Angelo's: home of the 18-inch-long slice

3600 Keswick Rd.

Phone: 410-235-2595

Price: $5-$10, $6 delivery minimum

Hours: Mon.-Thurs.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Fri., Sat.: 11 a.m.- 11 p.m.

Closed Sun.

Looking for some authentic Italian food here in Baltimore? You could go downtown and sample many of the good restaurants in Little Italy. But what if you want some homemade Italian goodness delivered right to your door? Settling for a chain like Domino's could be a mistake. Your best bet is to try Angelo's, an authentic slice of Italy that is both inexpensive and close to Hopkins.

Angelo's claims it's the home of "the world's largest slice of pizza," and this is no lie. Go in and order one of the giant slices and you won't be disappointed. At 18 inches long, it's a meal in itself. If this is too intimidating or you're looking for takeout, Angelo's offers traditional sized pizzas for delivery. If you're having a party, Angelo's also has 30-inch party pizzas for delivery at very reasonable prices.

Overall, I must say I was impressed with the pizza. The cheese and sauce were both tasty and it had that unique flair of spices that you only get from a local pizza shop. Their crust was sprinkled with some sort of spice mix that provided some great flavor and texture. Also, their pizza had that brick oven taste which I really enjoyed. Regular sized 16 inch pizzas cost $7.95 and the party pizza is $26. Prices go up quickly if you add toppings, though. Available toppings include pepperoni, Italian sausage, anchovies, meat sauce, mushrooms, green peppers, Italian ham, Genoa salami, garlic, onions, olives, bacon and pineapple. All in all, the pizza was very good -- much better than delivery chains like Domino's and Papa John's.

Angelo's also has a variety of other Italian dishes to whet your appetite. They have a variety of entrees like Italian sausage, meatballs and veal and chicken parmigiana that come with a large helping of spaghetti. These are reasonably priced between $4.95 and $6.95 per entree depending on what you order. All entrees come with free garlic bread. The one entrZe I tried, a heaping plate of spaghetti, was very tasty. I was very impressed. However, I did not favor the tomato sauce, as its boldness left a little sweetness to be desired.

In addition to entrees, Angelo's also offers a wide variety of subs. They have turkey, ham and cheese, tuna, hamburger, chicken salad, veggie, Italian, cheese steak, Italian steak, fish and pizza subs. In addition, they have traditional Italian hot subs including veal and chicken parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, meatball and sausage. Angelo's also has calzones and stromboli.

The subs are all eight inches long and range in price from $3.85 to $5.25. Sides include french fries, cheese fries, french fries with gravy, pizza fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, salad, soup and garlic toast. The only item on the dessert menu is cannoli.

Despite the sparseness of the dessert menu, the one offering is quite good. Angelo's also offers canned sodas, at prices cheaper than you will find on campus, along with one liter bottles. Delivery from Angelo's is free with a $6.00 minimum order. On a busy Saturday night, it took 45 minutes for them to deliver a large order of food, including entrees, which is not bad.

So if you're looking for some good authentic Italian food delivered to your door, give Angelo's a try. While it's definitely not the same quality as Little Italy gourmet, Angelo's is definitely some of the best cuisine in the local area. And if you're looking just to get some quick pizza for you and some friends, consider Angelo's over the local pizza delivery chain.