Bites Nearby: Francesca Pizzeria Brings Great Italian to the Whole Family

With all the standard appeal of other pizzerias apparent from the outside it's not until you taste a few items from their unique menu that you can appreciate what makes Francesca Pizza stand out from many other Italian restaurants.

Brothers Salvatore and Gino Reina opened Francesca Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta in 2008. Their pizza pies, rolls and pasta dishes brim with fresh ingredients and the prices are right for families looking for a great meal.

The Margherita pizza, the slice that their employees call their "most popular," is a thin slice with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, pecorino romano and fresh basil. This is the kind of pizza that tastes like an old standard, yet is memorable enough — the basil bites through the rest of the flavor — to go running back to time after time.

Another delightful entree, if you try one roll on your next visit to Francesca consider the broccoli and baby spinach whole-wheat roll. The whole-wheat dough is a little chewier than normal flour dough, but the chopped broccoli and whole-leaf baby spinach pressed into the fresh melty mozzarella make this seemingly simple fare reach into another dimension. Paired with the lightly acidic kick of the accompanying marinara sauce, this roll is really not to be missed.

One other feature of note: Francesca prepares more whole-wheat dishes than your average pizzeria. If you're counting carbs, or just prefer whole-wheat products this is definitely the place for you.

The atmosphere in Francesca conveys the typical, laid-back vibe you'd expect from a pizzeria. Large families, groups of friends and single diners alike were taking advantage of the restaurant's seating area on Wednesday night.

Francesca also provides catering services, so keep them in mind for your next event.

Pies range from $15 to $19 and entrees from $7.50 to $16.

, 201-251-1199
234 Rock Rd, Glen Rock
Hours: Mon - Sat, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sun, noon - 7 p.m.
Payments accepted: MasterCard, Visa, Debit Card, Cash
Services: Delivery, Catering, Phone orders, Take-out, Eat-in