La Sicilia, Belleville

[menton1]

Been hearing a lot of buzz about this place, especially their square "Grandma" style pies. Anybody been her? Worth a trip? Do they sell slices or only whole pies?

[yemoss]

Worth a trip. The Palermo is an "inverse Grandma": moz underneath, sauce ontop, garlic and parm added in. I thought it was even better the day after, reheated in a toaster oven. You'll have plenty leftover to do that - it's a big, square pie. FYI my top 3 in the area: 1.) John's of Bleecker St., NY 2.) Frank Anthony's, Verona, NJ 3.) Kinchley's, Mahwah, NJ. Any of these are worth the trip and back!

[Applecheeks]

Always crowded at lunch and dinner time. Food is very good and not expensive. There is a municipal parking lot across the street and another a half block away, as street parking is usually impossible.

[menton1]

I was only interested specifically in the pizza. Is it well above average, Applecheeks?

[Applecheeks]

I have only had the pizza once and is was a regular slice. It was, in my opinion, way above the norm for this area. I usually buy their meals, rather than the pizza, and they are excellent.

[Rich D.]

Excellent place. It has a take-out counter or a few small tables to sit down. BYOB with a liquor store next-door. It depends on how far you are travelling, but I work in Newark, and take a 20 minute detour for the Palermo Pie (the "Grandma" pies you speak of, I believe), which they also offer by the square slice. From what I understand the Palermo Pie is twice-baked and has extra garlic and parmesan sprinkled on top before the second baking. Their appetizer with baked clams is also addictive. Note - Cash Only.