Elite Event: Libretto’s Pizzeria Ballantyne

A bit late to the game on this one, but I just wanted to give props where it’s due. Another really excellent elite event in Charlotte, chock full of great food and drinks and a sweet little parting gift of wine and a gift certificate for a return visit. The garlic knots and pizza were both quite yummy. Would definitely be interested in coming back for lunch when I’m in Charlotte again and hopefully I can make it for another elite event in Charlotte, cause Ben seems to know how to put on a great show. Thanks again!

I was waiting so this could be my… drumroll…100^th review! Yay!
I loved this event. It was close to our house and just a fun time. Libretto’s is just so chill, it’s fantastic. There’s a bar area, there’s a place to just pick up a slice, there’s a patio. The bartenders were very sweet. We all had a couple of drink tickets, and I know tipping can become a little on the light side with free drinks. At least as far as the wine goes, we got large pours, and those 2 glasses covered me the entire time we were there.
The food was excellent. I thought it was great that we could try a lot of different items on the menu. My favorite was the sliced stromboli. When we go there again, that will definitely be at the top of my list to get. I also really enjoyed the garlic knots, and the chicken.
I thought it was great that the owner walked around and talked with everyone. He explained to me the difference between a marinara sauce and a vodka sauce. What I learned was that I will leave the sauce making to the professionals. Can I get a jar of it to go?
We got to leave with a mini bottle of wine and a coupon for $ 10 off our next visit. They had me at wine, but I will make doubly sure to be back with that coupon.
Thanks to Ben and JJ for setting up and facilitating the smooth running of this event. I know the little extra touches make the night so memorable. The accordion player was fantastic. The company was fantastical, and the take homes, including a lovely picture of my husband «Goose» is something I will have to print, and frame :).
Thanks again! Looking forward to the next one!

Libretto’s did a very nice job on this event. I did not try the famous Bellini’s but enjoy two glasses of Chianti. My favorite food item was probably the olive tapenade. The garlic notes were good. They also had vodka penne and sausage. Oh and their meatballs were great! Both stombolis were great although I tend to prefer calzones.
The only down fall was that I wish I had the opportunity to try more of their pizza. However, they were nice enough to give us each a $ 10 gift certificate so I will be ordering a pizza as soon as the one in Madison Park opens.

Libretto’s Libretto’s Ooh How I LOVE Thee’ for NY style pizza and Italian eats.
This event was well thought out and well put together for the Unilocal Elite. We are very fortunate to be dedicated and passionate about finding all the hidden and visible jewels in the QC and get rewarded for our adventurousness.
The hubby and I arrived at Librettos around 6:30ish and were checked in and given our two drink tickets each for Bellini’s, draft beer or wine. We snagged a table that seated 6 in the patio and sat down for all of 2 minutes before I decided to go inside to order drinks in which my husband accompanied me. The bar area is small and very crowded, I wouldn’t suggest any claustrophobic people to hang out in the bar any given day (not just on an event day, it’s just small and always crowded).
We thought that leaving our bottle waters in front of our seat at the patio table would secure our space since we did drink out of the water bottles, WELL think again our seats were snatched up by Dan C. and Erinn LoL.
As we approached I joked about our waters not being tough enough to hold down our seats and Dan and Erinn laughed, apologized and moved to the next seats at the table. We all began to talk and that’s when I saw Eric B who my husband and I met at the E2 Unilocal Elite event so we invited him over with is friend to sit with us and drink and chat about the event, business, etc.
That’s when the apps start coming around (garlic knots, Margarita pizza, Ooh My). I ate lightly (only one slice of pizza and a bite from my husband garlic knot) because I had dinner plans across the street with a friend. However my husband ate enough and told me about it when picking me up from my dinner plans that I can write this review and say «The Food was Good and the PIEs are NYC approved».
We are not New to Libretto’s by far, I wrote a review for Libretto’s here on Unilocal separately due to the experiences we have had and how we discovered this place last summer while in the process of relocation to Charlotte.
Basically: Great Eats, Great People, Great Time = Unilocal Elite Event and Libretto’s any given night.
Cheers fellow Unilocalers Cheers

An Italian from NY what? Yup I know there are a lot of us but I can always trust a fellow New Yorker who owns an Italian restaurant. This was my first time at the Libretto’s in Ballantyne I’ve been to the location at the Epicentre multiple times and always claimed it was the best pizza in town. That’s the thing though I never tried anything but pizza and now I know there is so much more to sink your teeth into.
As always Ben G. put together a great event and made sure nobody left hungry.
The restaurant itself is a great space you can grab a slice and sit at one of the high top tables or why not sip on one of those delicious Bellini’s at the bar. The bartenders won’t keep you waiting and they are very friendly. Librettos can also seat a large party in the dining room without a problem (after all what’s an Italian dinner without a big family to share it with). Looking to dine al fresco? Then Libretto’s is your place there is plenty of dining space outside, and lucky for us we were able to enjoy an array of delicious food buffet style on the patio all while listening to some jams on the accordion (Thank You, Alan).
Of course there was plenty of pizza going around my favorite would have to be the white pizza. There is nothing like a good authentic white pizza and Libretto’s did not disappoint. Some other favorable mentions of the night, sausage stromboli, penne al a vodka, meatballs, olive tapenade, and garlic knots. Libretto’s made this Italian girl very happy! Definitely looking forward to the new location opening off of Woodlawn.

Well after all the crying I did trying to get here, at least my post-​road trip events were enjoyable to say the very least! Traffic was absolutely horrendous trying to make it from the Northlake to Ballantyne areas during the rush hour traffic.
In any case, after arriving 30mins late, I surprised to see I could get in with many first rounders on the amazing buffet provided by Librettos. Garlic knots & marinara, grilled & marinated chicken skewers, broccoli Stromboli (this went to fast for me to grab!), pepperoni Stromboli, penne alla vodka, sausage & peppers, meatballs, etc. All of which were very good.
The tableside pizza service was a nice touch to an already spotless sampling. Was a little curious about the tapenade over bruschetta. I mean the tapenade was good, don’t get me wrong, but seems like the bruschetta would have jived a little better here.
It was good to see the owner, Mike, making his rounds conversing with the Unilocal tables. It was good to talk with him on his business and his new location opening up. The wine provided to us was also very generous.
It may not appear as such, but being part Italian myself I know a thing or two about good Italian food. This was definitely up there with a few of my favorites.
Big thanks to Ben for such a great time!
Amore Italiano!

This was a fun event. Libretto’s opened up their patio and bar area for the Unilocal Elite crowd and served us a buffet of apps and a few slices of their pizzas. Elites received 2 tickets for drinks which included their draft beers and probably some wine as well. I only stuck with the beer. Thankfully they had a couple of craft beers but no local ones :(.
I always enjoyed Libretto’s pizza and this was no exception. I believe the white pizza was my favorite and I do not normally care for white pizzas. Their garlic knots are to die for also!
As a parting gift they gave everyone a small bottle of their house Pinot Noir. How did they know that was one of my favorite wines?
Anyway, great event. Thanks to Ben and JJ, Tonya with Poprock and all the staff at Librettos! Looking forward to the new location which is closer to me!

What a great evening. Let me just begin by saying how much I enjoy the opportunity to get out of my little world and meet such awesome people. I have been to Librettos once before and appreciated the opportunity to go back for such an enjoyable evening.
Upon arrival Sweetie and I were greeted by JJ and was given the lay of the land. Bellini’s were obtained at the bar and were a nice, refreshing start. I checked in on my handy Unilocal App and got to redeem it for a selfie with Ben, our fearless bearded leader which has now become my new profile pic, I’m not a big fan of the selfie but I must say this is one of the better ones. The Accordion player on the patio added the right amount of ambiance to the theme. When I walked to the buffet to sample some of Librettos spread he started playing the Godfather theme which I think was a sign of something, not sure of what, but a sign nontheless. The food was good and the mini wine bottles will be enjoyed this weekend. Tonya from Poprock was amazing as always and cannot express enough how stellar of a job she does… after meeting her at another Elite event we booked her for a family shoot and I enjoy those pictures many times a day since they’re all over my house!
It was nice meeting some new people and visiting with people I have met at other events. I’m sad that I didn’t get to meet the elusive Amy C, I see she was there but somehow I missed her. Maybe next time!
Hats off to Librettos, Ben, JJ, Tonya and everyone. Until next time!

Love me some garlic and I certainly got my fill at this event! Thiis Libretto’s is in my hood but this was my first visit. A buffet spread on the patio gave Unilocalers samplings of caprese scewers, baked ziti in tomato cream sauce, olive topanade and white bean spread, meatballs, marinated chicken and calzones. The garlic knots were the best I’ve had in town!
New Yorker, pepporini, veggie and white pizzas made the rounds. The white pizza was delicious, chocked full three cheeses. I improvised and mopped up the remainder of the tomato cream sauce from my ziti with this pizza.
Librettos will have three locations in Charlotte by the end of the month, with the newest one opening in Parktowne Village at Park and Woodlawn. The family is committed to bringing it’s New York style family recipes to the Queen City.
Thanks again Unilocal for another great event and thanks Librettos.

Well done Libretto’s, you’ve sold me. I knew I was home when I heard The Godfather Theme on the accordion. Even though it isn’t located in my neck of the woods, now I know where to find feel good Italian fare in Ballantyne. Delicious margherita pizza, buttery garlic knots, cold beer, and a nice sunset… Life is good!
What is the indication of a great Unilocal?A warm, inviting atmosphere with great food where interesting people can socialize, network, and find out about the best places to grab a bite to eat. Libretto’s was all that and a bag of chips. Chalk one up to Ben, J.J., Tonya, and Mr. Libretto for a great great soirée and consistently building my repertoire of restaurant knowledge in Charlotte. It seems every time I go to a Unilocal event I meet some new amazing people with great stories to tell and tips of great places to try. Can’t wait to do it again and dance my ass off at The Fillmore in a few weeks!

I loved this event, everything from the accordion player to the skewered chicken and mini pizza squares was top notch. I rarely frequent the Ballantyne area, but from this point forward I will make sure to stop in Libretto’s when I’m there.
My husband and I had a great time chatting with some of our Unilocal buddies while we enjoyed the yummy food and consumed adult beverages.
I love that we got mini wine bottles as parting gifts.
Well done, Ben, well done!

This was definitely as good as it gets… it’s well beyond «Yay! I’m a fan.» Sick of writing standard reviews, so let’s try something different…
6:35PM — Arrived at Libretto’s Pizzeria and was greeted by JJ checking us in as rich accordion music filled the patio and overflowed into the parking lot. Shout out to the accordion-​playing dude, he was on point!
6:49PM — Grabbed a seat in the patio with Erinn who knew her Italian food well, and was joined by Bianka with a K, her husband, Eric B. and his buddy. What beautiful weather and a nice open patio. Sure, it face the parking lot, but there is decent people-​watching with all the traffic abound.
7:04PM — Garlic Knots, yo!
7:16PM — Couldn’t stop eating pizza. I mean, I was sitting there fairly full, and delicious NY pizza kept coming out. I had remarked earlier that I didn’t like how the buffet pizza was cut into squares – you can’t get the true NY feel that way. Good thing the servers strolled by with traditional slices. I can’t eat anymore.
7:22PM — Sorry, I lied – Garlic Knots, yo!
7:20PM — Pretty crowded bar even without the event going on. Bartender handled herself well with the throng of people when I went to pick up a few beers. Uh, totally should’ve gone with Bellini’s.
7:30PM — Garlic Knots, yo! Don’t judge! =]
7:47PM — Draft beer in hand, live music in the background, conversations with new friends, sun melting down the sky, full on Italian food. *BING* Woohoo! As good as it gets.
8:03PM — Time to leave… Ben sends us off with warm goodbyes.
Even if you strip out all the Unilocal-​itude at Libretto’s Pizzeria, I’d definitely be hitting this place up more often. Servers and S.A.s were all courteous and cracked jokes (of which I’m sure they’ve told infinite times) with the same excitement as us listening to the jokes! The owner seemed like a pretty cool dude after chatting him for a quick second. Food was a bit tough to judge because it was buffet style, but the pizzas they came around serving were great. And if nothing else… Garlic Knots! (yo).
dmo out.

I have been to Librettos a few times, but this was definitely my favorite experience here so far. Why? For one, the place was filled with cool Elites and it is always great to see old friends and meet some new ones as well!
Next, I loved the set-​up of the event — it was great that we had the patio and plenty of seating inside as well. Also, the accordion player was a really nice touch.
And finally, I was impressed by the spread that Librettos graciously provided for us. It was cool that they had the buffet set up on the patio with a sampling of various items. My favorite item that I got to try from the buffet was the Penne alla Vodka. I normally wouldn’t order that, but after tasting it, I might just have to venture back to have some more! (And thanks to Librettos’ generosity, I have a coupon to use when I do go back!)
Ben, JJ, Tonya and the fine folks at Librettos all did an awesome job with this event — thanks everyone!

I could pretty much just copy and paste Amber M’s review and call it a day… she took all the words right out of my mouth!
The food at Libretto’s is very good. I’ve had their pizza in the past and have always been impressed so it was nice to try a few other items.
I love that the food was buffet style and that there was plenty to go around. They also offered a great variety from chicken skewers, to two types of pasta to meatballs to calzones to cheese skewers to dips… it was all very good. Their marinara sauce was very good as well so that was KEY!
I thought it was a class act that the owner showed up and expressed his appreciation and also clued us in about the new Libretto’s that will be opening near Park Rd on the near future. He also gave everyone a small bottle of wine with a coupon for $ 10 off our next visit. I loved that! Very nice and I will be back!
I’m still learning who everyone is but I felt like this event was cozy and Libretto’s has a very friendly environment. The accordion player made my night :)
The servers were very friendly, the bartenders were attentive and it was just overall a great experience.
Thank you for organizing this event Ben and I look forward to seeing everyone at the next one!

Continuing his impressive run of events, the Bearded Wonder rolled out a new surprise this time: An actual accordion player on the patio for serenading those folks who braved the heat (okay, it wasn’t that hot, but my monkey suit made it a bit hard to breathe).
Also on the patio was a fine display of the variety of food offered by Librettos — awesomely garlicky garlic knots and marinara, crispy bread rounds with olive tapenade and white bean spread, a sort of caprese salad on skewer, chicken skewers, pizza, pasta and meatballs — it was rather impressive. And when the line of the hungry elite crew effectively destroyed it, the alert staff hand-​delivered some pies around the inside dining room (possibly the outside as well, but I wasn’t outside, so couldn’t tell you about that).
Definitely a fine evening at the local pizza joint, in no small part because of the check-​in skills of JJ and the ever-​snapping camera of Tonya from Poprock!

Loved this event! Clearly, I’m learning that stepping out on a week night for Unilocal is worth it every time!
My +1 and I enjoyed everything! Tons of delicious food, drinks, an accordion player and just great company… what a fabulous evening!
My personal favorites were the yummy garlic knots and the sausage and peppers pizza. Yum!
Many thanks to all the cool peeps:
The owner and staff at Libretto’s for taking some time out for us and sending us home with gift certificates and mini bottles of wine!!!
Ben and JJ, for just an overall good time! I really appreciate all you guys do for us!
Amy, soooo glad you came out!!! Seriously… you totally made my night!
And of course Tonya thanks for snapping away… and getting my good side… hehehe!!!
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being Elite???

This Unilocal event helped bring in the summer! Libretto’s Ballantyne had a kick ass set up inside/​outside. One entire wall basically opened up to the patio where there was plenty of seating, a buffet line (for this event) and Alan Kaufman rocking out on the accordion to set the mood.
The beer was cold and the mimosas looked refreshing. I sipped on the beer this time around. The bar looked fairly standard but decent for a pizza joint.
And the food was, well, what Chad said. :) All the bites were warm and fresh and the garlic knots had lots of bold flavor. I enjoyed the pizza very much. I have eaten it a few times in their Epicentre location and had not realized until last night that it was the same place. Yay for a new location! Keep growing and expanding Libretto’s, and thanks for everything Ben, JJ, Tonya and of course, Libretto’s!

This was my first elite event and now I can truly see what I have been missing all along.
It was such a fantastic experience seeing all the people I have been interacting on Unilocal,everyone was so friendly! The lovely Tonya from poprock photography went around and got some good action shots with everyone laughing and enjoying themselves, I can’t wait to see those pictures!
Libretto’s has a darker ambiance like most Italian restaurants. I loved that they have an outside patio seating area, which is separated by double doors that can be propped open by creating a nice inviting feeling. The buffet we had was fantastic, my favorite was the spinach stromboli/​calzones, very cheesy, perfect crust and the spinach was just the right consistency. I aso appreciated the garlic knots and mozarella, grape tomato and balsamic glaze skewers. Their garlic knots are quite fantastic, very buttery and an aromatic smell of garlic and parmesean.
Oh, I almost forgot, the bellinis here were a hit! I personally had two myself because one is just not enough. Very refreshing champagne paired with peach nectar, now I am truly a fan of bellinis after last night’s event.
Last night’s event was paired with an awesome accordion player, which truly brought out the feel of an Italian villa. I loved his tunes as I sat outside, enjoying my bellini and buffet samples under the sun.
It was also great being able to chat with the owner of Libretto, he came out and thanked us all for joining him. Hearing his own personal story on how he moved from from NYC to bring us carolinians authentic ny style pizza was quite touching. I am excited to be trying out more items on their menus, I even picked out what I would order the next time I am at Libretto’s. I cannot wait until their W Woodland Dr. location opens!

After my LAME +1 crapped out at the last minute, I decided to sit this event out and lay on the sofa catching up on my stories (I am a few episodes behind on RHOC), but thanks to JJ and Candyce, I put on a bra and pants and rolled into Libretto’s fashionably late to see some awesome folks.
Libretto’s put it OUT for the crowd (folks were divided between the bar area and the nice patio outside). Food, food and more food. And booze. We can never forget the booze. I had already eaten (did I mention my LAME +1?), so I didn’t try any of the food, but it all looked delicious and I WILL be returning to check it out for myself. I had one bellini and it was yummy. I liked the buffet style so that there was a clear path to the food rather than having servers with trays being knocked down from folks grabbing at snacks. Everything seemed to be flowing nicely and everyone seemed to be full and enjoying themselves. Several folks had their Soprano suits on and looked *whistle* hubba hubba. Y’all clean up nice!
I only had one drink, no food and didn’t take any of the swag ( Unilocal or otherwise) with me, and I STILL had a fantastic time. Maybe the best time I have had at any of the events because I wasn’t trying to entertain someone else, I was just enjoying the Unilocalers around me. And to me, that is what the events are about. The grub is great, the booze are fun, the swag is niiiiiice, but I get to meet new and fun people. I am not going to be BFF’s with everyone and trade friendship bracelets (though I might with some — JJ and Candyce, you are totally getting one), but at every event I meet one or two more people (a few tonight and finally put real faces with the pictures on here), and I get to talk to the people that I have met previously, and just have a good time trying new things and trading stories. It was a lovely evening and I am glad that JJ told me to drag it over there.
Thanks so much to Libretto’s — the owner was an active participant in the evening and it was nice to see him about. The accordion player was awesome — and I am glad he didn’t hold the things he read about me on the bathroom wall against me. Thanks to Ben for putting on another amazing event, I cannot imagine the amount of work that goes into pulling these things off and I truly appreciate the effort. And thanks to the VP JJ, lovely, smiling and the hostess with the mostest, as always.

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever disliked an Elite Event. Ever.
This event was different… in a good way. The most memorable moment of the night, you ask? When my fellow elite friend said while holding a glass of wine…“I feel like I either should be in Italy or now I need to live in Italy”. All I could do was smile.
I’m a firm believer that the quality of the food should match the experience and atmosphere of any restaurant. I can’t take it if the food is awesome and my atmosphere is horrible. I can’t take it if the atmosphere is awesome and the food is less that poor. I can honestly say that this place, made me (and a few of my friends) DREAM of where our next destination would be if Charlotte wasn’t our «final destination». That, my fellow Unilocalers, means it was a good night for me… and I may be moving to Italy… or Greece… or Trinidad…
The food was more than enough, and was great. Italian food is my 3^rd love for cuisine. It would be my first love… but I’m from Tejas. Oddly enough my favorite part was the meatballs, and the mozzarella skewers on a bed of BASIL. No one ate the giant basil leaves… so I ate them with my meal. AWESOME. The food was just grand. I felt really special when the owner, himself, came out to greet us and to tell us all about Libretto’s. Moving to Charlotte, has really made me appreciate local and small businesses. The location is awesome and I can’t believe I missed this place when I used to work in B’tyne. I’ve had their pizzas from Epicenter so that’s good at least.
I wish you nothing but the best, Libretto’s. You’ve won a solid place in my heart. Ben… you rock… and you know this… which is awesome. TONYA… I got it right! And thank you to Libretto’s for hosting us. I will forever support this place!
P. s. The meatballs… yum…and the olive dip stuff… I didn’t even need bread for that. I just ate it with a fork it was so good.