The Very Best of Brooklyn Pizza
by Tom SullivanPage 2 of 2
Roberta's
261 Moore St, Bushwick
Everyone's favorite locavore pizza place, complete with backyard garden and cozy communal picnic tables, offers up what so many Neapolitan joints don't have: pies with interesting toppings and bold flavors. The Specken Wolf ($14) is an unsuspecting flavor bomb, the salty speck perfectly complementing the bitter red onions and oregano. Pair it with any of the Six Point beers on tap, and you have yourself one excellent meal.
Franny's
295 Flatbush Ave, Prospect Heights
Despite being one of the pioneers of the city's artisanal pizza movement (and the fact that it's constantly packed) Franny's doesn't get that much buzz nowadays. If their margherita pie ($16) is any indication, the restaurant in its current incarnation is arguably one of the most underhyped places in the city. With a perfectly light and crispy crust and fresh buffalo mozzarella, it isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's nevertheless a delicious pie that deserves to be in the conversation with the city's other Neapolitan-style giants.
Paulie Gee's
60 Greenpoint Ave, Greenpoint
Paul Giannone, a computer programmer and pizzaiolo, has come a long way from cooking pies in his New Jersey backyard to opening his own Brooklyn Neapolitan-style joint in 2010. The crust on the pies is a bit lackluster, but the inventive combinations are worth returning to eat through the entire menu. The Hellboy ($16) is like no other pie around, combining fior di latte and Berkshire sopressata picante with the spicy yet sweet Mike's Hot Honey and a dash of parmigiano reggiano… Honey seems like the last ingredient that would work on a pie, but the sweet (with a kick) stuff does well to compliment the salty sopressata and much more modest fior di latte cheese.
Slices (Old School)
L&B Spumoni Gardens
2725 86th St, Gravesend
The pizza and spumoni recipes have been the same for decades at this Sicilian slice mecca in the heart of Gravesend. The round slice is serviceable, but the famous square (both $2.25) is the one to get. Unbelievably light and airy, the real star here is the perfectly tangy tomato sauce, which is poured over a layer of fresh mozzarella and topped with some parmesan cheese. Pick up a pistachio spumoni ($2.25) on your way out: perfect for shoveling into your mouth on the way back to the subway.
Luigi's
686 Fifth Ave, South Slope
A no-nonsense slice stalwart that has stayed strong in the face of South Slope gentrification, it may not look like much from the outside but the pies that the owner Gio churns out are the epitome of the classic New York slice: cheap (all slices are $2.50) and tasty. Skip the Sicilian in favor of the mozzarella slice.
Slices (New School)
Best Pizza
33 Havemeyer St, Williamsburg
While it's name may be slightly inaccurate, this new Williamsburg slice joint—with its fancy-pants interior and 90's rap blaring over the sound system—exudes an odd combination of old and new school Brooklyn cool. The cheese pie, while more than satisfying, pales in comparison to the off-the-hook white pie ($21 for a pie, $3 a slice). The fresh mozzarella goes perfectly with the caramelized onions that dot each slice and the sesame seeds that similarly cover the perfectly chewy crust. It doesn't get much better than this.
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