Meglio

Brick oven pizzas, sinfully delicious cheesesteaks and indulgent desserts make this place in Newtown, Pa., just right for a family meal or casual get-together.

By: Amy Brummer

Meglio

25 Swamp Road

Newtown, Pa.

(215) 860-4545

www.springmillcountryclub.com

Food: Good +

Service: Young, friendly, upbeat

Prices: Inexpensive

Cuisine: Pizza/Italian

Vegetarian and Vegan Options: Salads, pizzas and sandwiches

Atmosphere: Cheery, casual café

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Essentials: BYO; major credit cards accepted; no smoking; wheelchair accessible.

Directions

(TIMEOFF PHOTOS/JILLIAN KALONICK)
   In fine dining establishments from coast to coast, the price of an entrée can cost $40 or more. And even at these prices, sauce can cost extra.
   As prices climb, finding an inexpensive, cozy café for a family meal or a casual get-together, where a full dinner for two can come in well below $40, is a delight. Owned by Bill DeLia since 1995, Meglio in Newtown, Pa., has been serving up wood-fired brick oven pizza, salads, soups and sandwiches in a cheery space that suits parents with toddlers as well as businesspeople out for a working lunch. With its bright, contemporary décor, fleshed out with lively pastels and vintage posters, the space is tidy and bright, warmed by the pizza oven and chatty bustle of customers.
   On a recent visit, we arrived in the thick of a 7 p.m. dinner rush, but luckily there were still a couple of tables to spare, though they filled up quickly. It could suffice to order a pizza to go if there were no seats available, but as the menu cautions, the brick oven pizzas are best served hot and fresh from the fire. Imported from Italy, the Rosito Bisanti oven perfumes the air with a delicate aroma of hardwoods and provides an entrancing view for diners who opt to sit at the counter up front. Fueled by logs of chestnut and oak, it heats up to more than 600 degrees to impart a crispness to the crust and add a layer of smoky flavor to the pie.
   Toppings are both traditional and gourmet, and for those who would prefer a plain old pizza oven pie ($9-$10, extra toppings $1.25-$1.75), or a calzone ($9, toppings $.75), those are available as well. This is also one of the benefits of Meglio — while the menu mainly sticks to salads, sandwiches and pizzas, the choice of toppings and ability to "build your own" dish accommodates a wide range of tastes.
   We began our meal with an antipasto for two ($14), a heaping plate of crispy lettuce, ribbons of red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichokes and florets of salami stuffed with little balls of fresh mozzarella. Balsamic dressing comes on the side, but the salad needed no further adornment, as the tasty mix of marinated vegetables and salty salami gave it a zippy tang. Other salads include cold tortellini with roasted red pepper ($6.25), caprese ($6.50) and a Caesar with or without chicken ($5-$6.25).
   Even for two, the antipasto is a hefty portion, and we only finished about half before our pizzas arrived. The thin-crust pies are 11 inches in diameter, enough for one hungry person and perfect for two to split. The four basic pies — margarita, pesto, white or tomato (all $6.95) — can be ordered plain, or topped with a roster of goodies ($.75 each) that includes eggplant, spinach, proscuitto, broccoli, red onion and artichokes. Combinations are also suggested — primo pesto ($8.50) with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh ricotta, fra diavolo ($8.25) with hot peppers and sausage, and the Mediterranean ($8.50) with Feta cheese, spinach, black olive and red onion, all have their appeal.
   We chose the Meglio ($8.50), a white pie with fresh ricotta, sausage and caramelized onions, as well as a tomato pie with black olives and hot peppers ($8.45). Of the two, the white pie was our favorite. Its crust stayed crisp throughout and the combination of creamy ricotta was a nice backdrop for the sweet fennel-specked sausage and onions, which are cooked down with a little bacon. The tomato pie was less to my liking — an excess of tomato made the center soggy. But the combination of bright, tangy ingredients made it a nice contrast to the other pie.
   For dessert, a case up front holds an attractive display of sweets and the pumpkin cheesecake and cannoli both caught our eye. The cheesecake balanced its rich flavor with a light consistency, and the pumpkin pie spices and moist graham cracker crust were full and pronounced without too much sweetness. The cannoli comes in two sizes, and unless you plan to share with a crowd, I suggest the smaller of the two. While the crisp cookie and lush filling are worthy of indulgence, it took several days of nibbling to finally finish it off.
   Meglio also offers a selection of burgers ($4.95-$5.50), subs ($5.65-$6.50), sandwiches and a sinfully delicious cheesesteak ($5.75-$6.75), as well as a children’s menu ($4-$5.75). Service is friendly, fast and upbeat, and the atmosphere is convivial and relaxed.
   When our bill arrived, we had spent less than $40 and we took home more than enough food for another meal. With its warm atmosphere, good prices and appealing variety, it’s a good bet that Meglio’s will continue to delight its diners for many more years to come.