We have been keeping an eye on the place near the Farm Supermarket on Hamad Al Jaser Street in Rawdah District for some time. The red brick exterior and Venetian blinds caught our attention but so long was the wait, we were beginning to wonder whether Angelico’s would ever actually open. Finally the wait is now over; Angelico’s soft opening was in early December.

It’s an out of the way location, in a little nook off the main street which makes it feel like a proper discovery. We were immediately greeted by two cheerful members of staff who were working along to some classical American tunes which added a touch of life to the place. Carefully decorated, Angelico’s is fitted out like a neighborhood Italian pizzeria one might find in New York’s Little Italy. Which makes sense as Angelico’s has branches in the States.

The kitchen is open plan, and stereotypically decorated with cookbooks, hanging onions, and clear jars of ingredients such as dried oregano, chili, and pasta. The interior and surfaces are a mix of natural earth tones, grey tiles and terracotta surfaces, which gives the place a traditional and homely feel.

The staff are dressed in red and green, wearing gloves during the preparation of the pizzas (good to see). This is really a takeout joint, so don’t expect to sit down; 80 percent of the interior is the kitchen itself. Not a problem for most, as pizza is often first on the list of takeout foods.

We moved over to the counter to browse the menu. Currently made up of six main pizzas. These ranged from the classic Margherita, to the usual suspects like pepperoni, vegetarian and a few other meat pizzas, including chicken BBQ. No desserts or salads were available on our visit, although we hear these will be added in January.

We decided to try the vegetarian, and pepperoni pizzas. The vegetarian was a mix of mozarella cheese, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers. The pepperoni had the expected, not much more to offer than the sliced meat topping.

It wasn’t a particularly long wait, and about ten to fifteen minutes later our pizzas came out of the large oven. We watched as last minute additions of rocket and black pepper were then added along with copious amounts of olive oil.

The finished pizzas looked good although we noticed the pepperoni topping looked a little sad, more like sliced cold cuts than the crispy meat found elsewhere. However we reserved judgment until the taste test.

Overall it was nothing spectacular, the soft thin base was clearly made of fresh dough, and tasted it, but even with the herbs and homemade tomato sauce, there was little out of the ordinary here.

The vegetarian was the better of the two pizzas we tried. However both were a little more messy than usual, most likely due to the last minute splashes of olive oil that we would have preferred as an optional extra.

As for the toppings, these seemed lightly cooked, but perhaps this was the chef’s intention; however the last minute touch of basil and rocket did give the pizza an added freshness.

It would be nice to see other items on the menu such as calzones or the option to buy pizza by the slice (apparently available in US branches of Angelico’s), as this would provide a nice alternative. No delivery is available yet, but we imagine it won’t be long until it is. On the whole Angelico’s is a charming, old-fashioned pizzeria that has all the right ingredients to make its mark in Jeddah. It certainly beats a frozen pizza, and with a little attention to detail we can see Angelico’s becoming a regular haunt for pizza fans.

We look forward to dropping by again when their full menu is available, and we will be sure to keep pizza fans posted online. For now you can share your experiences with us on jeddahfood.com — buon appetito!

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Tel + 966 2 6622964, Opening times 17:00 to 00:00, Website: www.angelicopizzeria.xaa -