Pizza in New York City

Lombardi's with its forever line

I’m going to be honest, I love almost all pizza. I was raised on Domino’s back on Long Island. I enjoyed their chewy crusts. Their bacon cheeseburger pizza was one of my favorites. The only time I don’t enjoy pizza is when the crust is too thin. I remember the time my family and I went to the famous Eddie’s Pizza in my hometown. I disliked the pizza only because it tasted like eating a pizza cracker. I needed a little more chewiness in my crust. At the same time, I know there are many people who love Eddie’s, I just know it’s not for me!

Once I moved into the big city, I was bombarded with pizza places at every corner. I did my research on the best NY-style pizza places in the city and Lombardi’s and Grimaldi’s showed up in the top of all the reviews. After eating at both restaurants, I personally prefer Grimaldi’s, but it’s in Brooklyn so not that convenient for an Upper Eastsider like myself. I think I prefer the crust because it doesn’t seem to be as soggy as Lombardi’s.

However, this review is going to be dedicated to Lombardi’s, as it is JRA’s favorite pizza place in NYC. We’ve only been to a few NY-style pizza restaurants: Lombardi’s, Patsy’s, Grimaldi’s and Totonno’s, but JRA only wants to go back to Lombardi’s. For those who aren’t familiar with pizza restaurants in NYC, Lombardi’s claims they were America’s First PIzzeria because they opened in 1905. They closed in 1984, but then reopened a block down on Spring Street in 1994. Since Lombardi’s is written in almost every NYC travel guide, it has become quite the tourist trap. I recommend going early for lunch (by 12pm) to avoid the crowds. Also, I went on a Tuesday evening at around 6pm and there was barely a wait. I was pretty surprised.

Sausage and spinach pizza at Lombardi's

Whenever my boyfriend, JRA, visits me, he demands that we make a trip to Lombardi’s. When you walk into the restaurant, you can tell that it has been around for awhile. The decor is very old school. There are checkered plastic tablecloths on all the tables. If you are lucky enough to sit in the far side of the restaurant, you get to walk through the kitchen area. I love seeing all the pizzaioli making fresh pizza. Not only is it very warm in the kitchen, but the it always smells amazing. Since were are now regulars at Lombardi’s, JRA and I usually order the same items from the very simple menu. If we are really hungry, we start with the Caesar Salad which is a good portion for two people. Then we’ll get a large pizza with sausage and some kind of vegetable. If JRA is in the mood, he’ll get a bottle of Magner’s. Then we wait for a great and filling meal. I just want to clarify that I can only eat at most 3 slices of the pizza. JRA has been able to finish the rest of the pizza at times, but lately we always end up with leftovers. The boyfriend is more than happy to bring these leftovers back to Tampa with him. If you never have had NY-style pizza, you should definitely try it whenever you have the chance. I definitely think that if I ever move out of the NY metro area, I will miss the pizza. I have heard of other tasty pizza restaurants in Brooklyn (specifically, Di Fara Pizza), and I hope one day I’ll be able to do a Brooklyn pizza crawl. JRA, are you down?

Lombardi’s Pizza
32 Spring Street (between Mulberry and Mott Streets)
New York, NY 10012
212.941.7994
No reservations
Cash Only – ATM on premises

Tags: Italian, Lombardi's, pizza, postaweek2011