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There is no need to venture off Franny Lou if you want the best pizza in Queens. Your toughest decision is between Matese and Graziella who both make the best Sicillian around and arguably just as good or better leftover. VI Pizza on Bell is pretty good too.
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Graziella
33-25 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358VIPizza
43-02 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361Matese Pizzeria
26-15 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358›1 Reply -
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Nick's is hands down my favorite. But if you want a great pizza-by-the-slice, the place is Lillian Pizzeria. Besides being featured in Everybody Loves Raymond ;) it is honestly a good slice. I think it is underrated. Original owner still makes the pizza, it's location is off the beaten path and there is no delivery. So, it's not very accessible...
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re: CCSPRINGS
Sal's is good, but can it be called 'best' of anything? In my opinion, on a scale of 10, it might score a 6 or 7. Slightly or above average. It ain't no 8.
Average crust from middling dough. Commercial cheese with little taste and no interesting texture. He does make a decent sauce though; tangy and a bit sweet.
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I can't believe non of ya'll haven't experienced Pizza Sam's. Sammy Jnr inherited the place from his pops who has since passed. It oozes flavor from the photos on the wall to the friendly staff......then there's the pizza. Thin, but not too thin crust, sauce made w/real fresh tomatoes, and cheese to die for. I recommend a basic pepp. and m/room and a chicken Sicilian. (Great pasta dishes too) It has recently changed hands but it's still Sam's. Northern bw 89th and 90th. You will not be disappointed.
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I'm with all of the Amore fans!!!! By far, hands down, the BEST pizza I have ever had!!! And it IS TRUE........the owner is the next generation from the owners of the infamous Gloria's Pizza owners. I'm fortunate enough to work in the same neighborhood as Amore, but it is DEFINITELY WORTH A SPECIAL TRIP!!! And like the others have mentioned, they do so much business that their pizza is ALWAYS fresh.....no matter when I go. Umberto's in New Hyde Park is also excellent!! But there is no comparison to Amore! There's no ambience, but when the pizza is as mesmerizing as Amore pizza, who cares about ambience!!!
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Nick's is good but the service is rotten. They do not know how to seat people. There may be a line and a booth becomes available. They will seat two people there instead of accomodating a larger party. So, very often, customers will wait needlessly. They just don't know how to best use their seating arrangement. Pizza, anywhere, no matter how good, is not worth waiting and hour for. Anyway, for really good pizza, one must travel to Brooklyn.
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Hey guys, new to the forum. Love all teh posts, and I live in Bayside so I'll be driving to Amore for lunch today, see what all the fuss is about. Anyone ever heard of Frankie's Pizza under the N train on 31st street in Astoria, between 23rd ave. and Ditmars Blvd. ? I have been going there for about 20 years and it's my fav place to get 2 slices and a coke. Very crispy and chewy. An amazing plain triangle slice.
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I recently tried Il Vesuvio on Bell Blvd. I had a really fantastic fresh mozzerella slice with a perfect crust. Way better than 99% of commercial pizza out there. People on this board tend to like VI pizze which is up the street, but I see no comparisan to Vesuvio's.
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re: NYJewboy
After reading and lurking here for ages, I actually had to register after following this suggestion.
Born and raised in Bayside, and tried Il Vesuvio for the first time last week with my wife... and we both agreed it was literally the worst pizza we've ever had in NYC.
Wanting to sample what was on offer we figured the basics were the right place to start. One slice of traditional pizza, one sicilian slice, and an eggplant parm hero.
The regular slice tasted exactly like frozen pizza. Poor quality cheese, too sweet, bad texture.
The sicilian crust was cooked on the outside but raw dough on the inside, plagued with the same bad cheese and cloying sweetness.
The hero was better, but not much. The eggplant was done well but the sauce on the hero was bitter. Either slightly burnt, or too much tomato paste in the mix. On the other hand my wife thought the hero was fine.
Just like the above poster mentioned, I would take anything from VIPizza over this place any day. Seems many are recommending the more exotic slices here, but since they can't offer even a basic slice that is palatable, I won't be bothering again.
If you prefer table service which VIPizza doesn't offer, Gino's on Springfield Blvd. off Horace Harding is excellent and consistent, if unadventurous, for standard fare pizza, calzones, pasta and the like... just avoid the salads with fresh tomatoes as they tend to be unripe and sub-par.
And finally if you're open to something other than a traditional NYC slice, there's very tasty coal fired, thin crust pizza at Grimaldi's in Douglaston downstairs by the movie theater.
And yes, it's the same Grimaldi's of Brooklyn renown. (now with a growing list of locations including, Hoboken, Garden City, and numerous points out west)
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Il Vesuvio
39-34 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361VIPizza
43-02 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361Gino's
61-32 Springfield Blvd, Queens, NY 11364Grimaldi's
242-02 61st Ave, Queens, NY 11362-
re: NuMystic
Two years on, and I have to revise my experience here.
My original suspicion that it may have been the gourmet style pizzas that may be garnering the great reviews was definitely on point.
After our poor experience with the traditional NY style slice and plain sicilian I eventually did try a few of their more exotic slices and they were indeed fantastic.
Their "Godfather" which is sicilian style by the slice in the restaurant and also available in round pies to order, is now our favorite pizza in the area by far. Zucchini, mushrooms, onions, sun-dried tomatoes and bread crumb. Savory and texturally delectable thanks to breadcrumb addition on top.
A word of warning though, their delivery times are atrocious. Make sure you order at least a full hour in advance of your desired dining time, because we've never gotten a delivery faster than that. (probably averages 75 min. in our experience)
That said, we find it worth the wait and probably get one of these once a month.
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Il Vesuvio
39-34 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361
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I dont know when I want pizza I want a slice -- Still love AJs on Austin Street and family makes good pizza when you get it hot -- although they spend a lot of time on their restautant side so it doesnt take precedence anymore. Call me crazy I like Nicks and Dees but its not real NY pizza -- its gourmet stuff which I like but its not what I crave when I want a slice.
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What? No one mentions Umberto's in New Hyde Park? Their grandma slice is my favorite Queens pizza by far, however, Brooklyn has far far better places than Queens does. All I have to say is 'Di Fara'.
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re: NYJewboy
Is New Hyde Park technically in Queens?
I'm so excited that someone mentioned Singha's-- they do great little personal pizzas (I actually enjoy their Hawaiian confection). Primadonna, on Queens Blvd. near 67th Avenue is fairly solid, if a bit greasy, too.
Has anyone been to AJ's on Austin Street? They were a favorite of mine growing up in the area. They make a nice grandma slice, the atmosphere is pleasant and their cannoli's are quite good...
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A&J Pizza
71-37 Austin St, Queens, NY 11375Primadonna
100-18 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11375 -
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re: Polecat
i like the neoclassic fold which is to eat the slice flat, and once you get near the end, leaving enough of the cheese and sauce part of the slice (say, 2") as wide as the crust, you turn 90 degrees and fold up, sorta like a hot dog bun, with the sauce and cheese to eat with the crust; an open face pizza roll?
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Inspired by another, more recent, thread on this very topic, I tried both the sicilian and regular slices at Amore's in Whitestone. Both slices were hot and fresh out of the oven, and both were tasty and better than average in the NYC slice joint tradition. The sicilian layed on the cheese, gooey and hot over the slightly crispy crust. The regular slice was another animal altogether: very thin, with a crispy crust, and an emphasis on the slight sweetness of the tomatoes over the cheese. (Anyone familiar with the slices served at Dani's, in Kew Gardens: Amore's is slightly less sweet, and without the oregano) The slice looked different than most as well. Lots of tiny red tomato dots popped out of the bubbling cheese like a beautiful TV test pattern. Good, old fashioned slice joint. I'll be back.
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I can't say what's "the best" 'cause I haven't tried all the pizza in Queens. I live upstate but I visit the ol' neighborhood every year or so.
My sentimental choice is Joe's on Forest Ave. in Ridgewood. I haven't been there in a couple of years but it was good last time I went.
I tried Rosa's on Fresh Pond last year and like it a lot.
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I've lived in walking range of Peppino's and Pizza Boy II for three years now, and althought I've never done a slice by slice test, Pizza Boy II just gets it done for me. I don't think it's the best pizza in Queens, but if you need a solid slice in Woodside, it's the place to go. Their pasta and subs are also solid.
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I do think Nick's is a nice place, but I have mixed feelings about it. It's amazing that they can get such a nice charred crust from a gas-fired oven and I like the wait-staff and general atmosphere. However, their cheese lands with a thud in my stomach. One guy is responsible for cutting the pizza and adding basil, tossing the salad and preparing the desserts - all with bare hands that he wipes off on a towel. So I avoid salad and basil during flu season.
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recently went to gloria's and amore and found gloria's pretty lacking. but amore, as usual, delivered the goods.
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re: joekarten
went to amore today at 3pm best triangle slice i have had in a long time. tried matese and classica the other night and was not impressed..actually didnt even try matese, it looked that bad and old. classica was tasteless(tried sicilian and triangle)
read many sugg of amore in here and different posts and tried it today. i just moved to whitestone from new hyde park.
VERY happy with Amore...like the thin crust big time-----
Amore Pizzeria
30-27 Stratton St, Queens, NY 11354Pizza Classica
25-71 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358-
re: chefjellynow
CJN.
I stop @ Amore as I head back from La Guardia to Whitestone once or twice a month.
The constant turnover there makes a fresh slice pretty readily available.
Actually, most times I wait 2-3 minutes for a fresh pie. Their sauce tends to be on the sweet side, yet I really enjoy their slice.
Now, lets talk about Matese. One of the things that has always made their sicilian great is the taste after re-heat. We normally order a pie and then finish off the remaing slices in a day or two.
5 minutes in a toaster oven @ Med-High does the trick. (As I'm sure 3 minutes in a pizza oven would accomplish.)
Go back and ask for an end slice nice and warm.
My fav reg slice is at Graziella,s south on Franny Lew.
Again, heat it up in the oven. Makes the underside nice and crispy!
Regards,
JK-----
Graziella
33-25 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358Matese Pizzeria
26-15 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358-
re: johnk
Wait a minute. Are you saying that Amore is a descendant of Gloria's that used to be on Main St. by the 25/34 bus? That was the best pizza ever. If it is related to Gloria's, is it as good as Gloria's was? And is the shopping center the one behind Whitestone Bowl? I'm in Manhattan now but pass by on the Whitestone Expressway often.
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re: ajs42548
i've never been to gloria's, but i have read it regularly here that amore is somehow correlated to that place.
amore is in the shopping center behind that bowling lane. mcdonalds is right at the end of the center, closest to the entrance of the bowling lane. walk down past mcds, amore is sorta smack in the middle of that side of the center, maybe a bit closer to the other edge.
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re: ajs42548
I don't want to reignite an oft held battle on this point but there is an alleged Amore, Gloria connection. The current owner of Amore, a 30 'ish heavy set man who has told me on many occasions that his dad and uncle owned and made the pizza at Gloria's. Just last night he pointed out his dad playing with his son behind the counter as the man from Gloria's.
As for the pizza, I think that Amore produces an excellent slice, maybe not worth a trip but at least a detour. Sometimes it is to thin and crisp and cracks and other times the rim crust is to light and "airey" in a strange way. Despite this I find it consistently excellent.
As a youth I ate at Gloria's innumerable times on the way back from Shea and before getting on the Q-16, but it was so long ago and before I paid attention to such things so I could not tell you how Amore compares to Gloria's.
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Nick's Pizza is your best bet for pizza. I went there for dinner last night with my brother and his girlfriend, and the three of us were extremely satisfied.
The staff at Nick's is always friendly and talkative. We frequent Nick's quite often, so when they see us, they'll usually stop by and chat with us for a bit.
We started off our dinner by ordering a house salad. Arugula, watercress, sun-dried tomatoes and sweet peppers topped with a citrus-y vinegar dressing.
For our pizza, we ordered a large, topped with meatballs, sun-dried tomatoes, ricotta and onions. It was so good that even our waiters were impressed and commented that they wanted to try it as well.
For dessert we ordered the tiramisu and cannoli. Both were delicious, but I think the cannoli had slight edge over the tiramisu. Both desserts were also better than the brownie which we usually get. Funny incident happened as we awaited our dessert. A lady at the table next to us was on her way out, but before she left, she kept raving about the brownie and recommended it to us. We agreed that the brownie was good, but we insisted on trying something different. On her way out she waved at us and her glove flew off, and landed right in the middle of our pizza tray. She was plenty embarrassed, and I am certain our laughing did not help matters any.
Overall it was a great dinner. So good in fact that my brother, his girlfriend and I were euphoric afterwards.
The only thing that made it better was our post dinner smoke.
Yummm....the perfect end to any meal.-----
Nick's Pizza
108-26 Ascan Ave, Queens, NY 11375 -
There's a place in Astoria called Sac's (it's on Broadway, around 29th Street?). It's a restaurant but they have a separate door for pizza take out. The restaurant sucks but the pizza is great.
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Sac's Place
25-41 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106›2 Replies-
re: StrawbrryF
I just moved into the neighborhood and tried Sac's last night. VERY good pizza... seriously, some of the best I've ever had. It was a little irritating that they charged a little over $5 to put basil on a large pie, but I got over it when I tried a slice. I'll definitely order from them again.
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Sac's Place
25-41 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106
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a new slice I had recently (while serving jury duty at nearby Queens Civil Court) is Dominick's, on Sutphin Blvd near Hillside Avenue. Their slices were actually not that great, but they were huge and stuff like ziti pizza and lasagna pizza were $2.50 for slices that looked like they came off of 20" pies. I bet this would be great take-home pizza; a few minutes in a toaster oven or even a skillet would make these slices great.
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Domenick's Pizzeria
87-74 Sutphin Blvd, Queens, NY 11435 -
i agree Lucia's on Roosevelt is pretty darn good for a plain slice, though most pizza snobs would probably snub it. I grew up 1/2 block away and always picked up slices there (or TJ's, which isn't as good for slices). Amore in the grimy shopping center off the Whitestone Expressway has good slices, and Nick's Pizza is simply excellent and definitely worthy of a trip.
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The grandma slice at Peppino's is by far the best I've ever had. I haven't tried anything else there because I usually go to Pizza Boy 2. Their slices are OK, but I think they make a great chicken roll and for 3.75 a piece it's a great value.
The Rego Park/Forest Hills area is lacking in good slice joints. Mike's has gone downhill since they changed owners years ago, Ariana's on Austin St. is not worth the money. A &J used to be good, but lately it's not the same. I only go there for their mushroom slices because they use fresh mushrooms.
Capolinea further down Yellowstone is also lacking in a quality slice. There is another place on Harrow, I forgot the name of, but the one time I went there it was pretty good, and it seemed like an old fashioned family run place. it also had pictures of Ray Romano around because he used to frequent there when he was a young lad!-----
A&J Pizza
71-37 Austin St, Queens, NY 11375Ariana's
70-32 Austin St, Queens, NY 11375Pizza Boy II
58-19 Woodside Ave, Queens, NY 11377Peppino's Pizza
39-63 61st St, Queens, NY 11377Mike's Pizzeria
71-75 Yellowstone Blvd, Queens, NY 11375Capolinea Pizza
66-75 Selfridge St, Queens, NY 11375›2 Replies-
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re: bigjeff
you are right about the crust at avellino's pizza, it is too thick.....but the sauce is really good. i think it is an uncooked sauce, which is what pretty much makes a pizza for me. if they had a better crust, i would rank them much higher on my list. amore and new park are my top two joints for a slice.
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Avellino
97-03 64th Ave, Queens, NY 11374
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I pretty much pay the electric bill at Marino's Supermarket what with how much I spend there (daily shopper), but the adjacent pizza store IMHO is "double yuck" as we like to say here ( shhhh....Lorenzo and the crew are very dear friends...) We live a block away and other than emergency orders for our ChowPup, never patronize it. The dough is really "flat" taste wise and the toppings seem to have been placed on top of day old pizza at times.
I think the pizza at Classica on Francis Lewis near the library is non pareil for these parts- the grandma and the sicilian are fantastic, the sauce on the grandma truly spectacular with small bits of fresh garlic and basil. The tomatoes are sweet and remind me of the San Marzanos you get in Italy. If you are Sicilian, you might have a taste for sfincione- Ed, the owner at CLassica, makes an excellent one with some notice. We always loved Matese's across from Holy Cross for Sicilian, but it's not the same since Pasquale stopped making the pies. In downtown Flushing, I agree with the previous poster: you can't beat a Neapolitan slice at Lucia's on Roosevelt- the best triangle in Flushing and the fact that it's made by an Afghani...only in NY!!!!
A quick search will bring up HEAPS of this stuff..not many of the opinions of the original Chowhounds seem to have changed. with regard to pizza in Queens. Welcome to ChowHound! There is a treasure trove of info here.
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Marino Brothers
163-07 29th Ave, Queens, NY 11358Matese Pizzeria
26-15 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358Pizza Classica
25-71 Francis Lewis Blvd, Queens, NY 11358Lucia Pizza
136-55 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11354Marino's Pizzeria & Restaurant
163-01 29th Ave, Queens, NY 11358 -
Gino's at Kissena Blvd. across from Queens College and the Gino's on Springfield Blvd. by the LIE is fantastic.
I also think that for a good great plain slice, Lucia's in Flushing on Roosevelt Ave. and Main St. is fantastic. It's been there for over 30 years and still going strong.
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Gino's of Kissena
65-01 Kissena Blvd, Queens, NY 11367Lucia Pizza
136-55 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11354 -
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I went to Nick's a couple of weeks ago, and have to say, I had an enjoyeable experience there. The pizza was great (brickoven thin crust), and the service was top-notch. Very clean and cozy. No dount I will return, and according to my pizza-loving 7 year old...it was the BEST pizza she's ever had! lol
If you are driving...good luck. Finding a parking space on Forest Hills, is a pain.
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Nick's Pizza
108-26 Ascan Ave, Queens, NY 11375 -
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I really enjoy Dani's on Lefferts Blvd in Kew Gardens -- the sauce is slightly sweet so it is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of place.
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Dani's House of Pizza
81-28 Lefferts Blvd, Queens, NY 11415›2 Replies-
re: ert97
I second Dani's, even though it has been trashed on this board.
The sweetness of the sauce mixes well with the oregano and the
crisp crust. Plus, I dig the atmosphere and the surprisingly exotic
beer selection. Lots of old photos on the walls. Stuff like Sinatra
staring out from a police lineup.Rose and Joe's, a bakery in Astoria, near Ditmars under the elevated
N train, serves up an excellent sicilian slice, one of my favorites
in the city.
P.-----
Dani's House of Pizza
81-28 Lefferts Blvd, Queens, NY 11415 -
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Try Il Vesuvio on Bell Blvd...good selection by the slice. Try their Margherita over the normal slice...the fresh mozzarella is worth the extra price.
Also, Marino's on 29th Avenue and 163rd St in Whitestone.
Can someone supply the locations for Nick's and Amore??
Thanks...
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Il Vesuvio
39-34 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361Marino's Pizzeria & Restaurant
163-01 29th Ave, Queens, NY 11358›2 Replies -
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though i feel the need to repeat DO A SEARCH!! ;-)
i will add that i like...
VIPizza on bell blvd in bayside. consistent.
Amore for a thinner, crispier slice in Whitestone.
Nick's when I want some sit down pizza to share with several ppl.
Singah's (a chain) for a small personal size pizza.›1 Reply -
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V I Pizza on Bell Blvd and Northern Blvd in Bayside. Been in business over 50 years. The best sicillian around
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VIPizza
43-02 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361›2 Replies -
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I like several Queens Pizza places (and dislike alot also)...
But if I can only have one slice day-in, day-out, it's probably going to be from D'Aleo's on Jamaica Ave, just west of Woodhaven... 9010 Jamaica Ave...
Nothing fancy, but very authentic straight-up new york slices. I like it better than the places in Howard Beach, honestly, and it beats anything in Forest Hills.
Runner up would probably be Gino's in Howard Beach (15846 Crossbay)... the slices are delicious but be sure to let them cool a bit, otherwise the whole cheese veneer can slide off.
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D'Aleo's Pizza
90-10 Jamaica Ave, Queens, NY 11421Gino's Pizzeria
158-46 Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY 11414›6 Replies-
re: Chicago Mike
The regular slice at Gino's is good, that's for sure, but to me their best offerings are of the square/grandma variety- particularly the eggplant. The eggplant is sauteed (skin on) without breading and is silky and oozing of olive oil before being put on the slice with pulpy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. They always seem to have them by the slice, too- last time I was there they had run out but told me I could have a fresh one if I waited 5 minutes for it to come out of the oven (which I did, and it was gooood!).
For a regular cheese slice I go to New Park because the great flaky crust and hot oven char are too good for me to resist. I think it's amazing that these places are blocks away from each other.
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New Park Pizza
156-71 Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY 11414Gino's Pizzeria
158-46 Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY 11414 -
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Obviously this poster is new to the site, as there are many posts of recent asking about Queens------and in the spirit of chowhound, it is always good to have up to date references--so, here goes for my 2 fav's:
#1---Rosa's Pizza on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood--slices and pies, garlic rolls--also pastas--BUT STICK WITH PIZZA's avoid the soups--their lousy..
Chicken Caesar salad pizza, eggplant ricotta pizza, veggie pizza, grandma authentic with onions and tomatoes, etc, --their pizza's great and CHEAP, and HUGE slices!#2--Nick's Pizza for great brick oven--and great house salad--good cappacino's and decent brownic--in Forest Hills--nice atmosphere--they close fairly early--
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Nick's Pizza
108-26 Ascan Ave, Queens, NY 11375Rosa's Pizza
62-65 Fresh Pond Rd, Queens, NY 11385›3 Replies























