Our work team was fortunate enough to be treated to lunch this week at Little Italy’s Santo’s Pizza & Steak (10821 95 Street NW). It seems Santo’s was the designated backup, as Sorrentino’s couldn’t accommodate our group of twelve. At any rate, I enjoy any opportunity to try a restaurant off-the-beaten path, particularly one I likely would have never stumbled upon on my own accord.
Just before noon, the lounge we passed by on our way to the dining room was busy serving a few patrons who definitely seemed to be regulars. The dining room itself was quite small; our party literally took up half of the space. A short while later, another large party was seated directly behind us. It turned out to be a rather unfortunate placement for the waitress – more than a few coats were knocked off chairs as a result, and required her to do quite a bit of maneuvering to get through the tight space between. She did an admirable job overall of catering to refill requests despite this inconvenience, particularly as she was the lone staff member on the floor.
The menu seemed to focus on pizzas and pastas, though to be fair, a number of sandwiches and entrees also occupied some real estate. The Meat Lovers pizza ($12.65) with beef, ham, pepperoni, salami and sausage ended up winning my order, mostly because I just had pasta for dinner the night prior.
Though not quick, I would give the kitchen credit for handling our meals in a fairly efficient manner. I would imagine the delay in the delivery of some dishes was handicapped more by the fact that there was just one waitress available.
For the record, the 12 inch pizza was big enough to provide me with lunch for an additional two days. However, as quality wins over quantity most times, I have to say I was disappointed with the product. There was a tad too much tomato base, resulting in a tangy taste that didn’t complement the salty slices of meat. The crust was also sub-par – it retained its crunch, but wasn’t anything special. Having munched my way through many a pizza, I think I like my crust in one of two ways – thin and chewy, a la Famoso, or just full-on greasy, as served at Pizza Hut. The varying medium ground just doesn’t appeal to me.
Meat Lovers Pizza
On a side note – while I didn’t get to try the cappuccino first hand, a workmate said it was the best she’d ever had. Perhaps that would be worth a return trip.
While a work lunch is a poor way to judge a restaurant, at least I know Santo’s doesn’t meet my pizza standard.
Santo’s Pizza & Steak
10821 95 Street NW
(780) 421-1507
Only Here for the Food 
Santo’s is across the street from my office, so I have eaten there upon occasion. I find the pizza decent, and like you say, a generous portion. The entree items tend to be quite good, and also large portions.
For the best pizza in Little Italy (or anywhere, in my opinion) try Tony’s on 96 street and 111 avenue. The atmosphere is really nice also.
I have heard great things about Tony’s from one of my coworkers as well – it’s on my list :).
If I would live in Edmonton, I would have Pizza at Famoso’s every week.