Brothers Joaquin and Sergio Lopez opened Fratelli’s, which means “brothers” in Italian, on May 22 where Angelo’s restaurant and bar was in Monona for 30 years.

Joaquin was born and raised in Mexico, but has a history of cooking Italian food and was the head chef and co-owner of Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano at Whitney Way and Odana Road.

I haven’t been to Nonno’s in years, but when I reviewed it in 2014, it was exceptional. Joaquin and his wife, Julia Fabiola Lopez, moved to Santa Ana, California, from Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1998 and to Madison a year later when Joaquin took a job cooking at Tutto Pasta on State Street.

Sergio, also born and raised in Oaxaca, was executive chef at the former Francesca’s al Lago on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard off the Capitol Square from the time it opened in 2010 until he left in 2016 to become the main chef at 1847 at the Stamm House in Middleton. He was there for eight years and left to open Fratelli’s.

So, it’s no surprise that Fratelli’s impresses, starting with the 12-inch pizzas. There are 11 specialty pizzas, but they’re just a small part of the menu.

The Calabrese ($15) is a good introduction: bell peppers, sausage, mushrooms, red onions and Calabrian chili peppers.

What made it special was flavorful tomato sauce, lots of full-flavored mozzarella, and a crust that was crispy, particularly around the edges. The chiles were special, making pepper flakes unnecessary.

The pizza con fico ($15) was a winner with fig jam taking the place of tomato sauce and, along with the caramelized onions and a drizzle of honey, making the pizza sweet. Gorgonzola, crisp chunks of pancetta and arugula added an important savory quality.

The flatbread ($12) is listed under pizza and looks like the pizzas with the same shape and crust. It had pesto instead of tomato sauce, plus mushrooms, tomato slices, spinach and goat cheese.

I got both of the former to go and neither were crisp like that first Fratelli’s pizza. They were still terrific, but I preferred the crispness of the original. Joaquin said the steam in the takeout box can have a softening effect.

The menu goes on and on and with small print was too hard to read carefully. The specials menu was appealing, so my friend and I stuck to that with positive results.

The ravioli di pollo e funghi ($18) featured large, tender homemade ravioli filled with chicken and cheese and sautéed with mushrooms, sun-dried tomato and zucchini in a rosemary-garlic white wine cream sauce. The ingredients worked well together, with the rosemary distinguishing the dish.

Equally good was the pollo con pancetta e cipolla ($22), pan-roasted chicken breast with mushrooms, smoked apple bacon, spinach, roasted onions and roasted bell peppers in a brandy veal sauce. It, too, had a great lineup of ingredients perfectly prepared. Mashed potatoes on the side proved a nice complement.

I appreciated that customers aren’t gouged on cocktails. The Moscow Mule ($7), here called the Italian Mule, had amaretto and was one of the best versions I’ve had, while the Cubano Mojito ($7) was tame.

The cheesecake ($10) also didn’t impress. It was touted as homemade on the menu, but tasted ordinary: firm and not too creamy. Joaquin confirmed that it’s made in house. What’s not in dispute is that it was beautifully presented with raspberry sauce, whipped cream, plump raspberries and mint. 

It’s nice that servers bring out a basket of focaccia to start the meal, along with a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but the bread was dull and not worth filling up on.

When I called Joaquin on Tuesday, he was making the focaccia, which he said he toasts in a panini grill. He said he makes it every other day. “We like to keep everything fresh.”

Maybe I hit it on an off day, because I’ve enjoyed Joaquin’s focaccia at both Nonno’s and Country Café in Sun Prairie, a popular breakfast and lunch spot he took over in 2019.

Three months after he bought Country Café, he expanded its dinner menu, but the evening meal never caught on, so he discontinued it. He’s still serving breakfast and lunch there.

Fratelli’s is dinner only, opening every day at 3:30. Joaquin said he hopes to serve lunch next year.

Joaquin said he strongly encourages reservations on weekends because there is usually a wait, but walk-ins are accepted and accommodated.

During our Saturday night meal, the dining room was crowded, and service was fast and warm. The bartender who took my Friday pizza order by phone was particularly friendly.

So is Joaquin. When we spoke last week, I asked him what it’s been like working with his brother.

“Oh, he is the best,” he said about Sergio, calling him an outstanding chef with lots of experience. Joaquin said working with him has been fun, reminiscent of when they were children.

“We combine our ideas together and we come up with nice meals,” he said.

That they do.