The dining room at Tedino's doesn't do the food any favors: think standard pizzeria decor with a heavy emphasis on the reds and a serious lack of ambience. It's a shame, really, that even die-hard neighborhood fans (and Tedino's has tons of them) waste months eating sub-par pizza at other places before they look past the tepid interior and realize the kitchen pumps out consistently wow-worthy pizza.

Super-fresh ingredients, inventive topping combinations and well-balanced seasonings are at the heart of these thin-crust and deep-dish pies. Health nuts can expect spinach, pine nuts, broccoli, onion, garlic and tomatoes, while the Ciao pizza, topped with ricotta cheese, sausage, vegetables and enough mozzarella to make you choke, can make even the most refined diners lick their fingers and smack their lips.

You can order loads more than pizza, but why would you want to? The burgers are decent, the pasta a bit plain. The appetizers, particularly the jalapeno poppers and garlicky cheese bread, deserve a second look. Unsurprisingly, Tedino's does brisk business in delivery and to-go orders, but if you do snag a booth in the spacious interior on a Wednesday night, you'll score half-price pizza (and a dining room packed with other hungry pizza lovers).

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Rockwood