I would hate to live somewhere that didn’t have good pizza. I actually Google mapped “pizza” in Bernay months before I came back to France. Hardcore, right? That’s right. The pickings looked slim and iffy, so I braced myself for a life without decent pizza. But there are so many positives about living in Bernay, I figured I could make that sacrifice if I had to. There was always Paris in a pizza pinch… (I did that on purpose.)

Context: So, every day, I take my girls (two shelter mutts from the Mojave Desert, Chouquette and Fanny, 8 and 11 pounds, respectively) on a long walk along the Cosnier river (map in slideshow below) for their mental health.

And I’ve walked by Bacio D’ell Angelo, a cute little wood-fired pizza place, several days a week for five months, thinking “One day, soon…”. I attribute my hesitation to a mix of delayed gratification meets expectation management. I think, maybe, I wanted to postpone the inevitable heartbreak. A week ago, though, I walked over there because it was Friday night, which is when pizza tastes best, right? And also, it was time to confront reality and get the five stages behind me. And also I needed frikkin pizza, FFS.

But, happily, heartbreak didn’t happen! \o/

André opened at the current location in September of 2021, after a two-year shutdown (like everyone and everything and all hope and all joy). Before that, for four years, the restaurant had been on rue Gaston Folloppe (which bernayens all still call the rue des Antiquaires, in case you ever ask directions from a local).

The menu is exceptional. SO many delicious choices. The Diavola has merguez and chorizo and black olives. The Fantasia has prosciutto and honey and figs. And there are plenty of other delightful options.

Aldona made a point to tell me they used and prepped only fresh vegetables (except the artichoke hearts). I had a Mona Lisa that first night, which has a stuffed crust, but not like this 🤢. I watched as André lined the edges of my Mona Lisa with shredded mozzarella, fresh eggplant and basil, and then rolled them up. It was just the right size for one person, and the thin crust was a perfect balance of crispy and airy and bready. It had flavor (like French bread). The toppings were ample and tasty. Sorry, I am not, nor would I ever want to be a food blogger, so I don’t have all the words. It was really good.

Best of all, I do not have to live a life without pizza.

The pics: Aldona dishing up a Vegetariana (which I have since tried, and it was glorious); my Mona Lisa, crust-stuffing in progress; André watching as Aldona rotates a pizza; an appropriate wine selection; my Mona Lisa after I got home; their pizza box (which image I’ll be using in both my French and English classes); how to get there.

André, the owner and pizzaïolo, and Aldona are Polish, and have lived in France for about 12 years. Aldona was eager to chat with me in English when I said I was doing this blog. When I asked how it was that she spoke English, she explained that her grandfather emigrated long ago to the US from Poland and lives in Georgia.

I also asked André why a Pole picked pizza (I did that on purpose). Once upon a time, he was a personal trainer. In the late 70s, one of his clients was an Italian restaurateur. This client invited André to his restaurant because he wanted to offer him a meal in thanks. André said that at that moment – when he smelled the aromas of a genuine Italian restaurant, saw the pizzaïolo working the dough, ate his delicious meal – a dream was born.

I love it when dreams come true.

The menu.

Whether you dine in or get your food to go, André and Aldona will give you a warm welcome and a hot, fresh, flavorful pizza. Does it get better than that?

Bacio D’ell Angelo, 6 Place de l’Ancien Hôtel Dieu