JENNIFER HERRERA | 210SA CONTRIBUTOR In the mood for authentic Italian food? Save room for dessert. Sapore's Pizza offers cannoli and tiramisu.

Hidden in a shopping strip down Hillcrest between a plethora of hair salons on the Northwest Side, you'll find Sapore's Pizza, a small, family owned pizzeria. Owner Giuseppe Buiano was born in Italy and has worked in the pizzeria business for 15 years. Sapore's Pizza has been around for almost three years, and St. Mary's University students have claimed it as their own; the wall of the pizzeria is proof. It's decorated with fraternity and sorority T-shirts. Not only do the walls have St.MU memorabilia, but Spurs spirit also is abundant.

WHAT: Sapore's Pizza, (210) 733-5503; saporespizza.com

WHERE: 2715 Hillcrest at Babcock

HOURS: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

TASTE SENSATION: Sapore's Pizza offers New York-style pizzas as well as specialty pizzas with up to seven toppings. Pastas, calzones, sandwiches and salads are also on the menu. On a recent visit, we opted for the Italian specialties. The calzone, stuffed with pepperoni, ham, ricotta cheese and mozzarella, is mouth-watering and definitely filling.

TUMS-WORTHY: The place is so small that it's short on legroom. There are about three booths and one table that could seat five or more. However, the place is marketed as a take-out pizzeria. When we dined in, three or four people came in to pick up pizzas while we were the only ones eating there.

THE 210 TAKE: Sapore's Pizza is a great place to try. If you're into authentic pizza, Sapore's delivers. The service is good; the guys behind the counter strike up conversation while watching TV. If you're the only ones dining in, like we were, you'll have one-on-one service and chit-chat about random things such as English bulldogs. Also, at the time we dined, we were celebrating a birthday, so the servers brought us out tiramisu on the house. Sapore's Pizza features daily specials and sports specials for game nights. You'll be amazed at the great food that comes out of such a small establishment.

Jennifer Herrera | 210SA contributor