Sit for fifteen minutes in Via Carducci, and you’ll hear other patrons greet the waiters by name. That’s how well-loved this charming place is: People have made it their regular destination for dining out.

It could be the amazing pastas or meat dishes that make it a favorite: The arrabiata sauce is very spicy but highly addictive and the pork ribs are done to tender perfection, but the thin-crust pizzas are quite capable of stealing the show. A good percentage of the take-out orders consist entirely of pizzas. Try the pizza Calabrese, with eggplant, salami and provolone. The house accommodates special requests; for example, if you’d prefer angel hair pasta instead of fettuccine with your dish. Portions seem to come in only one size (gigantic), which makes eating here a terrific deal, as you’ll leave with leftovers for the next day’s lunch.

The servers are incredibly friendly, but they do make mistakes. Fortunately, they’re known to comp dessert and coffee if they mess up an order at your table. Take special note of the humorous and skillfully done wall and ceiling frescoes. The ceiling painting is a lovely postmodern take-off of the overdone Baroque ceilings you’ll see all over Florence and Venice.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Abigail Derecho