What's the name of your favorite pizza place?

[VeraBlue]

And why is it your favourite?

I've got a tie for first.

Lombardi's in Little Italy on Spring Street in NYC. It's the home of the country's first pizzeria. The crust is so thin and crispy it almost breaks when you lift a slice. The sauce is simple and vibrant. Fresh mozzarella is white as snow.

Regina Pizza in Boston in the North End. Another ancient joint, doing nothing but pizza. The crust is a bit thicker than Lombardi's, the sauce is vibrant and rich. On the table are two bottles of olive oil. One is plain, the other is teeming with dried herbs and red pepper flakes. Drizzle this on the pie before you eat it.. It's heaven

I've taken pizza home from both places to treat my other family members. Bringing one from NYC was only a half hour car ride. But the two we brought from Boston took a bus ride, a subway ride and a 4 hour car ride. (the danger from not holding in a safe temp zone was worth the risk!!) We even managed to get them home without taking one bite!

What about you?

 

[pdswife]

Our favorite place... HOME.
We can't get a decent pizza from a take out place in Issy.
Very sad.....

 

[GB]

Well I do love Pizzeria Regina in Boston and there are countless NY pizzerias I love, but the one I am going to pick in in Amherst, MA by UMASS.

The place is called Antonios and anyone who has ever spent any time at UMASS knows Antonios. They have every topping you could ever imagine and the pizza is great pizza. Man I miss that place.

 

[Bangbang]

Mama Mias
Jets
Shields

 

[flann]

Real Italian pizza from a real Italian restaurant

 

[Loprraine]

Mine would be "Home " also. They kept getting the toppings wrong, so I've been doing them on the grill.

 

[middie]

Uno's believe it or not.
Sadly there isn't one
here anymore. *sigh*

 

[ChefJune]

Here in Metro NY it's HOME. don't like any New York Pizza i've had... not really.

Boston: Santarpio's -- really thin crust, just delicious all round.
Chicago: The Original Uno's any resemblance to what the chain sells is purely coincidental! This pizza is deep dish, covered with crumbled sausage, sauce and cheese. IMO there is still none better, even tho my name is no longer on the wall.

 

[Andy M.]

Regina Pizzaria for me, too. It's the real thing.

 

[GB]

Boston: Santarpio's -- really thin crust, just delicious all round.

June, not sure when the last time you went to Santarpio's was, but unfortunately (IMO) their pizza has gone WAY downhill. The crust is so soggy now. I don't know what they are doing different, but it is really not good.

Before their crust started to get soggy I would have had them on my favorites list as well. Well at least their lamb and sausage is still great.

 

[QSis]

Gino's East, Chicago. Best pizza I've ever had (half pineapple and ham; half deluxe - both halves were fantastic). Crust, seasonings, toppings ... everything worked great!

Plus, the ambiance was just so cool, with a packed house and graffiti on every writable surface.

Lee

 

[MJ]

Balistreri's
Best pizza I've ever had

 

[ironchef]

I'll probably be called a heathen for this from the East Coasters and Chicagoans but since I'm equating favorite to most frequented, then I'll say California Pizza Kitchen. Why? I just like the different flavors and combinations and how their pizza are "outside the box". Here's my favorites (copied from their site):

Grilled steak, fire-roasted mild chilies, onions, cilantro pesto, Monterey Jack, and Mozzarella cheeses topped with fresh tomato salsa and cilantro. Served with a side of tomatillo salsa.

Grilled Jamaican Jerk spiced chicken breast with our spicy sweet Caribbean sauce, Mozzarella cheese, applewood smoked bacon, mild onions, roasted red & yellow peppers, and scallions.

Sauteed shrimp, mild onions, roasted garlic, Mozzarella cheese, fresh oregano and Italian parsley with a white wine lemon-garlic butter sauce.

Mild Goat cheese with roasted red & yellow peppers, grilled Japanese eggplant, Mozzarella cheese, carmelized onions, Italian parsley and our tomato sauce. Applewood smoked bacon added upon request.

A combination of grilled Italian sausage and sweet Italian sausage with sautéed wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Topped with fresh herbs.

A spicy marinara sauce with sweet Italian sausage, spicy Capicola ham, julienne salami, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Topped with fresh oregano and basil.

The classic Italian pizza. Made with imported Italian tomatoes, Mozzarella and fresh Mozzarella cheeses topped with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

 

[Andy M.]

...their pizza are "outside the box"...

Of course they're outside the box - if you eat them in the restaurant. They only put them in a box if they're take out!

 

[amber]

I like choices like IC, and living in Maine, we dont have good pizza places. I come from the CT and NY area, so I know good pizza's and Maine doesnt even come close sadly. It's all in the sauce for me, and toppings are very important.

I can only say that the best pizza experience I have had was in Boston. I dont know the name of the place, but it was in some popular market area? Maybe Haymarket square or something like that? The sauce was the best, even better than my own. It tasted home-made and probably was.

I bought a take out pizza tonight with slice tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, but I would love to have so many topping choices as you have there IC.

 

[GB]

A friend of mine is a GM for California Pizza Kitchen. He is busy getting a new store ready to open at Foxwoods Casino in CT. I love going over to their house for dinner when he brings food home from work

IC if you are ever in the Amherst area, check out Antonio's. They offer the same sort of pizza variety with out of the ordinary offerings, but the quality is much better and they are not a chain. Here is a link in which you can find their menu.

 

[buckytom]

this one's for you, verablue. take a ramble on down '46 to pizzatowne usa, in elmwood park.
best thin crust, not overcheesed pizza in our area imo. but it depends on who's working. the men of the tomo family (owners) make great pizza. the women are hit and miss.
ok, so there's a few real brick ovens around, but they don't seem to get the pizza thin enough, and then kill it with cheese, or the sauce is too sweet, not savory.

another good one is barcelona's in garfield for thin crust, and lovey's in hasbrouck heights. i heard they just re-opened.

and i've planned a pilgrimage to lombardi's for this september, when a buddy comes home for a visit. then it's off to coney island, and alternating trips between the cyclone, and nathan's.

 

[arlienb]

i also like California Pizza Kitchen, but to be honest it's not their pizza i adore, it's their spinach artichoke dip!!! hehehe. if we're talking pizza takeaway, i'm going for Papa John's. but ever since we went to rome, i haven't tasted anything else better...there's a place here that we go to, called Pizza Express, it's a UK chain. the pizza's pretty decent. i've also done some really good homemade pizza but my wrists started hurting from all the kneading, i thought i'd put it off for a while.

 

[arlienb]

i guess it all comes down to what pizza you prefer at the moment...some make pretty good pepperoni, while they do rubbish pizza for other toppings, and vice versa...personally whenever i get the chance to go to CPK (unfortunately i only get to do it when i go to america now and the last time was last april), i don't choose pepperoni and opt for the exotic toppings, because where else can you get them? hahaha

 

[cara]

Gen's & Pizza brothers here around the corner... both owned by the same.. great pizza, haven't found a better one in H yet...