LOCAL REVIEW: Villa D' Carlo's Pizza of Kenosha

If there was any pizzeria in Kenosha that would be considered a "generational" restaurant (well, to my family, at least) -it'd be Villa D' Carlo's. My mom's mom used to work at Villa D's dontown and make the pizzas. My mom and her brothers knew when their pizza was from my grandmother as the best center piece was always missing, and the pizza box would always having something funny written on it, like, "Ron- Sober up! Kids- Go to Bed! Love You, Mom." 

It's no big surprise that, to this day, my mom still orders from Villa D' Carlo's more frequently than any other pizza joint. No, I'm not saying she orders pizza "frequently" as in ALL THE TIME- Hey! How dare you call my mom a lardo! Let me finish! -it's just that, when she DOES order pizza, you can pretty much guarantee it's going to be from Villa D's. And if by some odd chance our family were NOT to order pizza from Villa D' Carlo's, you would hear Mom's near-catchphrase, "It's good... But not as good as Carl's!" as if it were some kind of slogan.

In today's review, instead of focusing on all aspects of this restaurant, I am solely going to focus on one type of food served there, and one alone- the pizza. One reason being that our family usually orders from Carl's instead of going out to eat, so judging the restaurant as a whole would not be fair in this point in time. Another reason being that Carl's pizza is just so famous, it deserves a whole review dedicated to itself. Of course, I can talk about SOME aspects of the customer service at Villa D's too... how employees answer the phone, delivery time, yadda yadda. By the way, I will be reviewing the Villa D' Carlo's that is DOWNTOWN (otherwise known as Carl's East).

So, with that, andiamo! ("Let's go" in Italian).

Usually, our family just orders a large Sausage-Mushroom-Pepperoni Pizza and a large Garden Pizza from Villa D's, but they have plenty of other flavors and toppings too. They don't have many super unique speciality pizzas, but they do have the Pesto Pizza, which sounds pretty cool! Pesto is the bomb. And I DO love me some Garden Pizza- it's got carrots and cauliflower on it, along with a whole slew of other veggies; THAT'S pretty unique. 

I suppose the real time when you can get cooking for a super-cool pie is by customizing them yourself, since Carl's has many interesting toppings. I mean, you could have a Meatball Carrot Zucchini Broccoli Giardenera Carrot BBQ Pizza, if you wanted. Okay... so maaaybe the toppings aren't the MOST unique at Villa D's, but I tried. And of course, all those add-ons might cost quite a bit of dough. 

Speaking of dough, Carl's ain't the cheapest place in town, but it ain't the priciest either. Honestly, I don't think their prices are that bad. Carl's cost more when compared to chain pizzerias, but the pizza costs at Villa D's aren't much different from most REAL pizzerias in Kenosha, which is good.

So, the employees that have phone duty for Villa D's aren't the cheerfullest guys you would ever find. It usually sounds like some grumpy teenage boy over the phone. Maybe it isn't fair to always order on a busy day when everyone is running around and whatnot, but come on. I've had more than one experience where the employees had me repeat my order like TWICE, and weren't even the most bit peppy. And they're pretty rude. One time, I asked for one of the pizzas to be cut in triangles instead of squares, and the guy on the other end was like, "Okaaaay," like I was crazy. Maybe it WAS a bit crazy, but it's not THEIR job to point that out, now is it?! 

However, the people who actually deliver the pizzas are fairly nice. It's easier to see their smiles, of course, and they're always wishing you a good night and thanking you and all that. They're very nice people. Why can't you have more people like that tend the PHONES, Carl's?!

And as for delivery times, the pizzas come when expected. On Fridays (when my family usually gets pizza), the wait times can be over an hour long, but that's more because Carl's pizza is JUST THAT POPULAR. As long as the pizza comes on time, I don't mind. Sometimes it can't be a tad early, sometimes a tad late, but most always the pizza arrives when the vicinity of the estimated time.

And now, for the good part: the PIZZA. One of the greatest components of the classic Carl's Pizza is the crust. It's delightfully firm- not flimsy or some nonesuch such as that. Carl's also dusts the bottom of their crusts with cornmeal, which adds another layer of texture and crunch. It's great! Carl's crust is acceptably thin, but at the same time deliciously chewy. The sauce is good but layered thin, and it doesn't overpower the taste of the rest of the pie. 

In my Garden Pizza, the vegetables were yummy and piled high, and each unique flavor of the healthy toppings was prominent and powerful. The vegetables weren't too mushy or too crunchy- they were just right. Also, I asked for light cheese, and Carl's does NOT mess around with light cheese. They know what light cheese means. When I order pizzas with light cheese from other pizzerias, sometimes I wonder if they even know what light cheese means, but at Carl's, I have no doubts. When you ask for light cheese, they put on a sprinkle, nothing more.

And if you're more of a traditional Pepperoni-Sausage type of individual, then Carl's has got your back on that too. Their full-cheese, meaty pizzas are SO GOOD. The toppings are deliciously salty and greasy, and the cheese is flavorful and melty. Whether you order a healthy pie or a pig-out pie, Carl's is sure to please. Their pizza is addicting and tastes amazing.

Overall, it's no wonder my mom likes to order from Carl's so much! Their pizza is some of the best around. Honestly, I'm just like my mom, in the respects that I think Carl's is pretty much the standard by which all other pizzas should live up to. I have no qualms when we order it Friday after Friday. And we're not the only ones that dig it! My uncles in Indiana miss Carl's so much, their pizza is a MUST-have when they come up to visit. As for Carl's delivery service, the delivery guys are very friendly, while the phone guys need some work. But the pizza always come prepared the way we ask, on time, and decently hot. You know what? I love Carl's pizza! I could order it every Friday for the rest of my life, and I would never get bored. If you're ever visiting in the Kenosha area, you HAVE to try it. And if you already live in the Kenosha area and haven't tried Carl's pizza yet... what is wrong with you?! Go out and try it NOW!!!

I'd give Villa D' Carlo's Pizza a 10/10!

I'd give Villa D' Carlo's Pizza Delivery Service a 7/10.

What is YOUR favorite Kenosha pizzeria? Let us know in the comments below!

Till' then, this has been RiRi ri-porting!