It was a busy graduation weekend but the owner was able to accommodate our part of 9 at a large table out of the main dining area. Our server was super busy but yet prompt and attentive. The pizzas were perfection. Amazing crust. Delicious toppings. We had the Italian salad to share. The basil dressing was incredible. The cheese plate was better than we expected. Delicious cheeses. What I think was soft, warm pizza crust, fig preserves. Soooo good! We thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Apparently I lived in the moment and did not take a single photo! read more

4 star food, 1 star service. The food is great, no doubt. The pizzas are cooked in a super hot oven and are prepared in minutes. But the service, good lord. To start, there's never anyone in the hostess area to even acknowledge your arrival; it's a crapshoot as to how long it will take for your presence to be known. Next, the waitresses don't even know their own basic menu. The restaurant offers a low carb option in which your pizza is served on a bed of arugula instead of the typical dough, but each time I try to order this, they're unaware that this is an option, despite it being prominently displayed at the entrance of the restaurant. I eventually photographed this clearly listed option to show the dull servers that such is available, and thus avoid having to provide a verbal explanation each and every time I make this order. Again, this isn't some special, esoteric request; it is offered by the restaurant and listed on the signage overlooking the front counter. If this place hired servers who possessed some semblance of competence it would be a solid 5 out of 5. But they won't, and I'll still keep coming back because I'm an idiot who loves good low carb food, even if I have to suffer through stupidity to get it. read more

Tip: the crushed tomatoes bring a classic, delicate flavor to the pizzas. However, they also bring a good deal of moisture. After a slice or two, the pizza crust gets soggy and loses its crisp -- the whole point of Neapolitan pizza! Pizzas with meat mostly sidestep the issue by omitting the tomato. Vegetarians should take particular note of the platters, which serve seasoned slices of bread made from the pizza dough. Also, consider the Bianca pizza, which is just topped with cheese. Also note: the salad dressings are made from a vinaigrette base, including the Caesar. As a result, the salad works better as an amuse bouche -- a few, bright bites to clear the palate before the next course -- rather than a full course in itself. read more

Service is slow, but the pizza and salads are worth the wait!!! Definitely will go back for the salad and smoked duck pizza! read more

Pizzeria Antica - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Amazing staff I've been going there for years and every time I go there the staff lights up with joy. It's such a cozy place to eat dinner and the food is always good. I 100% recommend. read more

It's a bit pricey, and it can be difficult to appreciate the ingredients and technique that go into the food here. However, for anyone who's been to Italy (or sailed on an Italian cruise line), the food here will bring back pleasant memories of the delicious pizza that's a bit different than what you'll find at American pizza joints. In the afternoon that I visited, it was fairly quiet in here and easy to carry on a conversation. The Margherita Speciale is worth the extra cost, with a nice thin and chewy crust that's got an almost meaty texture to it. The crushed san marzano tomatoes are super juicy and while not as flavorful as a condensed sauce, tastes super fresh and matches well with the rest of the dish. The Mozzarella di bufala has a good milkiness to it, with a nice texture, and the basil helps to finish off the dish. While simple, the quality of the ingredients and flavor combination together do help to make this a dish to remember. The Anatra pizza I tried was also done nicely, with a good level of saltiness on the duck to help balance the generous amount of argula in the dish - mixed with enough parmigiano reggiano for extra burst of nutty, earthy cheese flavor. Even with all the herbs, the sharpness came through for me and helped to tie all the elements together. Overall, I enjoyed my experience here and can appreciate all the care in the dish design, construction, and execution for a truly delicious meal. read more

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The freshly handmade pizzas here are way better than those served in dining hall or in fast food restaurants on Green St! From simple pizzas like Margherita to more creative ones like Anatra, they are doing a great job in making it appealing and delicious. The pizza dough was chewy, airy and light. The cheese (especially the buffalo mozzarella on Margherita Speciale) was fresh and silky. Their pizzas do not have much meat in general, but if you are vegetariant or simply want to have more veggie, you will find lots of lovely choices on their menu. Also note that while they serve 12-inch pizza, the portion size was reasonable as the dough was very thin. What I do not like very much was the dining vibe. This restaurant was not as popular as other ones in downtown, such as Seven Saints or Maize. I only went there during weekends and few ppl was there. read more

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We stopped here about 30 minutes before they close, the kitchen closes, but they don't kick you out at closing time, they have beer and wine and soft drinks. The pizzas come from a woodfired oven. Nice selection. Great style of pizza. Delicious pizza. Attentive service. Street parking. read more

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Pizzeria Antica is a small pizza restaurant that delivers big. My husband and I went there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and had a terrific experience. We ordered the Margherita Speciale and the smoked duck pizza. We were going to split one pizza, but we were told that we would get a slice of each. Instead, we were given two entire 12-inch pizzas. I feel like I was lied to and would have ordered less if we were told the truth. The pizzas were amazing. They were full or flavor and I loved the simple ingredients. After the pizzas I had to try the Gelato. I got a scoop of the chocolate. Again, it was delicious. I enjoyed my experience at Pizzeria Antica and encourage everyone to check it out! read more

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This is by far the best pizza I have had in the US. If there were an option for ten stars, it would be the only pizza place in the US that I would give a 10. All others would be 5 or lower. Great food and drinks. read more

Pizzeria Antica - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Food and service are very good. The only negative is the harsh, bright lighting in the facility.

I have family from Naples and if I brought them here , they'd probably stab me in the alley out back for taking them here. This ain't pizza you get in Naples. Maybe Naples Fla. LOL. So this my 3rd time here. Last 2 times was so-so and so I gave it a 3rd try. Got a focaccia plate as an app. Bread is good. Olive oil was a tablespoon at best. Slivers of artichoke looked bizarre. This looked more like a garnish than edible. OK onto the margherita pizza. Terrible. They did not bother to "blind bake" the dough or drain the excess water out of the mozzarella cheese before using. Therefore there was a lake of water on the top of the pizza when it came to my table. The once crispy pizza, now a soggy mess. No thanks. Come on chefs, do better. Waiter was working double duty as cashier ,so getting a refill on wine or just asking how things are was non existent. Place is overpriced sorry to say. Oh well. I Paid and left. read more

Each time we go here, I love it. It is a very unique pizza that is more authentic than most in the area. Staff is very nice and the ambiance is great. If you go here expecting a chain pizza, you'll be disappointed. Yes it is more expensive but it is authentic and fresh and not mass produced. read more

The food is mid at best and the environment is extremely overwhelming and negative. The building is almost impossible to find whether you come by car, bus, or scooter. It is very loud and everything has upscale feel making you feel unwelcome. Multiple people in our party had panic attacks due to this. The pizza is very wet and falls apart, and does not taste particularly good. Everything smells of vinegar and the toppings leave a bad aftertaste. The dough is fine but thats about it. I would give the food two or three stars at most when ignoring the extremely poor atmosphere. read more

I was so excited to try this place but the wait was so unbelievably disappointing. There was only one server and at multiple points he was talking to customers and left the restaurant and disappeared for a while. Our first pizza came out timely. The next one didn't come out for another 25 minutes and the only reason it came out was because I reminded someone in the back that we had ordered it. The server was not around when I had gotten up to ask. I had waited a long time to see if he would show up. Otherwise, pizzas were good. Solid 8/10. The salad was good. Not worth the wait. read more

They took me and my party of nine for a lovely rustica experience. Freshest pizza in Champaign!!!! Services was excellent and the food even better. I recommend the meat pizza and the Cesar salad. Yummy Prosecco too! read more

We were in town for work. Plenty of locals had raved about this place, so a group of nine of us went. We got caesar salads and caprese salad. They both tasted different. We got margherita pizza, pepperoni pizza, and a sausage pizza. The pizza was super oily and greasy. The waiter was kind of rude and snippy with us. They don't have fountain drinks or ice. read more

Pizza here is good but everything else from service to wine to other menu items are enough to make someone not come back. Walked in 40 minutes after the posted opening time and were told they "weren't opening right now because they aren't owned by anyone so they can open when they want." When I asked for clarification on Their opening time I was told, in no particular order, that they're "opening soon" that they're "doing inventory" and that they're "open now just for [us]." We reluctantly sat. Awkward, terrible service. Beginning to end. We ordered quickly and packed up even faster to escape what felt like a bizarre and unnecessary situation. The pizza was great! The caprese was just a whole package of store bought mozzarella balls and a ton of store bought balsamic glaze--pass on this. Wine was *terrible* If I ever return it will be a pickup order exclusively. read more

Yum. My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday for early dinner and were seated immediately. The waiter gave us a few minutes before starting us off with drinks and took our order a few moments later. Our waiter was very quiet, so I'm not sure if he was new to serving but it could have been better. Our food came out quick and it was delicious! We decided to start with the infused olive oils. They were all really tasty, and the focaccia that came with it had a great taste and texture. We also really liked the jam that came with, the perfect mix of salty and sweet! Next we got the Margherita Pizza to share. The combination as a whole was very clean and good, but the dough was soooo amazing! I've never been so excited to eat pizza crust. Lastly, we got coconut gelato as a desert. We were able to sample the flavors before choosing, which was really nice. The coconut was flavorful and had coconut shreds incorporated, would recommend. My boyfriend and I sat at the table with empty dishes for a while before letting our server know that we were ready for the check. He told us we just need to go to the front. Again, service can be more atentative, but not horrible. read more

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I love this place! Their pizzas are top notch, and I love how there are so many different options to choose from. The restaurant itself has a great vibe! I love their diavola pizza the most. Their salads are fresh and great. Highly recommend this place for small and large groups! read more

I was back in Champaign in September, once again visited Pizzeria Antica, and once again it did not disappoint. It was still as brilliant a dinner as ever. It remains one of my favorite pizza experiences! read more

I always want to like this place more. It is the only Neapolitan pizza in town, and it is a nice variety from the other more American pizza parlors. But their pizza just isn't that great, especially as a vegetarian. read more

My group had planned to go here for a birthday dinner, mainly because they had a gluten free option which we were excited about. Turns out you have to order gluten free pizza 24 hours in advance. I would recommend adding this somewhere on the website or menu as we did not see that listed anywhere when planning. On top of this, my friend chose to come here for gelato. Well, gelato is currently unavailable. All that being said, my pizza was good (which we ended up taking to go & going to a different restaurant that kindly let us eat with our friend) & my other two friends enjoyed theirs as well. Staff was also super friendly. Just disappointed in our experience today. read more

Pizza good 8/10 little expensive Gelato nothing special 6.5/10 Service was good The restaurant is nice inside read more

This restaurant was an unforgettable experience. It's authenticity and charm are only exceeded by the traditional pizzas and Italian wine list. Benissimo! read more

Easiest my favorite pizza place in C-U area! We came here on a weekend's night, it was quite busy! And they were short on staff too, so we waited for awhile to get the orders in. However, the food was definitely worth the patience. The crust was chewy and the flavor was so pure and refreshing. Don't forget to get gelato for dessert. Highly recommended the salty caramel and strawberry flavor! read more

Pizzeria Antica - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

It's on a lovely, tiny city street with a handful of parking places; at 5 pm we had our choice. Because we were so early, DH and I were the only diners and found the space uncomfortably loud and resonant. More people would damp it down. The ambiance and menu were stylishly European. We shared a small salad and ordered two pizzas. DH loved them, me not so much -- I found the pizzas dry and underspiced. Probably we'll go again because DH liked the place so much. read more

I've been ordering pizzas at Antica for the past two years. They have the best Neapolitan pizzas around the CU area. Bit on the pricier end for the size but I love their thin crust and they have a wide range of topping options. read more

Pizzeria Antica - Lamb merguez sausage - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Nice place to eat out. Pizza was good. Wish there was more crunch on it. Margarita pizza was delicious. Staff we very friendly and not bad prices. Service was quick. Would recommend for any pizza fan. Would give it a 7.2/10 read more

This place was just ok. First off, there was 1 server on a Saturday evening. It wasn't very busy but the service was mediocre. The server was very nonchalant, seemed uninterested in her job. The pizza was ok. It was very soggy either from water or oil. I did not like how there were "blobs" of cheese. I wish the cheese was more melty and stringy. I also did not enjoy the "charred" taste of the pizza. Sometimes I felt like I was eating burnt ashes. However, I loved the pizza crust. It was very soft and chewy. I feel like if they offered breadsticks, they would be fantastic. Sadly, there were barely any appetizer options. read more

This is easily the best Neapolitan style pizza anywhere in downstate Illinois. The folks that claim "it's too soggy" just don't understand or like Neapolitan pizza. Not trying to be a food snob, but if you have not been to Italy, and haven't had real Neapolitan pizza you really don't know what you're talking about. But it all comes down to personal preferences. They are not making the pizza wrong - they're actually making it exactly right! read more

Place looks really cute, and I tried to sit at the bar. When I sat at the bar, my first view was staring at a cooks back (who didn't move, on her phone) and another sous chef who was wearing headphones and completely tuned out. They were in another world. Looking around the kitchen area, there was just junk and clutter everywhere in this open kitchen. Not a great bar or open kitchen atmosphere. It was obvious that this place has an absentee owner, with a few folks running this place. The host/waiter was the nicest person. And very efficient. So I asked him if I could move to a table which he helped with. I ordered a pizza and a glass of wine. There was unfortunately zero flavor on the pizza that had at least five or six ingredients. Nothing was seasoned, nothing was salted, it was just zippo. So unfortunately, I would only give this place a two star rating and based on cost, I would never come back. read more

One of the only places that you can get a Vegan Pizza. I love the pizza dough and the sauce. I would like to have more options of vegan Pizza on the menu, however I am happy to have at least one. The restaurant is very pretty. Vegan Crushed San Marzano Tomato, Fresh Basil, Artichokes, Olives, Mushrooms, Sweety-Drops Please follow me on Instagram @tryatreat read more

Pizzeria Antica - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Authentic Italian pizza. Even had Buffalo cheese. Great service friendly people. And don't forget to grab some gelato before you leave

The pizza here is great- super fresh and authentic. The only thing they could maybe do to improve it is less oil on the Margareta pizza. The meat and cheese platter is also super fresh and authentic as well. They switch it up a lot which is nice! The service could be a little better- sometimes a bit slow on refilling water. However it's pretty crowded usually so that might be why! Overall it's a great casual-still nice place to go! read more

Pizzeria Antica - Meat and cheese platter - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

The only place in Champaign with real artisan neapolitan pizza. Coming from NYC/NJ it was very hard to find good pizza here. Highly recommend if your in the mood for wood fired oven pizza. It would be nice to have bread at the table for the dine-in-experience but they do not offer that. The gelato is okay, I didn't find it too special but it's nice they have the option for those that don't want to go elsewhere. It's great for an affogato (expresso shots with a scoop of ice cream). read more

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MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN CHAMPAIGN HANDS DOWN!!!!! I lived in Italy for a year and have missed the way they make pizza. Finally, FINALLY I feel like I am tasting those flavors again. Love you guys. Keep up the good work. read more

I've only gotten take-out, but have never been disappointed. The margarita pizza is delish! And while I'm not normally a creature of habit, when you know something is good, you stick with it even if it something as simple as a tomato-basil-mozzarella pizza. Antica's pizzas are wood-fired: thin with a doughy crust. The toppings tend to be applied somewhat sparingly, but the flavor is still satisfying. One pizza is just enough for two, though I'm sure I could eat one all on my own. $14-20 per pizza I also find to be pretty reasonable depending on which toppings you choose. The wait time has always been unpredictable; sometimes I have waited 10 minutes other times it has been closer to 35+. The online ordering process is user-friendly and despite the online fee of a couple dollars, I'd suggest going this route because on several occasions, I have arrived with no one at the front desk to take an order and so have been left waiting for awhile. It's a seat-yourself establishment, where you can see the pizzas being made behind the counter. It's well-lit with calming music, and a few bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar scattered around, which are perfect for dipping the crust. There is metered parking out in front and a few 20-minute maximum free spots for those take out orders. read more

Pretty casual ambience, so it's really better served for a light date, maybe not the best option if you're looking for an intimate setting. Fully lit and has an interesting table arrangement inside. The pizzas are Italian style, so they focus on dough, oil, and fresh ingredients. The chef was nice enough to accommodate us since it was a quiet evening and split our pizzas up with an extra topping on half of both ($3 extra per pizza). However, there were original toppings missing from the "accommodated" half so I'm not really sure if I agree with the up-charge. Anyway, the chef made it a point to us that he is only doing this because it was not busy - so be forewarned that you may not be able to pull this off regardless. As for the pizzas themselves, they were quite tasty as a whole. Very droopy (largely due to the fresh vegetables) which is more so Italian style. The pepperoni and goat sausage was great, as were the other ingredients. The crust was pretty ashy towards the edges, which was not too pleasant. This is not burnt crispness that you may associate with other pizza crusts, this was literally ash from the oven that stuck to the pizza. The service was good today, which came as a pleasant surprise because I had heard otherwise from others. No complaints there. They also have a gelato station but we didn't check it out. read more

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Craving pizza and here we came!! The restaurant is very roomy and has a modern chic atmosphere. I got the pizza with spicy salami. It was topped with arugula which added freshness to the dish. Their pizzas are different in that they don't use marinara sauce, there's only cheese! The mozzarella tasted like it was very good quality. I also loved the thin crust. The salami was crispy and added some great meaty flavor to the pizza. My bf's eggplant pizza was also delicious. Basically the same as mine but topped with veggies. Everything combined so well flavorfully. One pizza for each person is enough to get you pretty dang full. I had 2 slices leftover. I love how their pizzas didn't make me feel too heavy afterwards. They also cook their pizzas in a wood oven so that made the crust taste rustic. The restaurant has a great and different take on pizzas that I normally eat! read more

Pizzeria Antica - Spicy salami pizza and mushroom pizza - Pizza Near Me - Champaign, Illinois