There are so many fine restaurants on Federal Hill. Many are pricey, pretentious and popular. Scattered among them are a few gems where you don’t have to dress up, can bring the family and enjoy great Italian food at reasonable prices. Our favorite has always been Angelo’s on Atwells Ave., where homestyle Italian cooking is guaranteed.

During Restaurant Weeks we discovered another: Geppetto’s Grilled Pizzeria at 57 DePasquale Square. The restaurant is small, but good weather triples its size, as diners sit under umbrellas in the plaza, while tourists stop to check out the menu and look at the variety of pizzas being served.

Unlike Casserta’s across the street, Geppetto’s serves their gourmet pizzas on paper-thin crust and offers a wide variety of eclectic toppings.

We chose the Carne Asada Pizza (large $14.95; small $11.95) with steak, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese, topped with salsa and sour cream. I wasn’t sure about sour cream on pizza, but it was a wonderful, complementary taste.

For the same price, there are Chicken Parmesan, Ranchero, Steak and Alfredo, Chicken Pesto, and Bolognese to choose from. Of course, you can get a regular cheese and tomato or pepperoni and cheese for less, but who would want to do that when there are so many interesting combinations.

We enjoyed the R.I. Calamari, which means rings only, plus cherry peppers and fresh lemon. The chef adds a cup of his tomato sauce for dipping (very tender and tasty at $9.95).

The special offer included a small plate of pasta, which regularly sells from $9.95 for the traditional marinara to $12.95 for most other sauces. We chose the gorgonzola cream sauce, (rather, Joyce chose it. I don’t like creamy sauces). I ended up fighting her for it and opened my eyes to a new taste adventure. For dessert, try Gianfranco’s Tiramisu for $7.95.

Geppetto’s also features regular Italian entrees, like lasagna, chicken marsala and veal parmesan, ranging from $12.95 to $15.95, plus grilled wraps ($6.95-$11.95), soups and salads.

They are open daily from 11 a.m. until “late.” They also do a big carry-out and delivery business. From our observation, although in the middle of the tourist area, they attract a number of locals…always the sign of a good restaurant.

Check them out at info@geppettospizzeria.com or call 270-3003.