Sac's Pizza Place
2541 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106 (718) 204-5002
- Nearest Transit:
Broadway (N, W)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
29 Reviews for Sac's Pizza Place
I personally think Sac's is the best Brick Oven Pizza in New York. Coal firing leaves dark crispy bits on the thin crust. Homemade mozzarella made fresh daily (in house) is used sparingly on top of their delicious sauce.
Their meals are delicious as well. Combine all that with a homey atmosphere, this place always makes me happy.
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The 5 stars are for the pizza only. Not impressed by the restaurant nor the food, nor the service. Go the pizzeria side, order your slices/pie and leave. That's your best bet.
Miss their slice's though, nothin' like it on Mars (Las Vegas), and you be hard pressed to find pizza much better in Queens.
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Once upon a time, there was a joint named Sac's. It was a beautiful little place off the Broadway stop in Queens. With windows all around its white tablecloths and waiters of the finest degree, it boasted "world-renowned" pizza and promised incredible pasta and various Italian dishes.
So one day, Inspector Nati and her co-conspirator Kathleen set out to test Sac's claims. Did the glorious paper clippings taped on its storefront do the place justice indeed, or were they just creations of the Photoshop-proficient staff?
The suspense was immense and the spirits high as the inspecting duo walked in. Charged with the sudden excitement in the air, a waiter escorted them to the best table with the best view -- the corner one, right by the windows facing Broadway. As they sat down, the waiter smiled and even opened the window to let the warm breeze of summer caress Kathleen's back. Delighted, the two began to have faith in the comfort of Sac's, and as they chewed the warm bread that had also been brought out in an instant, even their palates agreed to the atmosphere.
And then came the menu, whooping up images of creamy gnocchi, pasta drenched in vodka sauce, mouthwatering calzones, and of course, the signature pizza. It was going to be a very good lunch. Because neither Nati nor Kathleen felt like having the obvious choice, they decided to let other meticulous palates examine the all-famous pizza. Instead, the scrutinizing pair chose to explore other Sac's avenues.
Having been graciously welcomed by the light and comfortable aura, Inspector Nati decided to help Sac's meet her standards by letting the waiter serve her what the restaurant did best. But instead of a recommendation, the waiter mumbled a repetition of the menu she had already read twice, so Inspector Nati randomly chose a four-cheese gnocchi -- to make it easy for the incompetent waiter, after all. Witnessing the scene, Kat took the initiative to order a cheese calzone without questions. The waiter bowed and quickly disappeared.
He must have been frazzled, for he did not return during the whole meal. It was a second waiter that brought out the plates, about thirty minutes after the order. Famished by then, the inspectors were glad to finally connect with the human world again. They were very thirsty, too, you see, and they wanted to ask for water, but fearing the waiter might take their glasses for his own, they decided to keep their mouths shut, knowing that extracting hydration from the ice remaining in their glasses and the food on the table was more certain than the waiter's return. Nati was sure of that as she looked down at the foot-shaped gnocchi floating around in a bowl of runny cheese. "Who needs water when you got soup?"
Kat's imminent dining future at Sac's seemed a little more promising and a little drier. It was only when she cut into her calzone that the watery cheese poured out in a torrent there, too. But it was okay, because Kathleen was humble: There was still bread, and hopefully marinara sauce, if the waiter returned with it since he never brought it to begin with. She waited patiently, taking bites of the calzone in the meantime. Between bites, of course, she swept the chunky, cheesy liquid into the calzone with the now-cold bread. It was a very good exercise for her fingers, and for that she felt thankful.
In the meantime, Nati munched on the gnocchi. Despite its four cheeses, the food was bland -- and so she covered it with grated Parmesan, and only then did the dish acquire some taste. But a few bites later, the ultra cheesiness combined with the footy smell caught up with her stomach and Nati pushed her plate forward and sat back, rubbing her tummy. By then, Kathleen had toppled the breadbasket over her own dish, and she, too, was rubbing her belly in disgust. The sight of the cheese splattered all over her plate was revolting.
Suddenly, the waiter re-emerged from the murky depths of the Sac's kitchen, ready to pick up the pieces. A deep shade of basil green appeared on his face as he grimaced in disgust at the mess. But the inspecting duo didn't mind. No waiter's unpleasant face or depleting ice could tempt them into feeling any trace of guilt about their disapproval of the place -- not even the previously enjoyable windows and street views.
As for the amount of money asked of our mighty Inspectors, it was a small price to pay. Small price not because of the amount itself, but because at that point, after having traded two hours of their precious time for bloating and stomachaches, they were willing to empty whole bank accounts if it meant leaving the horrid joint faster to start the day they had planned at the Met.
As our dauntless heroes dawdled heavily out, they agreed never to return again -- and even hesitated later as they handed the leftover gnocchi to the starving man crouching on a sidewall of the museum.
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Sac's is a decent red-sauce family owned Italian restaurant with extremely high prices for the quality.
We went there for lunch one time and ordered a large pizza with a few toppings, and the total came to over 40$. yes- the coal-fired crust is crisp and delicious, and the tomato sauce not acidic-- but Sac's charges WAYYY too much for toppings. We ordered proscuitto and tomato- the proscuitto wasn't even imported, and should not have cost the amount it did.
If a place is going to charge 20$ for chicken parm, it better have the service to back it up. Instead, Sac's has a bunch of kids running around, acting arrogant and surly, and congregating around the podium up front, chatting away.
That said, the bread is fantastic.
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I think the pizza was really good but the price for a pie is overboard - if you want a pizza for just two with any toppings on it, expect to pay somewhere near 30 dollars.
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Absolutely fantastic pizza. High quality mozzarella, a great sauce, and a coal-fired thin crust really steal the (pizza) show in this part of Astoria. I agree that the restaurant side is nothing special. It's really all about the slices at Sac's.
Yes, I will admit that it's a mere step above Olive Garden or Uno's, but that's because it does the same thing: Pleases the masses. With better, fresher ingredients and a more knowledgable staff.
If you're not feeling formal, step into their little boxcar pizza shop. It really is to die for.
Are you kidding me? A medium pizza that can only be best described as miniscule, with 2, that's right, 2 toppings, came out to be $27!!
Yeah, it was good, but not $27-good. A big thumbs down.
I'd hate to give this place just two stars, but I can't say that I loved the calamari or pasta dishes we had. The pizza is divine, well thought out because I only like a certain ratio of sauce to cheese on mine. It's not dripping with grease either.
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Sac's Place is a rare breed in that it boasts a coal oven and offers pizza BY THE SLICE! That alone makes it a must for pizza snoops the world over. Here's the best part: the pizza is delicious! And it looks like a dream; its surface of sauce and cheese doing a cosmic dance and an underside brazed with the imprint of the oven's brick.
The restaurant is eighteen years old but the oven was added ten years ago. While pies are baked in the brick oven, they are reheated for by-the-slice purchases in the standard deck oven. Just look at the coal char if you don't believe me.
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i've been to sac's a handful of times, and i always thought my food was okay. but, my guests always seemed disappointed with what they got. never had the pizza, which i guess is probably their bread and butter, but i can tell you that the chicken parm is pretty good.
it can be a nice and romantic meal, nothing really special about the space. there's a nice area along the windows that have a good view of the street.
i also think that this place is a little overpriced for astoria.
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It saddens me to write this review. I have a substantial history with this place as you'll read...
The only reason I give it 3 stars is for the quality of food and before these 3 incidents, we had many, many great dining experiences at Sac's. I'm not quite sure what changed.
Sac's used to be our "go-to-anytime" place. We loved that it was just a couple blocks from our house. We even had a favorite waiter who took great care of us (we knew when he worked and wouldn't go otherwise). We took friends, family, and out of towners there. I never even looked at the menu because we had our favorite dishes (and surprisingly, we DID NOT go there for the pizza!)
Then one night we arrived and our beloved waiter was not working (he was on a vacation that we didn't know about). We were starving so we decided to stay. Combine that with my daring attempt at trying something new on the menu (a SPECIAL, no less), which came out terrible: Advertised as a fillet of fish..."absolutely boneless" the guy said. I literally had a cluster of bones in every bite. I couldn't eat my meal and decided to say something to the manager. We were such frequenters at this place, we didn't think it would be a big deal. Except it was! The manager was someone different that night and gave me a major 'tude and embarassed me in front of the rest of the patrons. We paid our bill, left and decided not to come back, at least for awhile.
A couple weeks later, my friend and I were starving for some pizza, so we decided to order some...from Sac's. It took 2 HOURS on a Sunday evening (remember, I live about 2 1/2 blocks away). I called the restaurant after an hour and they said it had left, so obviously it arrived not only ridiculously late, but also cold. When I called to complain, the same manager yelled and me and insisted that it was hot.
Third times the charm, right? Wrong. I recently went with my sister for dinner. Food was ok (came out cold, though I didn't say anything, took FOREVER to get the check, etc). The kicker was this: We decided to split the bill on 2 credit cards. We share a last name and therefore the credit cards do too (but looked totally different). I see my bank statement on-line a couple days later....turns out they charged ME twice, and her not at all. When I called to ask WTF, they said I'd only be able to get a credit if I could obtain her credit card # so they could get paid. I was like "THIS IS YOUR MISTAKE." I finally got my $.
So, it really sucks that our favorite place went down the drain. We need to find another mid-level Italian joint in the neighborhood now.
P.S. They're totally overpriced, too.
***
Edit: My reply to the non-review written on 12/5/07 by someone who is obviously associated with this restaurant and joined the site for the sole purpose to stick up for it. I find it far too coincidental that you just stumbled upon this and posted as your first review to this site....no photo, no info? Seriously.
1) I never claimed I was with a group of people. I was just with my boyfriend which I even sort of implied. I did say that the man embarassed me in front of the other patrons, which is true.
2) He did NOT take the dish off my check (and how would you claim to know that anyway?), or I would have been 100% pleased with the service, as always. That would have shown that they cared what we thought, since we were such great, consistent customers. Instead, he was stubborn and told me I was wrong. I've worked in food service before. That is not the right thing to do.
3) This website is for real reviews for the benefit of other users. That's all I posted. I WAS honest. Why would I have an ulterior motive for sabatoge? I spoke of the good experiences, the fabulous waiter we always enjoyed, the many MANY times we truly had an amazing experience there. I could have given it 1 or 2 stars, but I didn't. If every restaurant got 5 stars all the time, no one would stay in business.
4) This happened like, 6 months ago. You must have a great memory , fantastic hearing, and very little happening in your life to remember such details of another patrons' dinner fiasco....unless of course, you work there.
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Eh. The pizza was good. Tasty, thin crust. Not stingy on the toppings. Big chunks of bacon just tossed on there with abandon. Even the cheese-less marinara pizza was good. The problem was the pushy service. Leaning on the back of a chair, hovering over the table...
"Can I start you out with an appetizer?" No thanks, I think we're just going to have pizza tonight.
"Do you want to have any pasta dishes?" Wait, whaaaaaaaat? I should've decided on giving them a 1 star rating right that second, but I didn't. I was feeling generous. Pasta dishes? Really? We're going to have pizza, but no, please, first bring out a bunch of pasta, THEN the pizza. What the eff?
"Do you want any wine to drink..."
It went on like that for a good long while, as he watched his tip shrink further and further (you know how they get that look) before he finally went away. What a punk. I thought this was a pizza place! It says it right in the name! Sure, I enjoyed the pizza, but I'm sure there's other places around where it's just as good, and to make the waitstaff happy, you don't need to eat a pizza covered in pasta and drenched in wine and dessert.
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While the coal-fired oven pizza that I ordered from Sac's was better than anything I've found in Queens so far, it took almost 2 hours from phone call to being able to eat said pizza. Can't speak to the restaurant experience, but if the service is anything like their delivery, don't expect much. Being told your pizza will arrive in "30 to 40 minutes" doesn't bode well when it takes more than 90 minutes.
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I don't what Sac's I went to, maybe the place has changed since i have been here (was a few years ago) cause all the reviewers seem to love this place. I shared a pizza with my wife (was only my girlfriend at the time) and my brother ordered a pasta dish. Nothing tasted memorable and the service was pretty bad. Hence we have not been back since.
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My favorite Brick Oven Pizza around. The first bite of their thin crust pizza with a little proscuitto toping makes my knees week every time. Worth a trip, it's just as good as any of the other NYC Brick Oven stand outs.
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I've never checked out the restaurant portion or their dishes, but when I'm in Astoria, I'll make it a point to hit up Sac's. This is the local pizza place you wish was right next door.
Coal-fired ovens cook up an awesome thin-crust slice loaded with chunky sauce and fresh mozzarella. Go for a square slice. Check that, go for two squares, and walk it off. It's that good.
They also have a live jazz band (I think) on weekend nights, so you could always grab a slice (or two) and sit in the pizzeria section, listening to some pretty good jazz, in Astoria at that!!
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This is great pizza. It come's at a price though... Think comparable to John's in the city. Quality ingredients and service that goes with it. Ignor the nay sayers on this thing, the pizza is fantastic. The best in queens.
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"Sac's Place boasts one thing that only a handful of pizzerias in this fair city can claim: A coal-fired oven." - Slice
Pizza for dinner was very good, very authentic but it didn't quite hit the spot for the salty-greasy-pizza I was craving. This is a good thing though. The pizza was delicious, we had it with prosciutto and portobello. There was a generous amount of each with good portions of sauce and cheese. The crust was great, nicely crispy and chewy with a little char from the "coal-fired" oven. Additionally the quick service was nice and the prices were reasonable: $40 with tip for a medium pizza and two glasses of wine.
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This place is all show and no go. I gave this restaurant every benefit of the doubt (I dined there at least 6 times before I learned my lesson). Bottom line: the food is mediocre and the service is beyond reproach. On my last and final dining experience at Sac's, we had to tap on the window to ask the waiter (on his cell phone outside) to come back in to give us the check and he flicked his hand at us to dismiss us. NEVER AGAIN. There are so many other wonderful establishments in Queens to ever waste my time or money at Sac's again.
For the pizza to go place I give it a 5, it's definitely the best slice around this neighborhood. As for the restaurant, I give it a 4. The pizza is excellent, the pasta dishes were little overpriced I thought, and the service is very good.
Sal's sauce is like a fresh pomodoro, with big bits of softened garlic. Really fine. This sauce, and the crust, are so good I prefer the cheeseless pizza. The slightly thicker crust, baked in a coal oven with the occasional charred edge, reminds me of New Haven style pizza. It's very good, the real deal.
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Oopsy-daisy...wtf happened here? i fell in love with Sac's pizza when i moved back to the neighborhood just 2 years ago. After making many delivery orders that did not meet expectations I had to face facts...their pizza is really just a bit better than ok, and just a bit below good, and it's def not worth the $$$$. bummer. Now read what I had written when i was in denial...
People say you can find good, no, great pizza anywhere in New York, but what I find typically is the same uninspiring pizza over and over again, usually doing nothing more than filling your gut before a night of drinking. Now I don't know how they do it, but somehow Sac's stands head and shoulders above the rest, but it will cost you. Parting ways with $25 (large w/ pepperoni) has never been more justified than after the first bite of Sac's perfectly cooked brick oven pie. Delivery is sometimes a bit slow, but if you throw it in the oven for 5 minutes, you'll be fine. Together their sauce (made from tomatoes straight from the old country) and the globs of mozzarella make for the best pizza this side of the East River, if not the 5 Boroughs.
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It's hard to rate pizza in New York, but this place makes the best brick oven around. Their "real food" is delicious as well. Moderately priced ($15 entrees) the fish is fresh and the sauce is subtle.
Dine in or take out, I totally recommed this place.
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I LOVE this pizza!
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I love this place. Tasty pizza, great wine, good service. Screened in porch is especially nice all summer long. Not far from the subway, either.
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One of the best pizza places in NYC...definitely my favorite in Queens.
I really like the Sicilian--the sauce/cheese combo is perfect -- and they are accommodating (like when I ask if they can put some ricotta right on top ;) )
I have always wanted to sit in the restaurant area to try some of their pastas--but haven't had the chance yet.
Really safe bet for a quick slice if you are around the area--or even if you aren't and just want some good pizza ;)
Some people say Sac's has the best pizza on the planet. I'm inclined to agree that's it's at the top of the list. Swing by for a slice or two and a movie from the Blockbuster next door if you're in the mood for a relaxing night.
went here last week. good brick oven pizza and a good enough selection of beer to go with it. we ordered the gnocci as well which was good but not the greatest. i'm still having trouble finding a place that does it as good as victoria h. does. go on mondays and there will be a three-piece jazz band playing. that was really nice.
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