Last night my boyfriend took me to a date night where he said this was his favorite margherita pizza in all of SD. It is called Nolita Hall in Little Italy, SD. It is a beer hall restaurant in European style that has a horse-shoe shaped bar seating and a variety of tables, benches and couches for different ambiences and tall, tall ceilings. Their pizza is wood-fired and you can see the chefs at work through the glass windows.

Here is one type of table with lighting at the table top, which I found intriguing and different because I’ve been seen that before. It illuminates a different aura at the table and gives you a different perspective of the food and company.

There are low centered tabletops for the couches! I like that they tuck their menus with a rubber band to a light-weight wooden piece.

More tables and wooden benches with soft cushions on top for a different type of seating! You can easily bring large parties here! In the back you can see the openness of the restaurant from the adjustable glass windows all around the restaurant that allows constant breezes flowing in and out. The entire restaurant had a sense of open freedom and airiness, which I really enjoyed. I feel like I’m near the beach!

There are also comfortable lounge chairs and “sofas” by a real fire for more relaxing over cocktails. There is also 2 very big flat screen TVs on one side of the walls with individual seats facing the games being aired and also this ground puck game (I didn’t take pictures of that side of the restaurant). I kind of wish I did now!

So my boyfriend was very excited to have me try a specific cocktail. He was confident that I would really like it and he was soooo correct! It is called the CAVALLETTA (ITALIAN GRASSHOPPER), consisting of Branca Menta, Creme de Menthe, Creme de Cacao, Velvet Cream & Fresh Mint. This was such a creamy and sweet yet refreshing cocktail drink for me! It gave me a happy buzz and I didn’t taste any alcohol! The mint wasn’t overwhelming, but complementary. I think it is some sea salt sprinkled on top! It was very pretty to take pictures of.. 🙂

ALEXANDER ON THE AMALFI. Genever, SG Nola Coffee Liquer, Licor 43, Velvet Cream & Nutmeg. This cocktail I chose for my boyfriend to drink (and also for me to try)! Mainly for the creamy white dairy and the coffee liquor. The drink was very creamy and thick and strong, which my boyfriend liked a lot (but I didn’t because of the strong taste of alcohol).

I must have said something really funny to make him laugh!

THE GIRABALDI. Campari & fluffy OJ on ice. This drink was really good! It was a lot of sweet, a bit of sour, a lot of pretty, a lot of refreshing. The OJ is fluffed up to give that light and bubbly texture. It was just soo good!

Now it’s time for the pizzas..

SALSICCIA DI FINOCCHIO. Fennel Sausage, Cremini Mushrooms, Garlic Sauce, Pecorino, Fresh Oregano. This pizza was very good! The mushrooms stood out in particular to me. It just contained so much flavor and juice! There is something about that pizza dough though.. that I suspected to be of ultimate awesomeness but had to confirm with the next pizza.. It even looked like a traditional pizza made straight in Italy!

KENSINGTON’S MARGHERITA. Bianco Organic Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Reggiano, California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Now I will save all of my spew on THIS pizza! No matter how much my boyfriend raved about this margherita pizza, he did not prepare me for how much I would fall in love with a non-meat pizza!!! Don’t get me wrong: I do not dislike margherita pizzas. I like them a normal amount, but I would never CHOOSE it. However.. this pizza BLEW MY MIND!! There is just something about the specific quality of these simple ingredients used in this simple pizza made it so outstanding and by far, the best margherita pizza (and probably the best ever) pizza I have ever had! There is no way i can over exaggerate nor over-hype this pizza to anyone! No one will disappoint! If I don’t, you won’t either. It was just so refreshingly fresh and light yet flavorful and savory at the same time.

And the pizza dough?! WHAT!!! I LOVE this pizza dough! I didn’t realize it until I got to the crust that this was the most chewy and tasteful pizza crush I ever ate. The rest of the pizza dough was perfectly thin and crispy, which a lot of pizza places can get right, but the crust?!.. This was the chance that the crust can truly outshine in its very simple, simple flavors of dough and flour.

I will come back for more…

This is not your usual restaurant so when you ask them for some cheese and crushed red peppers to sprinkle on top, you are not going to get two tacky bottles of parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers. Instead, you will get a nice little ceramic bowl of fresh crushed red pepper and finely fluffed Parmesan cheese. Very nice.

Another perfect thing about this place is the location of it in Little Italy in San Diego. After a delicious dinner over good pizza and sweet cocktails, you and your date (like me and mine) can take a nice little stroll up and down the street with many more Italian restaurants, Italian music and Italian make-shift streets and lights.