This time of year, we’re all about curling up next to a roaring fire—whether we’re at home or dining out. And if there’s pizza involved, so much the better! So, with winter raging outside, we stopped by the newest Italian restaurant in Bergen County, Circolo, that’s turning up the heat in Waldwick.
Opened just after Christmas by husband-and-wife duo George and Thea Kalivas (of Wyckoff’s The Plum and The Pear), this casual, family-friendly Italian restaurant offers a full menu of anitpastos, primos, contornos and secondos, but the real stars here are the Neapolitan-style pizzas.
Under the watchful eye of experienced pizzaiolo Francesco (formerly of S. Egidio in Ridgewood), hand-tossed pies were churning out of the Kalivas’s 6,500-pound wood-burning oven imported direct from Naples. We tried not one but three of the six pizzas featured on the still-not-finalized menu. We couldn’t pick a favorite, but called it a tie between the Capricciosa ($16.95), which tantalized with handmade mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, ham, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and olives, and the Bianca ($15.95), showcasing delicious Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, ricotta, and basil.
The Kalivas’s explained to us that the name of the restaurant means “coming together with friends” in Italian, and that the opening has come “full circle” for the their family, as they had a restaurant in this very same spot a decade ago. We’ll definitely be circling back to try the pizzas we missed—and more!
Circolo 53 Franklin Turnpike, Waldwick (201) 882-1818 B.Y.O.
