This should be your go-to spot if you like old school, NYC Italiian...heavy on the garlic....heavy on the red sauce...etc. Let me start with their pizzas - while others have surpassed their pies (most recently Luigi's), these guys were doing authentic NY pizza before anyone else in Charlotte - great crust...better the next day!!! Their calzones are humongous, and I would put their Sicilian pie up against anyone elses...try a Sicilian with no-cheese (or 1/2 without cheese if you're hell bent on it having it on there) with mushrooms and/or pepperoni....they'll add some fresh basil to it, and it's reminiscent of tomato pie/pizza bread from northern bakeries if you guys know what I'm talking about.
Their fried calamari is perfectly fried w/ marinara sauce and some hot bread to go along with it. Their bread is awesome btw...so good that I'd buy some standalone!! I'm partial to the casalinga pasta dish which is red sauce, peas and veal chunks....traditional spaghetti and meatballs is also good. ALERT - their sandwiches might be the best in town...the best cheesesteaks, the best hot Italian sub, the beast meatball marinara, the best veal/chicken parm....MADON!!!!! I'm pulling a homer and drooling as I type. 9 times out of 10 I get it to go - and actually prefer the Eastway shopping center location (I swear their prices are cheapr, but they have the same takeout menu so it can't be true). No one is claiming this to be the best upscale Italian restaurant in town...but it fits the bill perfectly for the aforementioned NY style Italian-American comfort food.