The Best Pizza in Brooklyn

[favolaus]

In one month I am leaving Brooklyn and moving to Los Angeles. This is sad for me for many reasons, but a big one is the lack of amazing pizza. So, I am on mission to try all the best pizza in Brooklyn before I move. I have already gone to Di Fara, L&B Spumoni Gardens, Totonno and Grimaldi's.

Here are the places I have left on my list. It is based on internet and chowhound searches:
Franny's on Flatbush Ave.
Lodomini's Taste of Italy
Lenny's on 5th and Prospect
Del Mar in Sheepshead Bay
DaVinci's
Elegante
Rocco's at 5th and 77th
Krispy Pizzaria

I would love some input. Are these places are worth and am missing any place great.

Thanks!
Caroline
http://cookbad.blogspot.com/

[TomChowhound]

Grimaldi's at 19 Old Fulton Street (Under the Brooklyn Bridge) doesn't sell by the slice, do they? Usually when I've passed there, there is a line about a half block long to get into the place. I normally wouldn't want to wait that long to get a slice, anyway, but I'd be interested if I could catch them when it wasn't so busy.

PS: It would be helpful if reviewers included the location of the Pizzaria they're mentioning. Most people don't know the location of every pizza joint in Brooklyn off the tops of their heads.

-----
Grimaldi's
1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[happys]

Hi,
You are a little in the center...(mainstream pizza) track.
Bay Ridge has the best pizza and by the way, I happen to think that DiFara is too buttery. You need a combo of excellent melted mozzerella and succulent red sauce. Here goes:
Casa Calamari, Original (4th and 68th?), Espresso, Nino's square slice, I agree, Grandma's Grandma slice is tops. Lot's of people like Pizza Wagon but I don't, too buttery. You may. Vesuvio is much too cheesy for my taste. Never tried Elegante but I am curious. Hope this helps

-----
Vesuvio
7305 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209

Pizza Wagon
8610 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209

Elegante
92-01 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Queens, NY 11693

Casa Calamari
8602 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209

[bigonion]

For what its worth - the current issue of Time Out New York is all about the "best" pizza in New York City. Most of the chosen 10 best are from the "outer boroughs"

[JenMarie66]

LA pizza isn't all bad. There's a little joint (long counter with a couple of tables in back) in (yeesh) Beverly Hills that Cathy Moriarty owns that has pizza as good as Brooklyn Pizza. Forget the name of it, but they make a truly stellar pie (just the location sucks).

[kevin]

Mulberry Stree Pizza, she actually has three locations one in teh SFV.

and the pizza isn't very good, that is if you're comparing it to Lombardi's or DiFara's or Patsy's in East Harlem.

[bigmackdaddy]

How about Sammy's on Court and Baltic? I've always wanted to try that place. Thumbs up? Thumbs down?

[jakeyd]

Pizza is the only thing worth eating at Sammy's. Lucalli's is better though.

[zoropato]

as far as getting a great, classic plain slice goes, my favorite would have to be Sal's on Court and Degraw. whenever i'm in that neighborhood i have to get one. a close second for me would be Not Ray's in Fort Green.

[bigmackdaddy]

I like Antonio's neon sign store front sign. Not to many of those left anywhere. As for the pizza, I've been going to them since I was a kid, I'm 41 now so that tells you I've been going for quite awhile. Like I say, very hit or miss. And again when people on this board ask "where the best pizza is in Brooklyn/NYC...." I'm curious if they mean the generalized same old pseudo cheese and canned sauce you get for $2 a slice or the gourmet brick oven.

[marlie202]

I remember Antonio--been a satisfied customer for many many years also-in high school used to go there with my best friend and hang out and chomp down-great memories

[jen kalb]

I think the OP is looking for the best pizza in Brooklyn, not necessarily designer pizza, but especially delicious pizza. If your fave pizza is essentially the same item the OP could find on every corner I dont think that is a recc she or any of us need. If there is some corner pizzeria that is making an exceptional product through ingredients, skill etc that would be the one to recommend. I like Antonio's sign too, but there is nothing other than its proximity to my home/familiarity to recommend it over 1000 others.

[marlie202]

Two Boots with andouille sausage is great

[marlie202]

When Pizza was first a craze driven phenomenon--Flatbush Avenue near Church Ave, had the best 25 cent for a huge slice dripping with oil and burning your palate good--yum yum

[marlie202]

If you are in Park Slope for any reason, check out Antonio's on Flatbush and about 7th Ave. Love them longstanding

[famdoc]

L&B's square pies are a fabulous experience. Ask for a corner piece.

Anthony's in Park Slope, Lucallie's in Carroll Gardens and La Villa on Fifth Ave. all make outstanding pies.

I feel strongly that pizza needs to be eaten fresh, hot and in the shop. Put a pizza in a box and you have soggy bread with sauce.

[CATENZA]

DAVINCI'S IS EXCELLENT!!! BEST PIZZA IN BENSONHURST!

[bigmackdaddy]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Peter Cuce on Lenny's. They have gone down hill. The sauce isn't what it used to be and the crust is doughy. The only place I go to now for the standard non gourmet, $2.00-$2.50 a slice is Antonio's on Flatbush Avenue between Park Place and Sterling. They are very hit and miss, but, in my opinion the best you're going to get in the $2.00 league in Park Slope/Prospect Heights.

[josh L]

Antonio's on Flatbush Avenue is a typical losy pizza joint that uses cheap crappy ingredients ans is barely edible.

[jen kalb]

dittos. its atotally, totally ordinary slice pizzeria.

[mrs. jones]

what's wrong with appreciating a $2 slice for what it is and loving it? while these slice places might not have supperlative pizza (ala difaras), they can be damn good and i crave them. while i have to agree that antonio's kind of sucks, if your in that area and looking for a cheap tasty over the counter slice, go to gino's on flatbush and bergen. the lighting is horrible, the guys in there are slimebags, the toppings are kind of gross - but the cheese slice is delicious andi love it. it reminds me of the slices i grew up on.
all right - bring on the onslaught...

[Mike R.]

IIRC, LAURA's is on Prospect Avenue and Reeve Place, near the Ft. Hamilton Parkway "F" Station.

I don't know if Sal is still the pizzaiolo there, but when we used to get take-out the pies were extraordinary. For whatever reason, eating there was a strange experience and the pizzas cost way more.

Anyone been lately?

[unocal]

man i live in LA and i cant wait to go home for christmas so i can take my mom to difara's. i once brought home a pie back to white plains on 2 crowded subways and a metro north train holding one of dom's pies in the height of rush hour. i bet people were pissed since it took up a lot of room and smelled so damn good! it was worth it tho since my parents had never had any pizza like that before and went out of their minds. my mom and i have been discussing which pizza places to hit in bklyn (she's only been to grimaldi's) and after reading these posts, difara's it is. i just hope we wont have to wait tooo long, but since it'll be a midweek winter day, i think we'll be fine.

[welle]

you are a very good son/daughter! and so brave - people on commuter trains are always extra cranky.

[Mike R.]

>>>i just hope we wont have to wait tooo long, but since it'll be a midweek winter day, i think we'll be fine.<<<

Tooo Funny.

[haleyjen]

Grimaldi's almost seemed too obvious!! : )

[Steve R]

Maybe not so obvious to us all. I mentioned it in my response (scroll up) to SunnysideUp. I said "I don't like Grimaldi's".

[pastoralia]

For the Park Slope hood Anthony's and La Villa are very good but they do get a bit soggy if you have them delivered. Is John's (on 7th) a brick oven type pizza? I always thought it was your basic Smiling Pizza or Friendly's type slice?

Someone above mentioned Laura's at:
Laura's Kitchen 1235 Prospect Ave. - Brick oven Pizza - take out and eat in PP park.

Prospect Avenue and what cross street?

I'm surprised no-one mentioned Grimaldi's. If you go on off-hours (which means no weekends) there's no wait and their pies are delish.

[Jack_]

Laura's is at Prospect Ave and Vanderbilt

Grimaldi's? The OP mentioned it

[josh L]

Laura's is pretty bad, soggy and tasteless.

[haleyjen]

Vesuvio's in Bay Ridge is pretty damn good.

[angelo04]

oh and Rocco's. It was good, but now I think it blows. Maybe it was an off day.

[angelo04]

Kripsy is definitely worth the trip, specifically the Grandma's pie, a thin crust Sicilian with fresh mozz, plum tomatoes, basil and olive oil. I would also venture over the verranzano bride into Staten Island for Joe and Pat's on Victory Blvd. Dominoes Brooklyn style pizza? I think that’s laughable and find it hard to believe that it would be good after you’ve had real NYC pizza

[jason carey]

I love the "Brooklyn Style" Pizza at Domino's.
Perhaps the finest Pizza ever!!!

[Bob Martinez]

Those who don't know Jason can rest assured that he is pulling our collective legs. :-)

[Nutritious Jane]

Jason, give us your address we can set up a donation fund for your ny pizza education

[Steve R]

Why, I just had one Monday night. We all owe Sir Gawain (wherever you are) on that one dont we?!

[Deb Van D]

I wasn't born with the pizza gene, but it strikes me that the Pizza Fattoressa at Savoia on Smith St., with gorgonzola and sausage, was one of the nicest pizzas I've had in the past year.

[SunnysideUp]

Fascati on Henry between Cranberry and Orange in Brooklyn Heights for non-coal/wood/brick, slice shop style.

[Steve R]

Ok, I live in the Heights and Fascati is my local shop too. But you cant compare the product there to DiFara, even though they're using the same type oven. It cant be considered "the best" when they're using much cheaper ingredients with far less skill. I still have got to eat at Loucalli's (what AM I waiting for?), but I believe that he's using the same equipment and, from my one stop there to talk, he's definitely emulating Dom and using much of the same high end ingredients.

As for other styles, I love Savoia & Anthony's is very good. I dont like Grimaldi's.

[Mike R.]

Since no one's mentioned it yet, what about ANTHONY'S in the Slope (7th Avenue & 14th Street)??? IIRC, it's a family relation to Nick's in Forest Hills/Manhattan & Adrienne's on Stone Street - where I've had spectacular pies.

Anthony's has one of the city's great brick-oven white pies and even greater when topped off with sausage and extra garlic. On the slightly-charred side, it will be quite memorable.

[opinionateit]

Anthony's? Absolutely! Have you noticed in Park Slope (& vicinity), more and more pizza places are popping up? This is a great thing. I still need to try Franny's!

[bigonion]

Anthony's is great to eat in the shop. I find it just doesnt hold up in the cardboard box for take out.

[opinionateit]

Agree! Anthony's arrives soggy in the box. Best to eat there. Try the Romano at La Villa. This holds up well in a box.

[swisloc]

def. anthony's is good. my girlfriend and I order their
prosciutto pie at least once a week. it is better in the restaurant, but isn't all brick oven style better eat-in??

[Jack_]

Anthony's was startd by Sal (Anthony is was father) and his brothers. Nick is part owner and was cooking the pizza himself when it forsts opened.

Of course ya gatta try the canoli!!

[jcbroder]

Last nite on the Hungry Detective on the Food Network, there was a feature on Bleeker St Pizza. It looked pretty darn good. Any comments?

Also today's New York Times mentioned Domino's attempt to serve Brooklyn Pizza. They have an interesting website worth checking out - www.brooklynstylepizza.com

[Yaqo Homo]

I read the NYT article yesterday; it seemed a rather pointless excercise of shooting fish in a barrel... so you're saying Domino's *isn't* authentic??? I also checked out the website. Good God! That's the real story... it's almost cartoonishly offensive. I'd like to know the marketing firm Domino's hired to put that website together. When you click below the black guy, is that supposed to be innocuous jackhammer noise or the spray of machine guns a la Boyz in the Hood?... you decide.

[welle]

LOL, Yago, I just went back to the site and checked the noise you mention, it doesn't relate to the black guy but to the roadblock below him. But you're right, the site is so dated - reminds me of the 80s hollywood movies about New York. I liked the quote by the Brooklyn boro pres: “It’s a multinational right-wing company, mass marketing the Brooklyn attitude with obsolete ethnic stereotypes, not to mention flimsy crusts,”

[Italianinmyheart]

Jcbroder,
I went to the Bleecker St. Pizza. Place was ok, and the pizza was good...I'll say comparable to Grimaldi's.

[missmasala]

Franny's is very good but expensive, more italian style (whole individual pies) than NYC style pizza.

The new one in carroll gardens, Loucalli's is very good and worth a visit.

I don't like Sam's too much, but i guess the atmosphere is the thing.

There's a coal-oven (those are rare) place in LIC that's supposed to be good and i've been meaning to try it. The name escapes me, though.

Quite frankly, if it was me, I would shorten the list considerably and just go back to DiFara's as often as I could. If I was moving to LA, I would treasure everything about Difara's that's so quintiessentially new york, not just the pizza.

[favolaus]

DiFara's almost makes me weep tears of joy when I go there. So far no other pizza place has come close, so I think your advice is good.

Thanks!
Caroline
http://cookbad.blogspot.com

[elserman]

I think the coal-oven pizza place in LIC you are referring to is Bella Via. I've been there a few times and the pizza is really good. We are particularly fans of the broccoli rabe and prosciutto pizza. Here's a link to the restaurant from City Search:

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile...

[SunnysideUp]

Beautifully said about DiFara's. I agree.

[a_and_w]

I'm moving to LA in a couple of months, and that's precisely what I plan to do.

[opinionateit]

For a slice, John's on 7ave in Park Slope is great, simple pie!
The unlikely family restaurant, La Villa, on 5ave in Park Slope has really great pie. All are great but I would recommend the Speciale, Crispino, and the very original Romano (stuffed pizza w/sausage, fennel, potato).

[Italianinmyheart]

La Villa is pretty good, although I think was expensive if compared to other pizzerias mentioned in this post. Just my 2cents.

[redherring]

I second Lucalli's (or however it's spelled). I've been there twice and it's fantastic. Better than Grimaldi's in my opinion.

[josh L]

I tried Lucalli's over the weekend and was very impressed. Excellent potential and already some of the best pizza in New York.

[Nutritious Jane]

I second Sam's

[Geo8rge]

If you live near by these are worth it.
Korner Church and 3rd - Solid NY style
Laura's Kitchen 1235 Prospect Ave. - Brick oven Pizza - take out and eat in PP park.

[ghbrooklyn]

Korner is one of my favorite by-the-slice shops - and the owners are from the town in Sicily where my parents lived for a few months in the late 60's.

[JenMarie66]

Yay, another fan of Laura's. It's by far my favorite in the park slope+ area.

[ghbrooklyn]

there is a new carroll gardens brick oven place that is supposedly good - Lucalli's. here's a thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[bklynite]

If you have time, go to Sam's on Court St. in Cobble Hill. The pizza may not be quite as amazing as Grimaldi's or Totonno's, but it's way better than anything you'll get in L.A. :). But the real reason to go before moving is the atmosphere - including authentic Brooklyn accents and attitude from Louis the waiter. Soak it up for those times you're stuck in a California Pizza Kitchen!

Good luck in Cali!

[IrinaD]

Rocco's is a worse than average slice joint. I just had a pie from there last week, it's not as good as any number of other places in Bay Ridge. If you feel compelled to try one place in the neighborhood, try the grandma pie with fresh mozzarella at Grandma's on 3rd Avenue near Bay Ridge Ave. It's the best I've tried in the area.

[charlie_b]

Franny's is great, tasty pizza -- but certainly on the upscale, gourmet end (not a traditional pie or slice). but oh so good. price tags to match.

worthwhile, but a dinner for two with a drink, a no-alcohol drink, a salad and a pizza (individually sized) cost about $50+. i'll go back because it was divine, but not a bargain.

[jen kalb]

We were impressed by Franny's pie, but think Amorina's is about as good - somewhat diff style of individual pie - also a more laidback vibe and other good italian dishes.

[Peter Cuce]

Do not waste any time on Lenny's. It's a better than average neighborhood slice but nothing more. I live two blocks away and never visit unless I need food at 1am.