Forno Rosso

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Naples Education Brought to Chicago's West Loop

Nick Nitti grew up with Italian roots and spent stretches of his childhood in Italy, travelling the country with his family. The moment that changed everything came on a road trip to Pompeii, when his father stopped in Naples and Nick tasted his first pizza Napoletana at a small pizzeria in the heart of the city. Years later, back in Chicago, that memory pulled him back to Naples in 2012 to train formally under one of the city's respected pizzaiolos. He returned with his certifications from VPN — Verace Pizza Napoletana, the international non-profit founded by Neapolitan pizza makers to protect the craft — and opened Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana on Harlem Avenue. A second location followed in 2016 on Randolph Street, in Chicago's West Loop.

What VPN Certification Actually Means on the Plate

Being part of the Verace Pizza Napoletana association is not a marketing label — it sets strict standards for dough, technique, and ingredients. At Forno Rosso, that commitment shows in the sourcing: San Marzano tomatoes, pomodori di piennolo, imported mozzarella di bufala, San Daniele prosciutto, and caciocavallo della grotta are brought in directly from Italy. The result is Neapolitan pizza that earns its name rather than simply borrowing it.

Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food and wine guide, awarded Forno Rosso 2 slices in its 2026 edition — a recognition that carries real weight when it comes to Italian cuisine standards outside Italy.

The Menu: Classics and a Competition Winner

The pizza list runs from the foundational — a Marinara with San Marzano tomatoes, piennolo, garlic, and oregano; a Margherita with fior di latte and pecorino romano — to more layered compositions. The Reginella pairs imported bufala mozzarella with San Daniele prosciutto and two types of tomato. The Pizza Tartufo builds on black truffle pâté, porcini mushrooms, and locally sourced sausage. And the Datterino, made with mozzarella di bufala, red piennolo tomatoes, and Colle del Giachi extra-virgin olive oil, is listed explicitly as the Caputo Cup winning pizza — a competition dedicated to the best Neapolitan pizza Napoletana outside Italy.

Beyond pizza, the kitchen offers cold and hot antipasti, wood-roasted preparations, a handful of salads, housemade gnocchi, and calzones. The Bufala e Speck Involtini — wood-roasted bufala mozzarella wrapped in speck with balsamic glaze — and the wood-roasted meatballs with San Marzano tomatoes are among the starters worth noting.

The West Loop location on Randolph Street offers outdoor seating, private party options, catering, and delivery, making it a practical choice for both weekday lunches and larger gatherings.