Battista’s Artisan Pizzeria
Battista’s Artisan Pizzeria — “The Quiet Before the Hit”
You don’t walk into Battista’s — you find it. A side door tucked off the main drag, the kind of entrance that makes you wonder if you need a password or a connection to Tony down the street. It’s the kind of place where the air hangs heavy with the scent of baked red sauce and quiet anticipation. Inside, the lighting’s low, Sinatra’s crooning somewhere in the distance, and you half expect Joe Pesci to step out from behind the bar.
We came right at opening — just our table, no witnesses. The silence felt like the pause before a mob hit, or maybe the calm that follows one. Either way, it was perfect. This isn’t some Instagram-bait “artisanal” joint where everything tastes like pretension. This is the real deal.
The Goat Cheese Smear arrived first — molten red sauce, tangy goat cheese melting into it, and crostini that could actually carry its weight. No fragile crackers here. This was a dish built for the kind of appetite that comes from a long night of bad decisions and good wine.
Then came the Charcuterie Board — the chef’s choice, and apparently the chef’s in a generous mood. Cured meats with bite, cheeses that flirted with sweetness, housemade jams that reminded you someone back there still gives a damn.
The pizzas took their time, long enough that I started to wonder if the kitchen crew was finishing up whatever business they had before turning on the ovens. But when the Margherita and Sausage finally arrived, it all made sense.
This is how they do it in Rome. Fior di latte so fresh it almost hums, basil that tastes like sunshine, sausage that tastes like someone ground it that morning. The crust — chewy, with a whisper of sweetness and the kind of char that says real fire, not a timer.
The service? Friendly, unhurried, confident — like they knew what they had, and knew we’d wait for it.
Battista’s doesn’t try to impress you. It doesn’t have to. It just quietly makes some of the best pizza in town — the kind you’ll think about long after you’ve left, wondering if that side door will still open for you next time.
220 S Main St, Crown Point, IN 46307