Cafe Classico Express

Great pizza. Very nice staff. None of the corporate bells and whistles. Small and quiet but extremely clean and inviting. If you’re sick of Papa johns and dominos, give this place a try. I love giving my business to family owned local places anyway.

They are closed Sundays even though Unilocal has them open. Not worth losing a star but just FYI.

This is a great little «mom-​n-​pop pizza» place that should and will serve the surrounding neighborhood very well, but it’s not ready for prime time.
On this particular Friday night, I was joined with a group of about 12 people. I feel that we probably overwhelmed the small place, so I won’t focus on the negative too much.
The place is tucked away on the side of a little strip-​mart, so you wouldn’t even know it was there if you weren’t looking for it. The owner, Tony, has done a great job updating the outside & inside to elevate the look to be more than your average pizza joint, so kudos for the effort. Inside, there is seating, perfect for families, and they even accommodated our large group without any issue. I will say that, at least at the time that we were there, the dinning area was uncomfortably hot, and it only got worse when the oven was on. I believe that much of my group’s complaints would have been nonexistent or at least overlooked if it were not for the unbearable heat that we endured.
The owner Tony is a wonderful host, and took time to greet and introduce himself to everyone that came in. His staff, on the other hand, were very young, very nice but still have not mastered the art of hospitality. I’m not sure if the staff were family or not, but I know that finding good help can be difficult, and I won’t judge the establishment too much on staff alone. I’m sure that with a little experience, his servers and help will be wonderful one day. And again I will mention that we had a huge group, along with all their walk-​in traffic and another family dinning in.
THE FOOD
Since we had so many people, we were able to order lots of different items from their robust menu. I had a HOT ITALIAN SUB, (I am always looking for the ultimate Italian sub) and I would say it was «O-​kay». It needed some zesty peppers, parm, oregano or something to make it pop. It was not horrible, but relied too much on the meats to carry the flavor. The hoagie roll was very nice.
My wife ordered the double-​crust white pizza with spinach & tomato, and she also ordered the mozzarella caprese salad. The salad was interesting, but again lacked the flavor. It needed a tad more balsamic drizzle over the cheese and tomatoes. The pizza tasted as impressive as it looked, and the small size was hearty enough to feed a family. My wife combined the caprese salad with her pizza bites and created something truly special.
Other guests in our party ordered Baked ZitI, Meatballs, Stromboli and a custom pepperoni roll which were all handled and served in a somewhat timely fashion considering our large party and their small staff. The overall consensus among the group was that the food was better than «okay». The true star of all the food that we ordered was the massive Sicilian pizza. It was delicious and big enough to serve a football team.
SUMMARY
If you live in the immediate area, I would suggest that you give Café Classico Express a try. Several people in my neighborhood have tried it and RAVE about the authenticity and deliciousness of everything they have ordered. I wish the the owner and his staff much success with this great little place.

The clasico pizza is phenomenal. The bruschetta appetizer is two foot long loaves of toasted bread — more meal than appetizer. Prices are fair. This little gem is right around the corner; will be back.

Five stars because this is the best pizza anywhere — according to me, a New Yorker friend and a world travelor I took there. That’s three of us and we all agree. Order New York style for thin crust and Sicilian style for thicker, airy crust. There’s even a double decker white pizza I’m anxious to try. But there’s more than pizza — wonderful salads. My favorite is the Posillipo — it’s worth learning to pronounce with fresh mozzarella, artichokes, roasted red pepper and portabello mushrooms on fresh mixed greens. Tony, the owner, is from Naples, Italy, and treats his food with great care. Everything is home-​made. If you order cannoli, the shell is as crisp as when Tony first made it because he fills the shell just before he serves you. And, of course, it was delicious. I wish all cannoli tasted that way. We went there three times the first week we found it.
The address is 3200 E Bay on the north side but the restaurant fronts on the cross street of Fulton right across from Checkers.

Love it! Best Italian food ever! Wouldn’t order pizza anywhere else! This truly is a slice of heaven! Best pizza and BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! Hands down the best place! Not only is the pizza amazing the bruschetta is so fresh, garlic bread is made on toasty French bread with melted mozzarella! I can go on about how amazing this place is! The food speaks for itself!

First time tasting and my pizza was excellent. I called prior to arrival and the people, service and food was delicious… I’ll be back!

BEST cannoli I’ve ever had! This is place great, real pizza, really good and awesome prices!

Awesome food and service… I am hooked! The chicken parm was moist and rigatoni was done perfectly. I am from NY and know good Italian food. I will be back!!!

Well, they’ve done it again at CCX !! Try their cheese steak stromboli !! I’ll say no more…