Campania, a wonderful little pizza joint in West Village, gets its name from the region of Southern Italy where pizza was first invented. This region is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea and centered around the city of Naples.

The first pizza was made by Raffaele Esposito of Naples in 1889 for the king and queen of Italy who were in Naples on vacation. The first pizza was made in the traditional colors of red (the sauce), green (the basil) and white (the cheese).

Tradition is very important to Campania, but it has added much flair to the original pizza that Esposito made over a century ago.

You really get the feel of Italy as you walk across the tiled floors, hear the Spanish music and see all of the bright colors. The floor as well as each table has a unique mosaic tiled design handmade by one of the Italian owners, which adds a lot of character to this restaurant.

There is a great outdoor seating area right on McKinney Avenue that is usually packed. On a typical Friday night the laughter, crowds and merriment exude Italian culture.

Another thing that sets this pizza place apart is the fact that everyone can bring their own alcohol. Wine, beer, whatever you would like to drink, you can bring to the restaurant with no fee and they will supply the glasses and, in the case of wine, a bottle opener. Not only does this save you money, but it makes it a fun place to “pre-party” before going out in Uptown. We brought our own bottle of wine and it made the meal that much more enjoyable.

The environment is relaxed but not only for the partying scene. Large family gatherings with little kids enjoying the fun atmosphere were prevalent as well.

It is a joint Italian-American enterprise, with Italians in charge of food and ambience and Americans in charge of day-to-day operations.

The result is great Italian pizza. They fly in all of the ingredients they can from Italy, including the special Italian flour for the dough. The fresh ingredients, like cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, are selected locally for quality. Finally, the big ovens are made for pizza, and the kitchen staff is exquisite in baking the pizzas perfectly.

They offer a huge variety of fresh pizza toppings to make your own pizza and they have more than 25 specialty choices that they have developed. We ordered two of their specialty medium pizzas. Our first pizza was called “Sorrento” and had potatoes, Italian sausage, mushrooms and fresh basil.

A couple of their specialty pizzas have potatoes on them, and we were not sure how the potatoes would taste on pizza, so we tried it. The potatoes were mashed and spread underneath with the cheese. It was different but very tasty!

The second pizza we tried was the “Quattro Stagioni,” which was made in four sections representing the four seasons. The first quarter was mushroom and sausage, the second quarter was salami, the third was artichoke hearts and the fourth was ham. Each quarter was complemented well with fresh basil on top.

They also offer fresh salads, sandwiches and calzones.

For dessert, try the yummy Nutella treat! The dessert is served on warm-from-the-oven crust and is spread with a thin layer of Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread).

Campania was heralded “Best New Restaurant in 2005” by D Magazine. Located at 3800 McKinney Avenue in Uptown, Campania offers great food, an awesome ambiance, and a vibrant nightlife. So don’t forget your own beer or wine and go enjoy this great taste of Italy right here in Dallas.