Few of us need to look very hard to find an excuse to grab pizza for lunch. We do it often enough — it’s quick, reliable, easy on the wallet, easy to eat on the go. That’s why, when you find yourself in the North End at midday and those garlic gusts overcome you — as they’re prone to do whether the sun is on its way up or down — there’s no need for you to settle for satisfying your Italian urges by wolfing down a random slice. Stroll into the village — Il Villaggio, that is — for a lunch that’s lip-smacking enough to convince you there’s no point in dinner: it might only lead to disappointment.

Upon entering the little bistro, you note that its name makes perfect sense. If not for the front window overlooking the bustle of Hanover Street, you’d feel as though you’d taken a sudden turn out of the city and onto a rustic country road. Streetlight fixtures hang from a ceiling of pressed tin, and an artificial thatched roof is suspended over the dining room, framing an open-air kitchen. The small tables are surrounded by evidence of someone’s recent return from market: garlic bunches and dried-herb bouquets dangle amid hanging copper pots, pans, and colanders. All that rustic fare anticipates the freshness that hits each plate, whether you prefer a classic Caesar salad ($4.95; $6.95 with chicken) or a feta-topped hot salad ($5.95), with its seasoned, sautéed veggies on a bed of greens.

As you savor the seasonings, watch the grating, slicing, and sautéing of ingredients that go into the velvety vegetable risotto ($6.95) or the slightly tangy lemon-thyme sauce that’s drizzled over the chicken-mushroom pasta plate ($7.95). A little less of a production — but no less a product — are sandwiches like chili chicken with avocado, green beans, and provolone, as well as eggplant parmesan (both $5.95). The latter’s thin slices, without much grease to weigh them down, are baked to such a perfect crispness that a friend was quick to pronounce it one of the best eggplant sandwiches she’s ever had. We all know it takes a village to raise a child; it seems that's all it takes to raise a few standards too.

Il Villaggio, located at 230 Hanover Street, in Boston, serves lunch daily, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (617) 367-2824.