About a month ago I had an idea. I love Pizza and I wanted to do something fun and interesting and maybe even learn a little bit about my city along the way. So, I decided I was going to do a piece about one of my favorite things in the world to eat. PIZZA!!!! First off, let me just say this before I go any further. This blog post is based on some very simple and basic research. I am not a chef, so it is not to be taken too seriously and if you are a pizza lover or a food lover in general I hope you enjoy what I have put together here.
Now that we got that out of the way, lets talk about Pizza.
It all started when I was sitting down at one of my favorite neighborhood pizzeria's, enjoying a Square slice, fresh out of the oven. I was thinking to myself "If I had to, I could eat at this pizzeria for the rest of my life." I then texted one of my x girlfriends a very simple but very difficult question to answer. "If you had to choose one New York City pizzeria to eat at for the rest of your life, which would it be?" As soon as she answered I knew I wanted to survey as many people as possible and find out who loves what pizza, where that place is and why haven't I had a slice there yet!! So that was the question I began asking everyone I ran into. "If you had to choose one New York City Pizza joint to eat at for the rest of your life, which would it be?"
Some people didn't even let me finish the question before answering, some people asked me fifty questions about the question itself like "What type of pizza? Thin Crust, Round, Square?" Or; "Can I pick two?" Some people cursed me out because they became so frustrated with the idea of having to decide. Some people didn't really understand why I was asking. Some people couldn't answer right away and told me that they needed some time to think about it. Then days later I'd receive a text message or an email or a message on Facebook with an answer and a smiley emoticon or something to that effect. Some would answer quickly then later on would tell me they wanted to change their answer. Most people however, would get so passionate about how the pizza joint that they picked was by far the very best of the best and anyone who didn't agree was a complete idiot and didn't know their ass from their elbow when it came to pizza or good food in general!! I would start full on debates if I asked a group of people at the same time. Friends and relatives would raise their voices at each other and the argument would go on and on about the sauce at this place and the crust at that place, what atmosphere was the best or how long you had to wait for a pie if you went to a particular location. All these factors effect your final decision on what pizzeria you would choose. So it was all very important. What good fun it was and what an interesting month it's been gathering all this information.
So now, I am left with putting all of this information to good use. I was a bit startled to learn what the most popular pizzeria was based on the survey and the people that were asked. I was also very surprised that some pizzerias or restaurants were not even mentioned or brought up even once. However I only covered so much ground and the question part of the survey could have went on much longer. It should also be mentioned that I live, work and play in Brooklyn. I never go to Queens, The Bronx or Staten Island. So if it seems that some boroughs are hardly mentioned it doesn't in any way mean that there are no good pizzerias or pizza serving restaurants in those boroughs.
So lets get to it shall we!! Based on this survey, over 200 hundred people were asked.. The Four most popular pizzerias are ...
The Fourth most popular pizzeria in New York is
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, 19 Old Fulton St , Brooklyn , NY
Grimaldi's Pizzeria has been making some of the best thin crust pizza in the world for many years now.. that's right I said it... the world. This family friendly pizza joint keeps it simple and classic and will definitely satisfy the pizza lover that likes it traditional and tasty. There are actually three Grimaldi's pizzerias in New York City and a bunch of other locations all over the country. So they definitely get a lot of love. If your'e ever down by the Brooklyn Bridge, stop in for a pie.
The third most popular Pizzeria in New York City is
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano,
1524 Neptune Ave.,
Brooklyn, NY
"A medieval crust, a sloppy splash of sauce, and the sweetest, freshest mozzarella make the pie at this famous pizza shack the best of its coal-oven kind by a wide margin" -Taken from NYmag.com. It's actually very accurate. Totonno's Pizzeria is by far one of the very best of it's kind.
This family run business has an "open until the dough runs out policy" and you better get there quick because they really go fast! This place happens to be my father Bosco's pick. He was one of the people I asked that didn't even let me finish the question before he answered "Totonno's, Coney Island!!" My father and I definitely need to make a trip over there soon. They keep weird hours though so make sure they are open before making the trip out to Coney Island.
The second most popular Pizzeria in New York City is
Di Fara Pizza, 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY
Di Fara Pizza is legendary. Serving up a lovely thin crust pizza donned with only the freshest and finest ingredients. People line up outside the door of this pizzeria and wait as long as they have to to get a slice. Beware though, Di Fara pizza is not cheap and I must say I am not a fan of this pizzeria at all because of it. Di Fara charges a lofty $5.00 a slice and $25.00 for a pie. That is outrageous!!! For those of you who do not know, pizza is extremely cheap to make, even with very expensive ingredients. The prices here are way too high and the danger of charging such a high price is that all other pizzerias can and may follow suite. Raising prices if not to $5.00 a slice to $3.50 or $4.00.
I personally feel that it is near criminal to serve such delicious food and then charge double the price for it. That's just a terrible thing to do to us pizza lovers and I will probably never step foot in Di Fara in fear that I may love it and then I'm stuck on it, paying $5.00 a slice.. DISGRAZIATA!!!
Finally .. the most popular pizzeria, based on this survey and based on the question; If you had to choose one pizzeria to eat at for the rest of your life, what would it be? is...
L n B Spumoni Gardens, 2725 86th Street, Brooklyn, NY
L n B Spumoni Gardens is a Brooklyn staple!! This place is so famous and it was chosen so many times that I knew after the first week of the survey that it was going to be the winner. Out of the first one hundred people that took part in the survey, 20% chose LnB... Wow!!! I was personally shocked simply because LnB would not be even close to my top pick but I prefer something different than what LnB serves up.
First off, LnB serves their oh, so famous and delicious, Sicilian slice with the cheese underneath the sauce which is as we all know, not the traditional way to serve pizza. This obviously has a major effect on the pizzas flavor, the consistency and what is also very important, the appearance.
LnB Spumoni gardens is a stones throw away from my apt in Gravesend. You would think I would be there a few times a week but it's the type of pizzeria I like to eat at on special occasions. If you have never had a slice at LnB, you must make a trip down to Bensonhurst and experience the robust flavors and authentic vibe that this Brooklyn classic has to offer, it's a must! I must not forget to mention another noteworthy reason why this place is so special. They are also famous for serving the best Spumoni ice cream, well it's not really ice cream but it's not italian ice either.. Anyway... It is the very best of its kind. As a matter of fact, it's so good, other pizzerias carry Spumoni from Spumoni Gardens and even go so far as to tell you it's Spumoni from Spumoni Gardens. Now that's pretty awesome!!
Well their you have it!! I hope you use this information wisely and make sure you check out these spots if they seem appetizing to you. I am definitely going to be making a trip to Totonno's as soon as I can.
I also wanted to mention a few other noteworthy pizzeria's that I think you would love as well!! My personal pick is a real great place that I have been eating at for well over a decade. Lil' Frankies on 1st avenue between 1st and 2nd streets in the East Village.This place serves amazing brick oven pizza with authentic and fresh ingredients. My personal favorite is the pizza polpetine pictured below. It just hits the spot every time. The service at Lil' Frankie's is warm and welcoming. The ambiance and mood of the place are perfect for me. Low light, dark and moody. The memorabilia hanging on the walls might as well be images and pictures of my family and my relatives that I used to see so often, growing up. I think that's the reason I love this place so much. I feel right at home every time I am there. So, next time you're in the East Village, stop by Lil' Frankies and try the pizza, it will surely satisfy. If you are still hungry, try the pizza burger, it's cooked parmagian style, served on a crusted Italian bread, with an Arugula salad. MAGNIFICO!!
Some other places I should mention are Artichoke on 14th St. in Union Square. They serve an Artichoke slice with a cream sauce that will knock your socks off. Italia Pizza on the corner of kings Highway and West 6 st. They serve excellent food, most noteworthy, the vodka sauce slice is the very best I've ever had.
Another place I should mention is Lucali pizza in Carroll Gardens. The menu is short and sweet. Pizza and Calzone, that's it. The wait to sit is always a bit of a thorn in my side every time I go there but it's worth it. Delicious food made with lots of love.The atmosphere is just how I like it, low light in a cozy and warm home style environment. The service is quite nice too.
Lastly, I will mention Anna Maria in Williamsburg on Bedford avenue. Anna Maria does not serve the best pizza by any means but they serve a very large selection of different kinds of pizza, they are open late and the prices are very reasonable. I think that with the survey question in mind, If you had to choose one pizzeria to eat at for the rest of your life.. Anna Maria really hits the mark. They offer delicious pizza at a decent price with lot's of variety and that is extremely important when it's the only pizzeria you got!!
Well that's it folks. I thank you for reading and if you took part in the survey I thank you once again. I love pizza and this was really fun to do. Maybe I will do another survey on pasta or maybe burgers. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear from you. Please follow this blog!!!
I should also mention my band Crooked Man is playing at the Charleston on Bedford Ave. (literally across the street from Anna Maria) on September 16th. We go on around 1030pm or so. Please come out it's $6 and Strangely enough the Charleston serves one dollar personal pizzas with the purchase of a drink :) take that Di Fara!!!We are also playing the next weekend at Cha Chas on the boardwalk down in Coney Island, September 24th. Its a free show with a bunch of cool bands. Maybe you can make a trip over to Totonno's or LnB Spumoni Gardnes, then swing on over to Cha Chas!!
