Review Pulcinella - Calgary

Really enjoyed our meal here, busy and perhaps a touch loud for easy conversation. Pizza was excellent. Would definitely recommend for a dinner out. Friendly service, but a touch casual on proper mask usage if that sort of thing would ruin your experience. All in all though great dinner and will be back to try some pasta!

I am giving five stars for the food. The pizza was neopolitan style with ingredients straight from Italy. The crust, cheese, and sauce was flavourful and delicious! The pasta was hand made in house and was also flavourful and fresh! Definitely worth the price for the high quality food, definitely authentic Italian. If you decide to eat in the restaurant, I highly recommend requesting where you want to sit. Unfortunately, we were sat upstairs in this strangely decorated room, which was cold and had bad music playing. Our table was in the middle of the room, awkwardly close to the people next to us. Service was good but we could tell our food sat for a bit before it made it upstairs as it was not as hot as it could have been. Definitely request to sit downstairs if possible! I definitely will if I decide to eat there next time. Otherwise, I could see myself getting take out here instead! I do feel like we missed part of the experience because of the seating arrangement and atmosphere upstairs.

The spacious space and service were good. Unfortunately, the gnocchi and pizza fell short of my expectation. At least I was satisfied with Arancini and Argula salad. Over all It wasn't the worst experience, but I don't think I'll go again because the tomato sauce used in many menus was not my cup of tea.

THE BEST PIZZA EVER. It is SO hard to create the perfect Neapolitan style pizza at such a high altitude with really dry air, but these guys are nailing it. Chewy and crispy crust with just the right amount of 'give'. A delicious fresh tomato sauce with tasty mozzarella. Don't go there expecting some sort of dominoes thick and crispy crust then leave reviews saying you don't like their pizza, it wasn't crispy enough or the sauce was too thin. Google Neapolitan style pizza and see if it's for you!

Unbelievable experience! Everything was so so tasty! We had the Bruschetta, Carbonara and one of the Pizzas which I don’t remember the name but it was so amazing! The freshest bruschetta I’ve ever had! We also had one of the daily flavours of gelato which was Nutella and it was so creamy! The staff were incredible, so attentive and friendly! Pulcinella’s has an amazing feel good vibe, very homey and relaxed!

I enjoyed my pizza but my friend's was a bit burnt. Overall still great.

THis was a wonderful and very tasty dining experience, it was a great atmosphere and the staff was wonderful. The only complaint I have is that the water came splashing out of their bottles very quickly, and water kept getting all over the table.

Forever and always love this restaurant! For 10 years it’s been a fav and I’ve brought many friends and family here - never disappoints! Get the caprese salad, any pizza and tiramisu for dessert.

A high end Ospitalita Italiana certified restaurant that unfortunately falls flat.<br/><br/>Atmosphere: 2/5 – Charming Italian decorations overshadowed by the dust & food on the floor and seats. Not the best music playing. Tight spacing between most tables. Nice patio. <br/><br/>Price: $$$$/5 – Average for a high-end restaurant so expect to pay more than you would at Famoso<br/><br/>Customer Service: 2/5 – Service was poor, speed was slow. <br/><br/>Location: 4/5 – Beautiful location in a great part of Calgary. Not much in terms of nearby parking unfortunately.<br/> <br/><br/>Taste: 3/5 – Good quality, fresh ingredients in a sizable serving that somehow managed to disappoint none the less.<br/><br/>Menu: 4/5 – Great selection of authentic albeit generic Italian dishes. <br/><br/>Sustainability: 1/5 – Didn’t notice any efforts to be a sustainable restaurant. <br/><br/>Strengths – Beautiful location & authentic menu<br/><br/>Weaknesses – Slow service, no explicit sustainable efforts, expensive <br/><br/>Good items to buy: Gnocchi al pomodoro, lasagna, cotto<br/><br/>Summary: 2.7/5 – Being the only Ospitalita Italiana certified restaurant in Calgary made me come in with high expectations and I was unfortunately left disappointed. When I was there the restaurant seemed more like the place you go to get turnt with your friends rather than go on a nice date (which is why I was there unfortunately). There were multiple groups of people drunkenly yelling at each other. The pizza I ordered had way too much arugula. So much so that I thought it was someone else’s salad when I first got it. The menu had a great selection of authentic Italian items but fell flat because it didn’t have anything unique to make you want to come back again. I feel the service from my waiter was poor because they didn’t refill our water until asked and took 17 minutes and 44 seconds to get our bill. Overall, I would not recommend going to Pulcinella. There are many better options for Italian cuisine in Calgary (Bonterra, Centini…).<br/><br/>Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope it helps you!! 😊

I was not really impressed with our last visit here.  The restaurant was nearly empty, yet the service was slow.  The lack of service could have been overcome if the food had been special, but it isn't.  It was only average, and there are too many good places nearby to make me want to eat here again.

I went for my friend's birthday. It was my first time ever. I love Italian food. The food is amazing and very authentic. I got the lunch special for $17 you can get a 3 course meal (including an appetizer I got arracini, a salad I got the arugula and fennel salad and a pasta I got the pappardelle di bosoco - its a broad fettucine pasta with wild mushrooms). I would highly recommend this place for anyone that wants to try authentic Italian food.

Took a break from here after a few years of going regularly & returned a couple days ago to a disappointing experience. Consistency with service seems to be an ongoing challenge. A comfortable venue. The menus have lots of selection. They serve Napoleon style pizza, which we love, yet regret ordering when we do. The crust has an excellent texture but the sauce & toppings have little flavor. The pastas are much more balanced than the pizza & have a robust flavor. Once our food is ordered it usually comes out in good time. Waiter/ess who've served us are anywhere from efficient, attentive, friendly & engaging to abrupt, curt & avoidant. The service doesn't seem to be impacted by how busy it is as we've had good experiences when it's busy & poor ones when it's slow. If the service was consistent we'd be happy to come here more often.

We had visitors from LA, so we took them to Pulcinella for dinner last night ... biggest issue was finding a parking spot, for some reason the area was packed on a Thursday, night ... anyway, to make a long story short, the food was great, altho a bit pricey ... $24 for a plate of tortellini is a bit steep, but, they do give you a gigantic helping ... their pizza is also exceptional, very good ... in fact, the food is very good here and so is the service, staff were friendly and attentive ... however -- there is one big problem at this restaurant ... the acoustics in the room, are horrendous ... so bad, in fact, that if this place is busy, you will not be able to hear the person sitting across from you talk ... the noise/din/echo, whatever you want to call it -- the worst I've ever experienced in my life ... they really need to call in an expert and address this ... I dont know if it's a combination of roof/ceiling, or what, but man, it is bad ... now, I know that it is trendy to be in a place, where there is a din, and people are talking -- it makes the experience more exciting ... but this goes well beyond that ... as a result, the discussions with our friends was a disaster ... it felt like we were in a Jerry Seinfeld episode -- it was that ridiculous ... to conclude, if you dont mind the din, this place is OK ... pasta dishes are pricey, so I'd probably stick with the pizza ... good wine selection too ...

The pasta is very fresh and tasty. Salads are also excellent. I found the service to be attentive and the atmosphere was perfect, not too loud.

This was our second visit here and had another great experience! The staff, ambiance and food here is wonderful. They have many vegetarian options for those who are looking! We ordered the Pulcinella pizza and the Spaghetti Pomodoro - both were delicious! We shared both between two people and had to get some packed to go (the serving size is great!). <br/>Our waitress was attentive and very friendly during our visit which made the experience even better.

Came here for my sisters birthday we had a large party of 20 ppl including an infant and a toddler. Server was super organized and knew the menu well. Food came out pretty fast considering we had a large party on a busy Saturday evening. We did family style with a few of us as we wanted to try a variety of food. My favourite dishes were the portobello mushrooms, Arancini with cheesy mozzarella stuffed inside, gnocchi & cotto e funghi pizza. Mussels were & calamari were also good. It was hard finding parking but we managed to get a spot at the parkade across from modern steak. Great pizza spot for a night out with a large selection of cocktails and wine menu.

Our first visit and it won’t be our last! Delicious food and great service. The 3 Course Lunch is tremendous value; good portion size and great flavours. A bargain at $17!!! We will definitely be back.

Won't go back due to the absolutely disgusting and poorly cooked food. Clean space, quick wait for a table, and nice staff. Tacky photos on the walls and pretty flashy looking bar. Extensive wine list and big menus...too big to put two menus on the small table actually. Kind of awkward. In the mood for a big bowl of pasta, the lasagna was my pick. Arrived soggy but burnt on the bottom. Overcooked noodle and seriously low quality ingredients. Looked like throwup, tasted cheap. The waitress touched me four times during our meal. Too loud to talk across the table. Overpriced. Won't reccommend.

Have eaten here twice. Both times the service was lacking. What really gets me though is the obvious use of not fresh or canned ingredients. The mushrooms on the pizza were clearly from a can. The cheese on the pasta is clearly DRIED parmesan. This most recent time we arrived for our meal at 4 PM, and when we asked if we could order off the lunch menu, they said no, which was fine, but went on to reassure me that the size of the dish would be quite small. So by their own admission the dinner menu is a lunch sized portion at an increased price (which wasn't true anyway - the portion is gigantic). There are so many better places to eat - Alforno for example has amazing pizza at a fraction of the cost. This place is not authentic - and their service implies they would rather you ate somewhere else.

If I had a 0.0 option, I would choose that one. I used to eat at this place for a while but after today I absolutely refuse to go back. I was walking my dog this morning and decided to take a short cut. I was walking in a back alley when I heard an employee of this establishment, scream to another employee horrendous insults along the lines of " Are you retarded? You must be F retarded" Never been so disgusted to hear such thing. Never comng back!

We had a very good experience at pulcinella ristorante! The place was busy on a Friday night so make sure you make a reservation! We had the cotto pizza, prosciutto e rucula pizza, and fettuccine Al pesto. All dishes were really good and portions are very generous. Since we don't eat pork, they substituted the prosciutto for a tasty thin cured beef, which tasted delicious on the pizza. They also have a really nice chili oil to use on the pizza so make sure you try this! Definitely one of the top pizza places in YYC, so if you are into the thin crust Neapolitan style pizza, this is the place!

We were here just for dessert and were highly disappointed. If you want to have the worst tiramisu served in a cup, this is your place. I've had pizza from here and it's above average. #worsttiramisu

Decent food, but not the best service. I've been here three of four times and I find the servers to be snobby. Over all the food is pretty good but a little over priced.

I went down to Kensington for the Harry Potter/Diagon Alley event. It was crazy busy. We tried to walk around a bit but gave up. We just ended up at Pulcinella. I was curious about their gelato that they had for the event, but my friend was hungry. We decided just to have lunch in the restaurant since she love their pizza.<br/><br/>Pulcinella is a nice modern Italian restaurant with a gelato display case by the front door and a wood-burning stone oven near the back were you can watch the pizza masters do their work

Really good service and an excellent wine selection but the portions were very confusing (especially the meatball starter), the pizza was very good and reasonably priced.

Came here last week for dinner and had overall, a pretty good dining experience. The wine selection was large enough to satisfy everyone's palate in our group and the food was freshly made with quality ingredients. I also really liked the atmosphere and decor. Our server was attentive but a bit unfriendly. He seemed annoyed or impatient when our group was selecting drinks and menu items. It was not too off-putting but would have been nice if he were a bit More engaging. Delicious pizza and the tortellini was so creamy and savory. Will be back!

Food was ok...the meatballs didn't have any sauce on them and were massive. When my friend ordered a third meatball the waitress didn't give us any warning regarding how big the meat balls were and that we had ordered way too much food. The pizza was acceptable but kind of a pain as there were no cuts in the pizza so it was kind of a pain to cut on the small table. We recommended to our neighbouring table that they should ask for their pizza to be cut in the kitchen.<br/><br/>All in all it was not as good as I thought it was in the past.<br/><br/>

Had another great experience at Pulcinella! Pulcinella brings me back to Italy. Fresh ingredients crispy and light crust you can't go wrong when dining here! I am absolutely addicted to their prosciutto arugula pizza and their nutella dessert... those are my staples! As for applies everything is good. Cant say enough great things..  great location, beautiful ambience, and amazing food!

Way different than the typical north american pizza, but so delicious! I love the chewy and juicy texture of their pizzas. Their pizza taste exactly the same as the pizza I had in Italy. I usually have to have the prociutto e rucola pizza every time I go because it's the perfect combination of flavours, and I always have to Finnish dinner off with their nutella pizza (yum)!<br/><br/>

Good ambiance and decent service but their pizza had the texture of cardboard fished out of a pond. I can't speak for the rest of the menu but I would eat elsewhere.

Aricini and meatballs are phenomenal! Pizzas are quite tasty and a good selection of beers. Went with friends - good atmosphere and fast, polite, professional service.

This is a great place for solid Italian food, date nights, and bringing out of town guests. Make sure you make a reservation if you're eating Thurs-Sunday nights as the place is packed. There is always enough food for leftovers as well! I suggest you try the lasagna(huge and full of melty cheesy goodness), or their version of a calzone. The pizzas are big enough to share! For myself, I went with the polpette(meatballs), which come in threes and are huge, so I usually only eat 1.5 of them with a glass of prosecco and I'm good to go.<br/><br/>One complaint I would have is that the number of times my husband and I have been there, we have been immediately taken upstairs to sit(even with a reservation). The last time we came, I asked the hostess why we couldn't sit on the main floor(it was only half full at the time). She looked confused, but after a lengthy discussion with other staff they found a place for us on the main floor. Not sure why that happens? Also, they changed the recipe for their mussels(used to have crumbled chorizo on it, but alas, no longer)-I used to sing Pulcinella's praises of having the best mussels in the city :(

Went here for my birthday dinner with two other friends and loved it! Went on a Friday night, with no reservations, place was packed and we still got a table in under 15 minutes which was great.<br/>Waitress was very nice and very efficient. She made a great wine recommendation, and the food was heavenly. <br/><br/>We ordered bruschetta for starters, and for our mains, we in conjunction got gnocchi, pappardelle and the carbonara. Food was great! <br/><br/>The only thing was that they have two size servings of pasta but you can't order the smaller serving after 4pm which we all though was crazy! We're all light eaters so the full serving was a lot for us so we all had to get it packed up. <br/><br/>Desert was amazing my friends order the Nutella pizza which was great and then I ordered the cheesecake. I always get cheesecake as it is my favourite desert and I love getting it at Italian restaurants because they usually do it unbaked, I have noticed, which I love because it makes it less of a heavy experience. Theirs in particular was one of the lightest cheesecake I had ever tasted! It was light and airy almost like eating mousse really; it was great! <br/><br/>All in all great experience!

We have gone to this restaurant a few times this last year, we have really enjoyed or food and experience. Food price is on the higher price scale but we think it's worth it.

Came here for a friends birthday, there was about 16 of us. Service was fast and everything came out hot. Pizza was alright, atmosphere was okay. Pretty good for a date night!

Horribly over-priced sub-par pizza and pasta. Terrible service - despite an 18% auto-grat for a group of 10; and by no means was it busy.<br/><br/>I would not recommend Pulchinella's to anyone, and definitely will not return.  <br/><br/>If you're looking for Italian food in the city, try Scopa or Cibo.

My birthday almost always falls on a day during or right after the Stampede so I always end up doing something for it a week later.  This year was no exception and it ended up being the day right after Stampede. Escape rooms are all the rage right now.  I guess it’s about time the trend came to Calgary, right? For dinner we headed down to Pulcinella in Kensington.  A co-worker had recommended it to me when I asked where a good place for a large group would be.

I love this place!<br/>It is a bit loud when busy.<br/>Deep fried cheese on a bed of arugula with balsamic is beyond delicious!<br/>I love the pizza and don't leave feeling bloated with dough.<br/>Expensive but worth it.<br/>Perfect for a date night!<br/>

If you're in the mood for a good thin crust Italian pizza this place is for you. The place serves more than just unreal pizza but also hearty Italian pastas which are perfect for sharing. I strongly recommend you visit to try the Tempura di Parmigianio and their heavenly tiramisu.

I hate tipping a server just because it's expected. Which is what happened last night. Our server was unwelcoming from the moment we sat down. Having no patience, quite unhelpful when we asked for recommendations for the wine list, and slamming bottles of water onto our table made it kind of awkward. He walked away before we were done ordering appetizers, got our food order wrong, and then didn't want to split our bill between 3 couples. Also, the food was average... the pizza crust was soggy and the "proscuitto" was thick slices of what I can only assume was ham. Very disappointed.

If this place is truly authentic Italian pizza, then I'm just not into authentic I guess.  Pizza tasted like a chewy piece of Naan bread.  Toppings were all less than desirable.  Price was ridiculous.  Won't be coming back for the pizza

Was here for an event. Overall food was not good at all. We had a plate of marinated appetizers, tasted like store bought. Then we had the Arancini. Gross. The pizzas were soggy in the middle and burnt on the bottom to the point is bitterness. Needless to say. I did not finish anything. And why would you server pizzas to share. Yet did not cut the pizzas????? We struggle to cut the whole pizzas ourselves. Would not recommend the place. Better places in calgary<br/>

Bad pizza and service. Went to Pulcinella for a nice evening out without the kids. The service was terrible and the food was even worse. The pizza lacked flavour and the toppings were sparse, we ordered a few appetizers that were not impressive by any means. The waiter would not give us the time of day and continually walked away from the table before we could finish our complete order! What kind of waiter vanishes after one person at a table has ordered? We could not get a word out fast enough before the waiter was gone. We will never be back, what a waste of money

Food was okay, not amazing. Calamari wasn't super crispy, bruschetta is served already on the bread which makes it somewhat soggy. Pizza was good but weirdly shaped and hanging off the plate. Have to ask for bread or you will not get any.

Hoped into this relatively big and surprisingly modern looking restaurant without knowing anything of it. Took a gamble by not checking what it got on urbanspoon and from my experience there it was relatively weak. First of all it wasn't too busy which was nice because of a hot beautiful day it was easy to grab a spot on the rooftop patio. But the food.... Made an honest attempt to be authentic but the flavour was weak. The pizza was okay... Rubbery crust and the pasta was very plain for a 22$ dish. Maybe if the prices were cheaper for what was offered I'd come back

Won't go back. Had a very unpleasant experience in this restaurant tonight. <br/><br/>Although the food tasted ok, the service was absolutely awful and to be honest- it spoilt our whole evening and put us off our food.<br/><br/>We were still eating our starter when the waitresses came out with our main course- when we told them we had not finished they looked at us like we had three heads, they couldn't understand what our issue was!<br/><br/>Now, our family has worked in hospitality for generations and owned restaurants of our own and not once in all my days have I ever had that happen to me!<br/><br/>If the waitress had of came to the table and apologised for the mistake we would have accepted that and moved on, but instead- the staff thought it would be more appropriate to ignore the mistake as if it hadn't happened, offered no apology and stood around the kitchen entrance obviously talking about us.<br/><br/>my boyfriend decided to just take his main course when it came out, but we waited until after our starter- which meant the three of us all ate our food at different times.<br/><br/>I'm british originally and I don't know how things work in Canada but back home- this kind of service is just unacceptable. <br/><br/>After having such a disappointing evening,I did not leave a tip- simply for the fact that I was paying a $200 cheque for terrible service and frankly she didn't deserve a tip.<br/><br/>To my total amazement- the staff then questioned my mother (a male waiter, not the lady who waited our table) about why we hadn't left a tip?!! Apparently the female waitress was upset!!! Ridiculous, they literally could not have cared less about how enjoyable our evening was! <br/><br/>Could not believe it, they have the very basics of restaurant etiquette wrong, which is a shame because the food is good.<br/><br/>Won't return, they ruined what should have been a very special evening for us.<br/><br/>Would not reccomed- nicos bistro is in Kensington, good food and great service too! Save yourself some drama and go there instead, we wish we had!

Amazing!. We picked up two pizzas and they were awesome! Best pizza I have had in ages! Thanks

Prompt , friendly & accurate service<br/>Pet Peeve ... Advertising of Authentic Napoli pizza when they serve Rancid Emma brand anchovies packed in Safflower oil... Never found in Napoli... Buy Agostina Recca Anchovies packed in olive oil so we can rave and spread the news that your "other" ingredients are authentic

Terrible food, terrible service, don’t go there. We were there last night – March 7, 2015 - were seated upstairs after waiting for over 40 minutes. The waiter was arrogant and unfriendly. After waiting for the food for over an hour, I flagged the waiter and pointed out to him that we were waiting for over an hour already. He just said,” it is almost here” and walked away. During our waiting time he never even got us new drinks or offered anything else. So we set there with no drinks for over an hour. As we were getting our jackets to leave, the pizzas came. They tasted terrible with the pizza crust tasted burnt, while the rest of the pizza was soggy. It seemed that they never clean the bottom of the oven stone and the taste of burned was from other pizzas. DO NOT GO THERE. WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME

Great service!. We visited Pucinellas this past Friday. The food was a bit of a disappointment but the service made up for it. Sarah was our bartender and she was very knowledgeable about wine. Will definitely give this place another shot with their pizza. She mentioned that their pasta was quite good so we will also be trying that.

Worst Restaurant in Calgary. The waiter was extremely rude and unfriendly. We waited for at least an hour and a half for our food and you need to flag down someone to get drinks. The menu is also set in stone so you cannot make any substitutions or change anything. The food was absolutely terrible when it arrived. It was the worst pizza I have ever had - Famoso is much better and cheaper. <br/><br/>I will never go there again.

Shockingly bad. The server was stressed the whole time, and pushing us to order as quickly as possible. We did, only to wait at least an hour for our food. I got the pork shoulder "pasta". I've had better pasta at Boston pizza, which is awful. It was like they dressed the pasta only with the water they used to boil it in. I swear they boiled the pork in the same water. 24$ for the worst pasta I've ever had. The dessert was overpriced, bitter, and soggy. I'd like to make myself vomit, just so I can fill my stomach with something else.

What happened? I used to love pizza here. Today, it was a soggy, oily, inedible mess. I sent it back. The replacement was just as bad. I was told that they cook it in. 90 seconds! Hey, try 180 seconds because the pizza is disgusting after 90.

Might try it again. Went here for a Valentines date with my wife. The staff appeared very busy, maybe spinning their tires a bit, and not really succeeding in presenting a professional vibe overtop of their stress. I get that it was a busy night for the room, and having worked in the service industry for over 10 years, I get it, but all of the staff seemed to be very needlessly flustered and disorganized. Our server was only friendly to is when we were about to get our bill. The food was fairly good, but the energy in the room was quite uncomfortable. We may try this place again but with lower expectations. Food was 7/10 (Vanilla gelato with espresso was amazing for dessert). The overall Vibe and level of service was 4/10 (Horrible music and stressed out staff dropping plates at the table before rushing off)

Awesome!. Never been here before. Had a great experience. The food & service was exceptional!<br/>We'll be back!

Not Great Pizza. Went to Pulcinella on January 28, evening. My wife and I. First time. Started with Arancini and Mussels, both were very good and the focaccia was great. My wife had the Gnocchi and we both loved them. I chose a pizza and was disappointed. My wife is from Naples<br/>and we've both had Pizza Napoletana and thius was not it. The bottom was charred and tasted like burned flour,the pizza tasted chewy and undercooked. The rapini was wonderful and good Italian sausage too. Come on boys, you can do better than that with the fantastic tools you have. But. We will be back The server was exceptional.

Terrible. Just terrible. The service was astonishing, and not in a good way.

Mediocre place. Food was average, service was slow. We literally ordered one of everything off the menu because we had a huge group, there was so much left over because it just wasn't very good.

How much is too much ?. I went there for dinner with my family this weekend. We each ordered appetizers which were expensive and huge! We ordered all our food at the same time and were never told it would be too much. Everyone left half their pizza. Service was ridiculously slow. Took more than 2 hours. Food was ok. Pricey and slow service.

Literally terrible service. I am sitting here right now wondering whether or not my server is sober... Don't bother

Food, check... anything?. Ate there last year have not returned, some of the slowest service I've ever had in the city.

Soggy. The pizza toppings are good, but the crust is soggy. Meatballs on the appetizer are huge! Calamari is nothing special and soggy from a sauce that they are dipped in before serving them.

Ristorante Pulcinella. The food was delicious! The service was excellent!! The place was "buzzing"!! Very busy...very popular!! Most likely because the food is fantastic!!<br/><br/><br/>-----06 Oct, 2014-----<br/><br/>Great spot before the movies. Really enjoyed the entire meal - service was excellent - caprese salad was one of the best ever

Pizza took 40 minutes!. This place is over-rated,over priced and slow service. An appetizer of meatballs was $15-you get 3!!<br/>Pizza was burnt and soggy,which usually means the oven is so hot,it's burning the pizza before it's cooked. Wine special was a glass of wine for $16<br/>Bill was $72 for just me,ridiculous!

Oyster mushrooms with Gorgonzola sauce. These were incredible. Haven't stopped wanting more since I left.

Great value. Never disappoints. Appetizers r great especially Fungi appetizer a favorite! <br/>Pizzas made on thin crust<br/>Great flavor. Lots of choices<br/>Service was excellent

Meh. I was really disappointed with the food at Pulcinella, and the service was super duper slow - 90 minutes for 2 pizzas. The pizza was Italian style, but the crust wasn't tender (even when fresh), the seasoning was lacking, and the toppings were thrown on haphazardly. If the pizza was $10, I wouldn't have minded, but for this price point I'm expecting at least as good as Una. No competition here!

Not impressed with the food lately. I have been here a few times a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the food, especially the pizza. However now the quality has really dropped- the food was bland and the service was mediocre. When we told the manager that the pizza/pasta had no salt he said it was because there was a new chef in the kitchen. However when we were leaving and passed by the manager downstairs and asked him about this, he said it was all the same chefs. Hmmm...not sure what the point of lying to your customers about the chef is... Anyways, I will not be returning as I do not want to pay 30+ dollars for a plate of bland Carbonara.

We love this place! It is l.... We love this place!<br/>It is like having piece of Italy in the middle of Calgary.<br/>The pizza is what they are famous for but they also have good appetizers and pastas and desserts.<br/>We have found the staff to generally be polite. <br/>I have heard people complain about "burnt" or "soggy" pizza. The pizza at Pulcinella is what authentic pizza is suppose to look like. It is meant to be eaten right away. Don't expect to take some home for tomorrow morning. They will let you do it. It just won't taste nearly as good.<br/>I realize some people may find some of their ordering restrictions a bit annoying but thy have to do that to maintain their certification.<br/>We will be back many more times!

Unfriendly service, guy couldn't crack a smile until it came to giving is the bill. Noticed a few other angry looking servers. Food wasn't great. The appetizers all tasted the same. Portions were large - not in a good way. Wouldn't go back

Soggy burnt pizza poor service. I made reservations for three and still had to wait when we arrived, although people who came in after us got sat down right away. When the hostess brought us to a table it was only set for two so my husband had to help her pull another table over to ours so that my daughter could have a seat. Later the waiter comes and decides to take the table away so we are now left with three to a table of 2. Needless to say, when our three dishes came there was hardly any room to put them down on and made it extremely awkward to eat (good thing we didn't order appies). He was also very pushy with getting us to order the expensive wine. When we declined he made us feel bad for not drinking. What made me upset was that the table that was taken away was not even occupied the whole time. There was a booth available but we thought they were saving the booth for a larger crowd but nope they sat the three people after us to the booth. On top of the poor service, the pizza was soggy and burnt! The $22 pasta was not worth the price as the portions were tiny for the price we paid. Wow, poor service and poor food. I would definitely not recommend this to a friend or anyone. Definitely will not be coming back!

Outstanding service, and I enjoyed my meal (terrific ravioli, very nice wine, and the best cappuccino I've had since Rome). Daughter even received a complimentary hot chocolate to cap off her meal (best ever, she reported). We'll definitely be back.

Rude service meh food. I don't like the food. It might just be me. I have been tricked into going there three times and it has always sucked. Way to expensive. Plus the last time I was there I pre ordered and paid for a shot for my sister on her birthday because I had to leave early and then I found out later from my friend that she never received the shot. ANNOYING!

Popped in this afternoon for a light lunch. Meatballs were good. Mussels were tasty. Service SUCKED!!! She was horrible and seemed irritated that she had to serve our table.

Disappointing. Feel really let down by Pulcinella. Soggy calamari, lifeless lasagna and the pizza was meh. Consensus around the table was it was a big miss. Server & space were lovely but won't be going back. :(

Not the level of Kensington. Located in trendy Kensington area, Pulcinella is dedicated to Italian cuisine. Food is mostly pasta & pizza as well as some classic Italian appetizers and salads. Quality of food is very average and not impressive (except calamari, they are great!) and I don't understand how that works together with their excellent wine list. Honestly, I expect much more from true Neapolitan cuisine. Decor is lovely, ambience is noisy even with just a few tables occupied, service is neither attentive nor welcoming.

Don't Go With A Big Group. We were here last night with about 16 people and the service was painfully slow (it took over 1/2 an hour for my son's pizza to get to the table, 45 minutes for a glass of water, over an hour to get everyone's orders, etc.). However, once someone said something to the manager, the service improved dramatically and we went from one server to 3. The manager and a hostess were incredibly attentive. It does bother me that an automatic 18% gratuity was added because I don't believe that terrible service like that should be rewarded.<br/><br/>While they say they are a family friendly restaurant, their menu is not. They do not have any options for kids so we had to order a full size pizza for my son. When I just asked for a basic pepperoni and cheese pizza, I was told their options were limited to what was on the menu and the server came back twice to consult with me. I didn't understand what was so complicated about my order but we figured it out and when it came out, he did quite enjoy it. <br/><br/>I've seen a few reviews that the pizza was soggy in the middle and the ones with the tomato sauce are a little that way. I had one of the ones without sauce and I quite enjoyed it. <br/><br/>It certainly was loud but I'm okay with that - especially with a child in tow! <br/><br/>Overall, I might go back in a smaller group and see if the service is better and the food and drinks come out in a timely manner. My suggestion to the restaurant is that they should support their wait staff better when large groups come in. It's a lot for one person to handle.

This place truly tastes like pizza in Italy does. People are used to North American style pizza which is nothing like the real thing. This dough is extremely thin and cooked in a wood oven at super high heat for only a couple of minutes... So yes the edges may be slightly burnt it only makes sense. Every time I come here it takes me back to the Ol country!

Aweful service. Lasagna was good but rest of pastas were bland and wine was considerably over priced.

When the server knows they are getting an 18% tip based on the size of the party, they totally gave up on us and didn't even try. Very boring food. Never going back!

I can't believe this joint won Pizza Wars Calgary. Pizza was raw & soggy in the middle, burnt on the edges. Server was pretentious & painfully slow, yet kept reminding us that they had another reservation for our table at a later time. Brutal.

Went here for a Christmas party. <br/>Nothing special. My wife hated her pizza - soggy in the middle and burnt on the edges.<br/>We went to Wendy's afterwards because be were starving.

The service was good though I found the place quite noisy maybe because it was a saturday night and a lot of people were just there drinking. I dont recommend you sit by the windows because it could be cold. Service was good. The food is good not great. I orderer a lasagna i found it tasty. My husband orderered a pork with pasta, the tonato sauce was really good for him we were dissapointed they gave us like ground pork meat for a dish quite expensive. Totally recommend the orange blood san pellegrino soda.

Terrible pasta choice. Dined here in December for work department Xmas lunch.<br/>Appies very good had the calamari and bruschetta.<br/>I ordered the rigatoni and it was horrible. Absolutely tasteless sausage and sauce.<br/>Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals.<br/>Portions are huge even if you order the lunch size portion you will be taking leftovers home.<br/>I understand they have the best pizza in town, so if I return I will try the pizza.<br/>Also do they really need to music to be that loud, could only have conversation with person beside me.

Mediocre Food TERRIBLE service. Just spent the evening here with my girlfriend. The restaurant itself has a great vibe but unfortunately it ends there. After being seated, we waited over ten minutes to be greeted by anyone. Once we finally got our drinks and appetizer we had been there for almost 45 minutes. Our food arrived half an hour later. We ordered the gnocchi and lasagna which were mediocre and lacked flavour. After receiving our food that was the last time we saw our server. Good thing we didn't want a refill on drinks :/. I have no idea how this place stays in business. Do yourself a favour. Steer clear of here and try one of the many other restaurants Kensington has to offer.

I have been coming here since it changed over from Stambolis. I love the atmosphere and food. Great vibrant restaurant in the heart of Calgary's trendy neighbourhood of Kensington. My only complaint is that the service can be better. Some staff are frendly yet inexperienced and others are plain ignorant. When a waiter thinks he is doing you a favour by serving you he is not only being ignorant but he is also receiving a negative review on urbanspoon:)

Poor service. Here for a birthday lunch with my sister.<br/>waited too long for our drinks<br/>then waited way too long for a simple salad that should be on the table in 5 min because its tomatoes and cheese and the place was not busy AT all.<br/><br/>Then waited about an hour for the pizza which was really weird because a girl who came in an hour after us got her pizza in 5 min...as well as the family of 5 that came in about an hour after us. so we were not happy! and the bill made my jaw drop! <br/><br/>next time we want pizza we will go to boston pizza.

Sneaky waitstaff. I have been disappointed with la Pulcinella on more than one occasion. The food is expensive but uses really basic ingredients. I had also pointed out to the waitress the bottle of wine I wanted to order ($40), but then was charged and apparently drank an $80 bottle. A sour taste left in the mouth after this meal.

Yum!. Pulcinella is great!<br/>I’m from the East Coast and we have a pizza place (Piatto) where they’ve also trained in Italy.<br/>The pizza style is the same.<br/>I see some people below commenting that the crust was charred (duh, it’s wood-fired) and the middle is too thin. If you're a fan of Deep Dish, this won't be for you. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be! I've not been to Italy for Pizza, but have had in Paris and it's similar. THIN Crust. You taste more of the toppings that way.<br/>Re: charred crust, if you check out their website they clearly state it is NOT a mistake; Roll it up, use your fork and knife...turn it into a calzone.. whatever! It tastes great. Especially with the wine.<br/>Speaking of the wine, the “special” is apparently pricy. My main squeeze and I went for supper last night and it was $21 a glass. NOT what we had anticipated.<br/>Re: Noise Level/Acoustics — It was definitely noisy and I had to keep asking my partner to repeat himself (to be fair, he is a quiet speaker), but around 8:15, people started to leave and the noise level was much, much better (we sat upstairs) and we could actually hear each other. Wish people would leave their toddlers (

Awful. Don't eat at this restaurant. Pizza was truly awful and the service is just as bad. There are so many great Italian restaurants in Calgary, this is not one of them!

Good Birthday Dinner - Amazing Server Peter. Let me start off by saying that I did read all the urbanspoon reviews before the reservation was made... I was actually quite nervous to dine here since I take Urbanspoon reviews into consideration - but I was pleasantly surprised. <br/><br/><br/>There seem to be a lot of negative comments on here that are quite recent. I dined at Pulcinella for my girlfriend’s birthday, and we had made a reservation for 12. I can verify that the place is indeed quite loud since it’s a large open environment. It was a little hard hearing some people across the table, but nothing unbearable. It was also very hot in the restaurant, since they cook all of their pizzas in the middle area which is open. <br/><br/><br/>Calamari appetizer was very good. I ordered a Cotto E Funghi (tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto (ham), mushrooms, parmigiano, basil) which I wasn’t quite fond of, but it’s probably because I don’t enjoy Italian pizza to begin with. <br/><br/><br/>Our waiter Peter was amazing. He kept checking on us throughout the night and was very attentive. I brought in a birthday cake and he was very discreet in checking whose birthday it was (Peter checked after we were all seated). Timing for bringing out the cake was good. <br/><br/><br/>Overall, I didn’t enjoy my meal as much as some of the other people. However, because of Peter’s great service, and because my girlfriend enjoyed her meal, I would probably come back and dine again. Might try their lasagna next time.

I don't know why this restaurant is in business. They are incapable of cooking a pizza without burning it! And yet, it's still soggy. Famoso does authentic Neopolitan pizza much better.

Please stop burning your pizza. Please?<br/>If I send a burnt pizza back, please try not to burn the second one. Save your money and go to Famoso. WAY better.

Came back here after around 2 years ago. It was great food last time. However, this time I wasn't a big fan of the food. First of all it was a bit pricey. Especially for the fennel salad we had. My friend & I split a salad plus pizza. The amount of salad was smaller than expected compared to some other restaurants I've been to. The pizza edges were burnt & the middle of the pizza dough was a bit soggy. I thought the toppings would be all mixed together on top but were segregated to different areas of the pizza. I felt gross after eating the pizza the cheese was so much for a thin crust that it made the thin crust a bit soggy. I would not say this as the best pizza place around.<br/>I so far love famoso pizza & wish I went there instead. The waiter we had was very nice and attentive. Probably won't be back for awhile unless I'm super hungry.

Okay. We had prompt service but the server wasn't that courteous or friendly .It looked like she would rather be anywhere else but there. <br/>My pizza would of been better if it wasn't so burnt. Will likely not go there again.

Loudest Restaurant Ever. We went here tonight for the first time, having heard some good things about the pizza. What stuck out most was the acoustics. Others have commented on it as well - but you have to experience it to believe it. Some had said it has a "lively vibe". WHAT??!!! I'm not sure that not being able to hear others at your table because of the ear shattering noise could be called a "lively vibe". It took away from the experience of the dinner - which was so-so at best. Some un-imaginitive and frankly kind of weird appetizers (the deep fried mozza balls tasted asian - definitely time to change the oil). The pizza - again - so-so. Everyone at our table had eperienced "authentic" pizza in Italy before and the unanimous vote was that this was just alright but nothing more. Little-to-no tomato sauce, and sparse other toppings. Also concur with the observation that after a while, the dough becomes soggy and not very appealing. Service was alright but everything seemed frantic and without direction. With the explosion of other similar pizza concepts in Calgary, there's no need to go back to this one....unless you're totally into the "lively vibe".

Burn, waste of time and money, horrible service. never return

Best pizza in Calgary. I have been going to Pulcinella every couple of months for the last 7 years and consider this to be the best, most authentic pizza I have had outside of Italy.<br/>Try one of the pizze on the Pizza Bianca side of the menu. My favourite is their signature pizza called Pulcinella (it is a cheese pizza but the cheese used is buffalo mozzarella which is amazing) and I add Speck which is large thin freshly sliced smoked prosciutto. They don't always have Speck so otherwise add Crudo which is the same thing but cured instead of smoked prosciutto.<br/>This pizza is to die for. Either the cannoli or saltinbocca (desert pizza smeared in Nutella) are a great way to round off the best pizza in Calgary.

Pizza claimed to have pancetta on it, but it was actually chunks of ham. Lasagna was sent out 15 minutes after everyone else finished their mains. Caprese salad had pieces of salt so big that you crunched in to them and had a salty overload. Pizza dough was uncooked, we sent it back, the waitress, cook and owner didn't seem too bothered, I guess they deal with this kind of thing all the time. Mozzarella tasted like Swiss cheese, and 'wild' mushrooms were actually button. They comped us $60 of our meal, which was great, but we won't return.

Worth the trip. Love the margherita pizza! Caprese salad is also good. Fresh ingredients!

Traditional Italian. This is the most delicious and traditional Italian pizza I have had in Calgary. It came out very quickly too. Will be returning again and again!

Love It!. Some of the best traditional pizza I've had outside of Europe - and they don't cut pizza in Europe either. The tomato sauce on the pizza is heavenly. Service is generally so so, but I don't care, I'm there for the pizza and it's amazing. Best in town by far.

Soggy overpriced pizza. Was there with my Wife last night. Shared two appetizers and one pizza. The appetizers were average, but the pizza was horrendous. After about 5 minutes, it was absolutely limp and soggy. Service was less than adequate as well. Won't be returning.

I had dinner today here and I thought the service was great. Our server told us a short history about the place because it was our first time. We had the calamari which was delicious. The tomato sauce is zesty and great! We had 2 pizzas. I was a little bit disappointed with them. The margherita pizza was full of tomato sauce and barely any cheese. Tasted like something I could make at home. The other one wasn't bad but there wasn't a great variety of toppings on the pizzas

Food is good enough, service desperately needs work. I've been going to Pulcinella off and on since they opened (more on in the beginning) and I always loved the pizza, the appetizers, etc. Quality of the food was never a concern for me and honestly the service wasn't either. Until recently.<br/><br/>I went on a Sunday afternoon with my niece for some lunch after shopping and the restaurant was 2/3 empty if not more. There were a few tables open in the front bar area and most of the tables in the back were empty. I imagine they had a lunch rush (we got there about 1:30) and were just catching up to reset. I get that. What I don't get is when the hostess comes up to us in a bit of a huff and says "10 minutes" without explanation or anything. She didn't even say hello much less ask how many in our party. Everyone else that came in behind us got the same hurried greeting. "10 minutes"<br/><br/>The manager was standing behind the empty bar polishing cappuccino cups completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Behind us there were 2 pairs of couples and a family of 4, all staring at an empty dining room. The servers for some mysterious reason were running around but no one could figure out what they were doing. The "10 minutes" passed and the manager grabbed some menus and ushered us to an unset table, dropped menus and went back behind the bar. No one came back to the table for a full 20 minutes. Meanwhile he's back there playing around with cups and glasses in the bar. Table beside us gets seated "10 minutes" after we did and were served well before we were.<br/><br/>Again, manager is completely clueless to what is happening around him. We finally get served, food and drinks come out rather quickly so I know the hold up for service was not due to the kitchen. The servers in the front had no control over what was going on - not sure what the managers role here is supposed to be but in my experience he should be HELPING and making sure everyone is looked after. What is he paid for for god's sake?<br/><br/>Food was good enough but not as good as it once was. We had calamari and shared 2 pizzas but what was interesting was when I agreed to a refill of my iced tea she came to the table with a half empty plastic bottle, filled my glass to as far as it could and then went back behind the bar for another partially full bottle to top it up! I can't find another word for it but TACKY. I don't think that's happened to me at Denny's. My niece had more iced tea and she just brought her another glass. <br/><br/>We were there for close to 2 hours and the "manager" came out from behind the bar ONCE. ONE TIME. He didn't mix drinks or lend a hand to anyone. Didn't check on a single table - not even to apologize to the guy at the table next to me that his lasagna had been dropped and would need to wait another 30 minutes before another could be served. The table's server had to deal with all of the PR behind that. <br/><br/>Would I go back? Under this management? Not likely. It's clear that he doesn't care what's happening around him and neither does the owner. Why support them if they don't care about your experience? I actually feel sorry for the servers because they've been hung out to flail in the wind with no guidance or support.

This was my third time there, other two times were great, this visit disappointed me alot.<br/>We ordered a pizza called "Quattro"... Something. It had mushrooms, artichokes, basil, mozzarella, anchovies and ham.<br/>When it arrived... All the ingredients were separate on sections of the pizza. So 3/4 of the pizza had no cheese.... And a full 1/4 was pure anchovies...ect.. Ect<br/>This was not stated in the menu. The server gave us no heads up, and when it was sitting infront of us, my heart sank a little. WTF was this.... In front of us.<br/>This should be a menu item that is mandatory to explain to customers...

Who cares. Their claim to fame is that they have official papers from Naples. Well we waited for 1 hour and my crust was burnt. I won't go back.