Everyone loves pizza, and Dallas has a lot of options to choose from. Amid such hotspots like Fireside Pies, Louie’s Pizza and Olivella’s, what makes Campania stand out?
The Campania location on McKinney is right next to Yogilicious. It’s a small space that’s packed on the weekends, so if you’re not willing to spend hours on dinner, go on a weekday. This is partly because while the servers are friendly, they do not go out of their way to make you comfortable.
The menu is divided into two types of pizza: pizza Bianca (without tomato sauce) and traditional (with tomato sauce). One sauce-less pizza is the Sorrento, a combination of olive oil, basil, mozzarella, potatoes, mushrooms and sausage. Sound unusual? It is. Under the fresh mozzarella is a thin layer of mashed potato. The rest of the toppings are piled on top of the cheese. The potato adds a unique, flavorful and tasty texture, but if you’re in the mood for something traditional, don’t try it. Other pizzas Bianca include Doso, which is topped with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, basil, red pepper, garlic and mozzarella; and Ortolana, which has mozzarella, olive oil, basil, eggplant, zucchini and sweet peppers. Four cheese and primavera are other options.
There are more choices for traditional pizza. Many have lots of toppings, like the Quattro Stagioni, which represents the four seasons with oil, basil, mozzarella, artichokes, ham, salami and mushrooms. But don’t skip the simple. The classic Margherita pizza is delicious. It’s thin and crispy and piled high with hot, melted mozzarella and fresh basil.
A medium pizza, 12-14 inches, costs anywhere from $14 to $18, and a large pizza, which is 18-20 inches, ranges from $16 to $21. The pizzas are very thin, however, so if you’re in any doubt, go for the large. If you’re strapped for cash, check out the weekday lunch special – a small pizza and salad for $9.
Besides pizza, Campania offers other Italian appetizers and salads. Traditional appetizers include Foccacia bread, bruschetta, and prosciutto and melon. The restaurant also has traditional salads, like Caesar and Caprese. You can also get panini sandwiches, pasta or calzones instead of pizza. The restaurant offers daily pasta specials and seven types of sandwiches. Campania also has dessert, but just because it’s on the menu doesn’t mean that they have it. We asked for the Italian Trifle, a dessert the menu boasts as “simply amazing” with layers of nutella, mascarpone cheese, pound cake, whipped cream and Amaretto, but it was not available.
Campania’s pizza is fresh and satisfying. It’s definitely worth trying if you haven’t been before, and the convenient location means you can get frozen yogurt if the dessert you want is unavailable.
Campania is BYOB. It is located at 3800 McKinney Ave. in West Village. For more information call 214-780-0605 or visit Campaniapizza.com
