Restaurant Review: Henning’s Pizza Of Naples, Florida **Updated**

A correction is in order. My sources inform me that my description of the location as being in the southern part of Naples, Fl is not correct. The area is actually identified by highly knowledgeable local residents as being East Naples. I stand corrected.

(If I didn’t do this, my Mom would punish me. Never argue with your mother – blogger rule #47.)

Restaurant review time again. This one is pizza. In Florida. Everyone knows Florida is famous for pizza. Then again, maybe not. That might change after this review of Henning’s Chicago Kitchen, in Naples, Florida.

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Let’s cut to the chase: pictures first.

Florida: where you can eat pizza outside without a parka.

Florida: where you can eat pizza outside without a parka.

This is the stockyards smoked brisket. Wonderful stuff.

This is the stockyards smoked brisket. Wonderful stuff.

Big picture of the Stockyards Smoked Brisket.

Big picture of the Stockyards Smoked Brisket.

Life is not complete without pepperoni. This one is the Grabber.

Life is not complete without pepperoni. This one is the Grabber.

Let’s do this right: I’ve eaten a lot of pizza, quite a bit of it in Italy. In my youth I was there fairly often courtesy of Uncle Sam. I know what cheap pizza is (had some of that a week ago when I was too lazy to do anything but dive into the freezer at home) and I’ve had some pizza that was so expensive that my judgement was questioned. The real question should be: was it good pizza? If you’re asking about Henning’s, the answer is yes.

My beloved / sainted / long-suffering mother (all apply with kids like us and a couple of big dogs thrown in) lives in Naples and we just completed a visit. One of the things that has been lacking on her end of the city was a decent pizza place. There was pizza, but it was not up to snuff. Especially in light of the fact that about 1/2 the population comes from New York, New Jersey, and other east coast spots that know what a real pie should be when it hits the table. Enter Henning’s.

It’s the owner’s first restaurant, and he’s an amiable fellow. We chatted for quite a while as we devoured our selections. He didn’t know he was being interviewed. Based on his story, he did it right. He studied, trained under real pizza chefs, and sought out great beverages and ingredients for his restaurant. Most importantly, he got staff that cared about the product.

We had two pizzas: the Grabber and the Stockyards Smoked Brisket.

The problem was, we ordered the Big Sexy, not the Grabber. Writing a review, that would normally be a big problem. It wasn’t for two reasons: the server was very gregarious and a large truck rumbled through as we ordered – easy to confuse it considering we’d asked him about the Grabber earlier. The second reason for not making an issue was – both pizzas were so good that the person who got “cheated” was ecstatic about the pizza they got.

I’ve never had a non-traditional mix as good as that Stockyards Smoked Brisket. I’ve eaten some strange things on a pile of dough, but this was the best. Sweet (not overpowering) and tender. The various meats were masterfully prepared. Every bite was savory and the occasional hint of onion was a delight.

The Grabber was one of those pizzas that I have dreams about. Every bit as good as it looks and superior flavor to the pepperoni. There was a bit of heat to the sausage which is unusual. Pepperoni is usually so bland and tasteless as to be useless. Not here: more like Chorizo. I loved it to say the least.

Service was okay. The first waiter left before we were done and handed us off to another employee. His name is Max and he did a superior job. As the only table outside (it was 70 in Florida: cold, nobody sits outside) we kind of got lost in the shuffle when he left. The waitress who took over our coverage did come around in a bit and was quite pleasant. If that’s the only part of things that doesn’t work, no problem in my opinion. I don’t think it was a slight, but an oversight.

Overall rating:

Food: 4.5 of 5 (Had better pizza other places, but not in a long time.)
Service: 3.5 but suspect it’s lots better if there were a few more people outside and a few fewer inside.
Overall: 4.0 for all pizza joints. But in Naples, they’re the winner on the south[east] side without a doubt.They are a 5 star location for Naples.

I will go back. Nice people, good pizza, and they deliver to the nearby developments. Matter of fact, their delivery zone is huge. Give them a try if you’re in South{East] Naples.

Need a pizza in Naples? This is the place.

Need a pizza in Naples? This is the place.

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