Caserta Pizzeria

My favorite kind of pizzeria is an old school pizzeria, and it does not get much more old school than this place. We are on Federal Hill in Providence Rhode Island, which is a neighborhood full of amazing Italian restaurants. And this is the oldest and most popular pizza place on the hill, the legendary Caserta pizzeria on Spruce Street.

Caserta has been slinging pies here on Federal Hill for over 70 years, and this is the kind of pizza place I remember from when I was growing up. No crazy toppings, no pasta dishes, no nonsense. This is just straightforward, delicious, fresh made pizza with traditional toppings and not much else. Pretty much nothing has changed about this place in the past 70 years. It's owned and operated by John Campagnon Jr. and his family. So it's a family run business, and they want families to come here and always get exactly what they expect. John Campagnon Jr.: “I tell people, I don't change the dirt on the floor. We don't change anything here. This is the way we took it over. This is the way it's going to be run. And that's it. People who have gone to college in this area, they come back and they're so excited. They say, wow, look, it's the same and it tastes the same too.”

Pizza is extremely popular here. People are getting it to dine in. They're getting it to take out. Caserta is also known as the originator of something called the Wimpy Skippy - I'll show you that in just a second. But we gotta start with this pizza. The pizzas here are made with the exact same family recipe that dates back to the 1940s. In terms of the style of pizza. It's a little hard to categorize. It's sort of like a Sicilian pizza. It's baked in pans. The crust is kind of thick. John Campagnon Jr.: “It's not New York. New York is thin. Sicilian Neapolitan, we're in between. I'm telling you, it's always perfect. It's Caserta pizza.” There are only five toppings on the whole menu, cheese, pepperoni, mushroom, olives and anchovies. You know what toppings they don't have? Peppers or onions. They do have peppers and onions. Here you just can't get them on a pizza, and you want to know why? John Campagnon Jr.: “They'll give you agita, and you'll blame the pizza, not the pizza, it's the peppers and onions. Remember, they repeat on you. So if you don't want that to happen, just order a plain tomato pie, which is absolutely fabulous.”

Now, if you want to keep it really old school, this is the OG the original, a plain pizza, or also known as the tomato pie. You have that famous Caserta crust, which is nice and puffy around the edges, and then it is generously smeared on top with their homemade tomato sauce. And it's a chunky, fresh, sweet sauce. The two best things about a Caserta pizza, if you ask me, are the crust and the sauce, and now you're just getting that and nothing else. And frankly, it doesn't even need anything else.

Now let's talk about the dish that has really made Caserta famous around the world, the Wimpy Skippy. The first thing you're probably asking is, what the heck is a Wimpy Skippy? John Campagnon Jr.: “That's our claim to fame. It was developed by the previous owner. His friends. Their nicknames were Wimpy and Skippy. They used to go out at night, you know, have some beers and come back. And he said, I had no money left, so we'd get a spinach pie. We'd open it up, so we'd put cheese and pepperoni in it. And then he said, I put it on the menu. Then once I put it on the menu, it took off. So then he said, we're gonna call it the Wimpy Skippy special. You're gonna get spinach, cheese, pepperoni, a little bite, not a lot of bite from the pepperoni. It's gonna be on a nice, flaky dough. It's enjoyable. I like it. It has olives in it. People say, I don't like olives. I said, Listen, try it before you say anything, try it. No, it's something that you'll say, wow. Now I understand.”

Another popular item. Here is the Pig in a Blanket. Now this ain't no small cocktail weenie. No. At Caserta, they're using a full size sweet Italian sausage. They cook off the sausage, they slice it down the center, open it up, fill it with their homemade tomato sauce, sprinkle it with parmesan cheese, and the whole thing gets wrapped up in their homemade dough. So this is basically a pig and a blanket on steroids. And the latest new menu item is a variation on that. It's known as the Pepper Pig. That's not Peppa Pig, it's a Pepper Pig. So basically, it's a pig and a blanket. But in this variety, they also add some green peppers. It's big and toasty. It's a little hollow on the inside, because as it bakes, it creates that steam, which really keeps the inside moist and fresh and cheesy. The green pepper just adds that little bit of freshness and a little bit of crunch. It's a very easy dish to pick up and eat or do it with a knife and fork. However you dig it, you're gonna dig the pepper pig.

The truth is, they just don't make places like this anymore. It's a classic, and for a good reason. And by the way, they even have their own parking lot, which is free for customers. Try finding that anywhere else on Federal Hill, and it's just another reason why you're guaranteed to enjoy a nostalgically delicious time at Caserta Pizzeria.