don't skip on the wine because they carry my all time favorite, Granano, a delightful sparkling red that is perfect for pizza. read more

Great prochiutto pizza. The cream on top was so soft and rich. What a wonderful pizza.

A quaint, intimate, and authentic pizza experience. The wood burning stove is awesome. The restaurant itself is very small, and space is limited. We arrived at 8:15 on a Friday and had to wait about 20 minutes, however they had a nice little waiting room in the back where we were able to enjoy a drink. I would imagine that during peak dinner hours people would be on top of each other. We got the Hellboy Pizza (honey and chipotle glazed crust) and the flavors were incredible. The Margarita Pizza was solid too. Only minor complaint was the crusts were a bit soggy/soft. Atmosphere is perfect for all occasions, first date, 1000th date, meeting up with a friend. Only exception may be small children. read more

What this place lacks in physical space it makes up for in deliciousness! People line up outside waiting for it to open in hopes of getting a table. When you finally get seated, I strongly recommend the meatballs (holy god how are these so good) and the prosciutto pizza. Also the cocktails are tasty! :-) read more

I came here for a late dinner on a Thursday night and was pleased to see a light crowd. Weeknights say a lot about a restaurant, in my opinion, and this placed is clearly well-liked. I was a little surprised to find out that there is nowhere indoors where you are allowed to wait for your party to arrive, because they only seat complete parties and they seat the bar the same as the tables. On the one hand, this is nice if you're eating at the bar, but on the other hand, it was chilly and in my haste to pack for our trip to Charlottesville for my college reunion weekend, I had neglected to bring a jacket. Luckily, my friend arrived shortly after we did, and we were seated right away. The waitress had to explain some terminology on the menu as it is heavily Italianized. "Panna" means no tomato sauce...and that's about all I picked up. The wines are all Italian, and the one she recommended after I said I preferred dry whites was a perfect choice. She said that all the pizzas are "paper thin" and are best served as personal pizzas, so we each ordered our own pizza and a plate of olives to start. The olives were delicious! A gorgeous array of black and green olives with a somewhat spicy oil drizzled over them. When the pizzas arrived, we were all shocked at the huge size of them, but remembering that the waitress had said they were paper thin, we remained optimistic that we would not travel back to our hotel with leftover pizza. One polarizing topic at the table was that we each had a pair of pizza scissors with which to cut our own pizzas as we preferred. I thought this was kind of cool, but my husband and friend found it sort of annoying and pretentious. I think the Italian menu is more pretentious than the "cut-your-own" feature, but to each his own. I got the Funghi pizza, which was very good. Some of the mushrooms were a little tough, leading to me taking far bigger bites than you would want to take when meeting up with a friend you haven't seen in years. But, the delicious consistency of the Neapolitan crust did not disappoint. Our server was attentive and respectful of the fact that we were clearly a group of old friends catching up. She didn't hover, and came back at just the right times to replenish water and clear plates. It turns out that the pizzas were just as substantial as we expected and my friend and I could have probably gotten away with sharing one. My husband over ate so as not to have to bring pizza back to the hotel. And as I sit here, two days later, my pizza is still languishing in our hotel fridge since I have no good way to reheat it. Nothing worse than ruining good pizza with a microwave. A total of 6 drinks, 3 pizzas, and one appetizer added up to around $94 before the tip, so it seems that the price was pretty fair based on the unique atmosphere, delicious wine, and artisan pizza that this place offers. Depending on your tolerance for slightly pretentious affectations, this could be a great spot for a date night or a special night out with friends. read more

Pizza was great, shame they don't do stuffed crust. Even if they added pan pizza or thin crust would be great. Plus beers while you wait. But seriously, stuff crust. read more

I have heard amazing reviews for this place but the awful service was not mentioned. I knew on a Friday night the wait time would be long but we weren't in a rush. We arrived at 6:30 and was told there would be a 1.5 hour wait time. The Host put our name on the list and told us to come back later. We went downtown to talk and shop while we waited. At 8:00 we called the restaurant and asked if our table was ready. They said our table would be ready in 15-20 minutes which was perfect since we were walking back from downtown. However when we arrived, the host rudely scolded us like we were children for "missing our table" when she told us to come back in 1.5 hours. Our waiter was not friendly either. We did not get any food until 8:45. We ordered 2 orders of meatballs for 3 people as an appetizer since we were starving for waiting for over 2 hours. The porchetta was very juicy but almost too fatty and the edges were a bit too burnt. The prosciutto pizza was too salty. Overall, I doubt I would ever come back due to the terrible service. If I wanted to be scolded like a child I would have had dinner at home with my parents. The only redeeming factor is the amazing meatballs. read more

See all

Took a recommendation from a local to check out this hot restaurant, and I'm so glad I did! Specializing in Neapolitan pizza, Lampo is putting out some darn good pizza. The space is very small and I was warned it gets packed so you're best coming in later in the evening. I had no problem scoring a table and we were immediately greeted by our friendly waitress. There was a menu of specials for the day and the regular menu on the table. They serve everything tapas style and plates will come out as they are made. There was no doubt I was trying a pizza but I couldn't take my eyes off the kale salad special. The kale salad was different then any I've had before since the kale was shredded. I like the idea of shredding kale makes it very easy to eat. The kale salad was topped with golden raisins, ricotta salata, and fried parsnips. My only complaint was it was so small and so tasty and I just wanted more! Next time I would definitely order my own salad no sharing for this girl. The mushroom pizza was amazing. The pizza came out of the wood fired oven piping hot in a matter of minutes. They serve the pizza uncut with shears to cut each slice. I absolutely loved all the ingredients in this pizza it was like a white pizza topped with amazing wild mushrooms, no red sauce on this pie. I highly recommend walking off the downtown mall a few blocks and checking out Lampo. They also have a great cocktail and wine list. Lampo might be small but they are doing some big things with their tasty food. read more

Lampo lives up to its hype! I've been meaning to eat here for a long time, and I regret not trying it sooner. The pizzas are great! I especially love how the crust is charred and chewy. It is also very thin (basically a flatbread), but still delicious. I found it funny that they gave us scissors, but it's probably a lot more effective than using a knife or pizza cutter anyways. We ordered the prosciutto and the funghi (my favorite of the two) - both very solid choices! They have a nice selection for small (emphasis on the small) plates as well - from salads to cheeses to olives as well as seasonal specials. We ordered the meatballs to start and they were pretty good! We also had the pork belly, which was $10 for just a piece but WORTH IT. The skin was crispy and not too fatty while meat was very tender. Everything we had was on the saltier side, but still very yummy. The prices also aren't too bad for an Italian restaurant. With two starters and two pizzas, we ended up spending ~$14 each. Lastly, there is very limited seating, so I wouldn't at all recommend coming with a large group. Lampo is definitely somewhere I will be coming back to whenever I visit Charlottesville! read more

Consistently outstanding whether for dine in or, during Covid, for their easy, approachable and extremely safe feeling hands-free takeout. Well done everyone, I can't wait to come back. read more

My fiance and I moved to Charlottesville from Manhattan about a year ago, and, being big foodies, we weren't quite sure what to expect from the Charlottesville culinary scene! We were pleasantly surprised when we discovered Lampo within the first few weeks. Having just moved from NYC, we weren't too phased by the lines or the small, boutique environment that Lampo boasts. In fact, we think its half the charm. However, from a review standpoint - be prepared to wait on a weekend for at least 40-45 minutes. (Little insider tip - you can walk across the street and hit Champion Brewing for a beer, then walk back over when your wait time is nearly up. Great way to pass the time!). Also...it's small. Like, really small. So, not the best place to bring a family of 20. Ok favorite things to order: Polpetine al forno (beef and pork meatballs) as an appetizer, the Cavolo Nero (kale salad with candied almonds, pickled mustard seeds and apple cider vinaigrette), and the Margherita D.O.C. pizza. We usually check the specials menu as well as there are often some fantastic options... The menu isn't vast - but, to us, thats a sign of a well-run restaurant. They know what they do, they spend meticulous time cultivating the ingredients for their menu, and everyone who works here takes pride in the restaurant and has a good understanding of pairings and will be eager to make recommendations if you ask. Overall, fantastic spot, and a definite 'must go' when in Charlottesville. read more

This is definitely a Charlottesville must-try. The interior is so warm and inviting, however beware: seating is very minimal. There were 2 tables that seat 4, one table that seats 3, and 2 tables that seat 2 I think, then you have the bar, which probably seated about 10 people max, We arrived around 5:15, 15 minutes after their dinner opening, and got the last table there. We overheard at some point there was a 2.5 hour wait! Either come early, but be prepared to come, add your name to the wait list, leave and come back. The service was great, the food comes out tapas style so whatever was finished first comes out. We started out with the sauteed escarole (for 4$) and the meatball appetizer (can't remember the name. Those were VERY good. The escarole is some type of green, but it tastes like lettuce but not quite that soggy. The meatballs you could tell were freshly made, it had that meaty, earthy, taste to it. We ordered the Hellboy and a Margherita. The Margherita is rather plain, we didn't like or love it, and there was most certainly a very small amount of basil on top and no fresh tomatoes. You're best bet is to try the other specialty pizzas. The Hellboy is salty, sweet, and spicy all at the same time, and it was amazing! It all came to about 14$ per person, and we were too stuffed for dessert! But we most definitely will be coming back to try some more pizzas! read more

Just OK. My husband and I went here excited after thoroughly reading some reviews and were left wanting more. We ordered bread, marinated olives, the shaved brussels sprouts salad and the funghi pizza. Bread: good, can't complain. Sesame seeds on top. Olives: overpowering amounts of pepper. Not pitted. Salad: definitely get this! We loved it. Pizza: I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The crust and cheese were good, but the mushrooms were hard and rubbery. All in all, it wasn't terrible. We wouldn't have minded it too much if we were local and had other opportunities to eat elsewhere, however we were on a short getaway in C'ville and really wished we'd gone somewhere else. read more

Yes, it's small. Yes, you are going to have to wait. Yes, the pizza is suppose to have (delicious) blackened spots on the bottom. Yes, you have to cut the pizza yourself with pizza scissors. Yes, it is totally worth it. Try the Cauliflower appetizer, it's amazing. Pizza is cooked quickly in a giant wood-fired oven, making the perimeter crust light and fluffy... think savory marshmallow, and a soft center (not raw). Skip Dessert... eat more of the Cauliflower... trust me, I'm a fat kid, so I don't take dessert lightly. read more

Really impressed with the food, service, and atmosphere here. The salads are inventive and delicious, same with the cocktails. I need to keep coming back to try everything on the menu. On my first visit, I sat at the bar and had nice conversations with friendly Charlottesvillians. Love the simple, neighborhood-oriented atmosphere they've created. read more