Little Luzzo's in Carnegie Hill - Good Pizza, Finally!
Lately been bemoaning the lack of good pizza places for delivery in the neighborhood. Tommy's on Madison @96th St., formerly Sal's, formerly Frank's, is awful in its new incarnation, leaden and bland. I Like Nick's and Giovanna's but too thin to survive delivery well.
The other day I stopped into Little Luzzo's on 96th btw. Lexington & Park for a look: reminded me so much of the little places all over southern Italy, not surprising since the owner is Sicilian. I brought home a quatro stagioni - nice fresh mushrooms, excellent ham and artichokes -- and very good crust that was more than just a vehicle to deliver them. Also nice looking Sicilian pies, panini, calzone, etc.
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Nick's
1814 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10128
Giovanna's
1567 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029
Little Luzzo's
119 E 96th St, New York, NY 10029
Tommy's Pizza
1375 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10128
By City Kid
on Aug 5, 2010 07:11 AM
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MMRuth tipped me off on this place last Fall. Definitely a cut above the rest. I am a fan of the NY-style pizza with red sauce and gooey cheese, but this understated, drier style is equally flavorful without having to rely on grease and cheese for satisfcation.
As an aside, the Indian-owned corner shop a couple doors down from them sells rather good samosas on the weekends, which I have taken to snacking on in lieu of Luzzo's.
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I love pizza, all kinds, but I agree this one is a winner. I had high-ish hopes for Tommy's when it reopened but, blech! Thanks for the tip on the Indian place, though I can't picture exactly where it is -- one corner is Gourmet Garage and the other is the fruit place.
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It is in between the fruit place and the church. They'll have a foil tray with samosas on the counter if you're lucky.
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Ah, thanks!
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LL comes off as a poor emulation of a better pizza place. It's interesting on paper, but I find that their food just doesn't taste any good. There are plenty of options that I would choose over Little Luzzo that may be less novel, but way more reliable and tasty. To name just a few, Nick's, Giovanna's, Il Fornaio, Gotham, Abitino's, Mike's, and Delizia.
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Il Fornaio Pizzeria
1505 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029
Little Luzzo's
119 E 96th St, New York, NY 10029
Abitino's Pizza
1592 1st Ave, New York, NY 10028
Mike's Pizza
1315 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
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Seems quite authentically southern Italian to me but these things are always a matter of opinion. I also like Nick's and Giovanna's for eat-in but find they don't travel well...the thin crust, sauce and cheese kind of turn to mush.
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As I said, it's great on paper. I'm familiar with one of the pizzaioli's past work, and I thought LL would be a welcome addition. But ultimately, I dislike the taste of the pizza there. All of the credentials in the world won't make me pretend to like something that doesn't taste good.
I agree that Nick's and Giovanna's are not great for carry-out.
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It might also be worth mentioning that neither Nicks or Giovannas sell slices, and that LL, whatever its upper limits, sells decent Neapolitan-style and a variety of typically urban Italian square Sicilian slices. Made with a relatively light hand, the slices are not overdone, and really can't be fairly compared to those much larger and heavier wedges from ultra-traditional NY places like Fornaio (now there's a Smithsonian-level artifact!) and Delizia. Often, LL's smallish $2 regular slice is just the right size hit. Can't say much about the seating, though.
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Delizia
1762 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10128
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When I get a pie from Nick's, I always get a white, mozzarella only one (with tomatoes, prosciutto and basil) and have generally been lucky with it not being mushy or soggy . Maybe because there is no sauce. I'm four crosstown blocks away from them.
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I don't live here but I just started working three blocks south. I tried Tommy's (good for a larger slice with toppings like Broccoli, $3.75), the Falafel/Pizza place on 91st and Lex (the place is clean and nice. They serve a good plain slice but $3.75? For plain?? It is not as big as Tommy's either). However, Little Luzzo is the winner because it is $2.00 for plain and not so huge that I cannot eat dinner. The sicilian looks really good too. Will have to try at some point. There really isn't a whole lot around here that is not totally overpriced so that will be my go to when I forget to bring lunch.
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Little Luzzo's
119 E 96th St, New York, NY 10029
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The Sicilian is my favorite! Love Little Luzzo's!
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