Ciao Baby

My favorite place to eat!!! We are Friday night regulars. Everything is delicious but my favorite is the speghetti and meatballs!

Caio Baby has specializes in quality brick oven pizza, but the menu has numerous quality items. They use the freshest ingredients and offer some of the most unique pizza and salad combinations in the area. The lunch special is a personal sized pizza with a small house or Caesar salad. I had Pizza Bianca and house salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was the perfect balance of a light but substantial meal. I highly recommend Caio Baby for lunch or dinner.

Fresh ingredients make all the difference. Great, fresh, hot pizza built custom to my liking, and I didn’t have to wait long. Excellent service as well.

This is by far the best pizza I have had in Memphis. Everything is fresh and hand made even the cheese. I drive from downtown to eat here. Pizza perfection!

Zero stars for the pizza, one star for the fried ravioli, and one star for baby changing table.
I’m sorry, but my wife and I just did not like it. And that really sucks because I’ve been searching for the perfect pizza, and bookmarking the ones I wanted to try. My wife was with me (I’m normally solo) so we chose the best of the best, according to Unilocalers. I was so looking forward to this, but I tried to judge it fairly without letting my high expectations affect my reasoning. In other words, I’m not trying to hold them to a higher standard than normal, I just didn’t like it.
We went in Tuesday between lunch and dinner so it just happens that we had the restaurant to ourselves. This was a good thing because we were not rushed to make a decision and the young girl at the register was very patient with us and explained a few things about themselves and their products. We ordered a pizza but she seemed confused when we added on the fried ravioli. No worries though, she got help and they figured out how to do it. We accidentally got an extra drink, and they were confused about refunding it, and had to wait on the owner. Didn’t cause us any extra time, but it just seemed like they would have been ill equipped to handle the fast pace of a large crowd.
They have one of those fancy fountain drink machines, from which I selected cherry coke. My experience with these machines is that they are complicated, offer too many choices, and take twice the amount of time to serve a drink. We didn’t have to wait, but these machines are notorious for causing traffic jams during a lunch rush. Redundancy is always a good thing, but there is only the one single machine.
My fried ravioli arrived just shortly after getting my drink to the table and I thought this must be some old leftovers because it’s simply not possible to cook in two minutes. Actually the fried ravioli was my favorite part of the meal, I just don’t know how they did it. They were delicious.
Now finally on to the pizza. The pizza came to the table in less than five minutes! I had just gotten my drink and eaten one ravioli and my pizza is already at the table. I said that’s impossible and the server told me its because the oven is 900 degrees. I’m sure Gretel is glad the witch didn’t shove her head in this oven! Have you ever put a frozen dinner in the oven and found the center to still be cold? That’s what this is like. You cannot short cut the cooking process by increasing the heat, otherwise you get a pie that hasn’t had time to warm up. This was the first pizza ever in my life to come straight from the oven and be safe enough to stuff in a child’s mouth straight away!!! the dough was cooked, but everything on top was barely warm.
Only minimal effort was made to slice the pie for us, so we were provided with a dull pizza slicer to do it ourselves. I’ve never experienced this before and cutting it with the dull cutter seemed to destroy it in the process. Also, the slices were so flimsy that it was impossible to pick one up without it falling apart. The toppings were applied generously, which proved to be to heavy for the flimsy slices. The cheese however, was not applied generously.
The bottom of the pie was covered with the burned carbon remains from a dirty oven. This does not happen when you cook it on a clean pan. So after each slice falls apart, you are left with a dirty dough with tasteless sauce, and eating the cold toppings with a fork.
I hate overbearing owners and this guy is proud of his product and expects everyone to like it, and gets defensive when someone replies with dissent to his question «well how is it?» Next thing you know, he’s sitting at the table with us while we’re finishing up and trying to get to know us. He’s a nice guy, and definitely passionate about his craft, but we weren’t out to make friends. And granted you are a business owner and I’m not, you are a chef and i’m not, my opinion is still right no matter how wrong I may be.
Is this the reason the reviews are so high? Is this the reason for the absence if dissent? Is it because Adrian sits at everyone’s table and becomes their friend while sharing his views on philosophy? Reminds me of the Monty python sketch. Either the one with the dirty knife or the one where you can buy a conversation.
Oh well, the search for the perfect pizza continues.

This is delicious Neapolitan pizza. I got the Margherita pie with pepperoni added. The pie was really good. I asked if they had honey and the owner brought out a spicy honey and gave my pie a light drizzle. Now the pizza was awesome.
I’m here for work for two days. I’ll be back tomorrow. It was that good. I’ll ask for just a slightly longer cook to further crisp the whole pie. If they’d be willing to add the basil after the cook then we have a pie just like mine at home (authentic Neapolitan pizza making is a hobby for me).
I wish this place was back home. Under $ 10 for this kind of pizza is a steal.
Update: Came back a 2^nd day and asked for the honey. Cashier had to get reinforcements. I was told it’s only for the andouille pies they might sell. I offered to pay for it and was told I couldn’t since there’d be not enough for the andouille pie. We were arguing over 50 cents of honey at most that I was willing to pay for as another topping.

Ate here for the first time and had an amazing experience! As you enter the door, the employees all welcome you to the restaurant. There are so many types of pizza and other dishes to order. The owner greats you at the register, and if it is your first visit he describes in detail everything about his products and where it all comes from. He is a very friendly guy who loves what he does!
We had an order of toasted ravioli as an appetizer. It came with red sauce on the side and was cooked to perfection.
I ordered the sangria and Ah Sausage pizza with black olives added to it. The sangria came with a slice of orange on the side and was delicious! The pizza, which is baked a wood fired oven imported from Italy, was perfect! It had sausage, carmelized onions, mozzarella, and black olives that I had added to it. The dough was just the way you would want it to be, not like the local pizza chains. It was what I call, «chewy bread.» YUMMY!
My husband ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and said it was great!
The owner brought us a bit of fresh mozzarella with olive oil and roasted red peppers to try. My oh my, what can I say other than we will definitely return!
Check it out, you’ll LOVE this restaurant!

Simply amazing. The atmosphere is great and welcoming. If anyone sees this, I really recommend you go there.

This guy gets it,…all fresh !
Brick Oven and made by an Italian from NY… Fegetabout it !

If you like pizza this place is a must! Made to order, yet fast these pizzas are amazingly fresh and will make you say yum! The Margarita is the best! Don’t forget about dessert the cannoli’s and chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce is simply delicious!

I’m a firm believer in pizza…
I love pizza. All pizza. Chicago pizza. New York pizza. Italian pizza. Delivered pizza. Fresh pizza. It’s all good to me. But if we are speaking about the best of the best, Caio falls a little short. Sure their oven is impressive, but their pizza is not. If you’re looking for excellent Italian pizza, I stand by Café Piazza.

This small family owned genuine Italy place is the best! First pizza place that has this many pizza types on the menu! The crust is amazing and you can tell it was cooked in a wood fire oven. Everything was so full of flavor. I’m such a fan of Alfredo sauce and I rarely find it anywhere so I was excited to see it here. I will be back plenty more times

We visited Ciao Baby soon after it opened and we were not really impressed so this was our second visit to give it another try. I have been attempting a healthy diet so I got a build your own salad. Ordering was difficult because the menu does not list the items that you can «build» with. I asked what cheeses were available and the cashier listed a few before I selected mozzarella. Then I wanted to know what veggies were available and she kind of waved at the food prep line so I looked it over and selected some. It was a very good thing we were there at a time when there was not a line. I definitely prefer other places that have an order sheet (Whaleys). I guess I’m not a fan of ordering at the counter at all. The spouse ordered a salad pizza and we each got 2 beers because we didn’t want to have to return to the counter.
My salad arrived first and I was alarmed that it was soaked in ranch. I hesitated, but returned to the counter to request a new salad with dressing on the side. The cashier looked doubtful, but a prep person took my bowl and said it was not a problem.
We both got our food. The spouse was very happy with the pizza and the salad was much better although I would have liked more dressing– just not all over the salad. Also the Parmesan on the table was not great.
I would have probably been very happy if I had gotten pizza, but since I didn’t I was not thrilled. A salad, pizza and 4 beers was $ 38. A little much for and
order –at — the — counter place, but I guess we didn’t have to tip.

What a delicious place to eat! I drive by this joint everyday yet never stopped by until being invited to a lunch last week. I was lucky enough to get tastings of several menu items and WOW! They have a gorgeous wood stove in the front where you can actually see your pizzas prepared and cooked in minutes before your eyes. They take great care in their pizzas. The ingredients are SO fresh. They make the mozzarella, sauces and other items every morning and you can tell! The lunch specials are amazing. like $ 6 bucks will buy you a nice size pizza and salad or pasta side. The bread pudding is not to be missed! Truly magnificent!
I am kicking myself for getting my meatball subs anywhere else all this time… Their sandwiches are on homemade bread that is so flavorful! I strongly advise you to try something. anything with meatballs. OH and the alfredo sauce… HOLY SMOKES! You will want to take a bath in the stuff. They have an alfredo pizza… get a side of sauce to dip your crust in! trust me and you’re welcome. :)
A nice little starter or finish to your meal is the cinn knots. You get a HUGE basket with enough to feed 6 for $ 4!
Salads are great and they have really cool unique pizzas too and a nice little bonus is the freestyle Coke machine… always fun to mix and match your drinks up. :)
The atmosphere is very relaxed and they have a TV if there is a game on. It is counter order service and seat yourself. The owners are the real deal!!! OOHHHH and they have a drive thru! You have to give this place a try! It is such a hidden gem in Collierville!

Fabulous and authentic!
I came in, suffering under painkillers, grumpy that I can’t meet my obligations and hungry; I left full (but not too), much less grumpy and sorry I hadn’t reviewed Ciao Baby the first time I came here.
They deserve compliments on the order of Las Tortugas: authentic, uncompromising on ingredients and full of delightful and distracting flavor!
I’d normally review the preps we ate, but there’s no immediate need. The 900° wood-​fired oven, cooking the homemade, unpressed dough, no yucky sprays of canola oil, supporting a superb cast of toppings is all you need to know.
And the owner/​oven master knew friarirelli. Yeah, broccoli rate on my pizza is utterly winning.
It’s real. Go.

The absolute best pizza I ever had
I have eaten pizza all over the United States and none come close to this. Simply awesome

Great food, fast and fresh! The BEST garlic knots I’ve ever eaten. Their choice of pizzas is so varied and meets whatever you are in the mood for! I recommend this wonderful place to everyone I know!

Ciao Baby is a wonderful, unexpected addition to Collierville. It’s owned by a loud, passionate Italian New Yorker who knows how to serve up real Neapolitan pizza. I would branch out to another pizza type, but I always gravitate to the four-​cheese and add meatballs. Great selection of paninis and pasta specials as well. The pizzas and WINGS are cooked up in a wood-​fired oven the owner imported from Italy. Ambiance is meh — like a 5 guys or something, but food is good. My only gripe lately is that you can’t get a cup for water — people were stealing soft drinks from the fountain, and now you must buy bottled water if you want water.

Two check ins in a row, yeah, I like this place. The pizzas look super yummy but it’s actually the tomato cream sauce pasta that has lured me back in. The pizza and pastas are not the stuff Memphians are used to, it’s good authentic style stuff. If you like a certain old school hasn’t been updated since the 70s Memphis establishment this might not be for you, otherwise it’s worth the 15 minute drive down Poplar.
My lunch is $ 11.74 for my pasta, soda and tax. Yes, it’s a little more than I like to spend on lunch but it’s a good hearty portion, perfect for cooler weather days — especially when I skipped breakfast like I did this week, oops! Also, I love the coke flavor machine — not a lot of places have it and sometimes a girl just needs a cherry coke y’all.
The interior is very clean and open. Other reviewers have complained about the ordering flow but I haven’t seen any problems. And yes, if you want additional seasonings you’ll need to pick those up by the soda machine, but this is hardly an inconvenience and it keeps the tables from getting unnecessarily cluttered.
The owner is very friendly and always asks how your food is, I love a family owned place. No, they’re not southern, but the friendly NY accent is part of why I love this place. An enthusiastic welcome upon entering and a sincere thank you upon leaving — perfection!

The BF and I have been loyal customers of Ciao Baby since they first open the doors. We immediately fell in love with the place! We eat at Ciao Baby at least once a week and sometimes twice. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Italy and I can tell you that this place is the real deal.
How is it the real deal you ask? Well for starters, the owner has flour imported from Italy. The flour has no additives or preservatives (sign me up). The tomatoes are San Marzano, which are grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius. The tomatoes have a nice sweetness to them… anyone else getting hungry? They top your pizza off with fresh (made daily) mozzarella and fresh local herbs. Then the pizza professional slips that piece of pizza heaven in the wood fired oven and out comes the best tasting pizza you’ve ever put in your mouth!
When you visit Ciao Baby the owner Adrian will tell you all of the above. You will also begin to understand just how special the pizza is. Additionally, you will immediately see he has a passion for his pizza and his customers.
Let me help a brother or a sister out with my menu favorites:
I LOVE the Ciao Baby house salad. Delicious is selling this yummy salad short.
I’m in LOVE with the Pizza Margarita, at 500 calories per pizza it makes my heart sing (and yes that’s 500 for the entire pizza).
If I’m looking to indulge I always go with the Prosciutto Pizza and
!
I’ve tried the Buffalo and Loco Taco Pizza and like them both.
My new favorite pizza is the Fresh Salad Pizza. It sounds odd but is totally amazing. I get the Ciao Baby salad and it is awesome.
The Chicken Parmigiana sandwich will blow your socks off. It is a breaded chicken cutlet with the secret recipe Ciao Baby tomato sauce topped with yummy fresh mozzarella. They put the sandwich in the wood fired oven and create magic for your mouth. Actually I think I need one of those in my life now!
I’m not usually a lover of Cannoli but the hand rolled Cannoli at CB is pure awesomeness.
More reasons why I LOVE this place
1. The owner, total class act!
2. Family owned business
3. Friendly fast service
4. Fresh Ingredients-​cheese and dough are made fresh daily
5. Gluten Free pizza and pasta
6. Fantastic Salads
7. Clean
8. The place is like Cheers, everybody knows your name
This is my favorite place to eat in Collierville and I hope it will become yours as well.