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86th St (N)
25th Ave (D)
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Saw this place on "Man v Food" a couple weeks ago... I had to drive Long Island for work so I dropped in... Easy to get to from the Belt Parkway...
I ordered a half sheet of Sicilian and grabbed a slice to eat while I waited... One of the best Sicilian slices I have ever had... My order one took 5 minutes to make... So I was in and out there there in minutes... Place was packed, as it was lunchtime on Friday...
Only gave it four stars because I know there is a better slice out there... somewhere...
I went for the famous Sicilian slice. I grew up Mexican in the Southwest, where burritos, tacos, and menudo play a much bigger role in life than pizza. Most of my pizza was from Pizza Hut, and I was fine with that. When I moved to NYC, I started to hear about Sicilian pizzas, which was something I'd never heard of before. I'm always open to new food, so I when I also heard that L&B Spumoni has the best Sicilian in town, I thought I'd suffer the 1.5 hour subway ride out to Brooklyn to try it.
I'm not a fan. I don't think there is anything wrong with the pizza itself, but I just discovered I don't like Sicilians. My "pizza" felt like a big chunk of toasted French bread slathered with marinara sauce. Granted, that marinara sauce was tangy and good. But I couldn't even taste the mozzarella that was hidden underneath. Ehh, not a fan. I'm giving it three stars because, really, what the hell do I know about New York pizza? It's like all these native New Yorkers rating Mexican food: you can't really trust their opinion.
I've been told in Staten Island and in Brooklyn that this place has the best pizza and spumoniso when I got to know someone who lived near Spumoni Gardens - it was one of the first places that we went to eat. It seems that everything that I have high expectations for....just isn't as good.
The Sicilian square was ok - it's not bad, but it wasn't like "GOD DAMN - I'm going to eat this every meal even if it gets me fat." I also had a crazy craving for ice cream so we got a quart of spumoni that was green, brown and red or white [?]. Well I didn't think that was crazy good either so I spent most of the time picking out the pistachios from the green part. Yum. :)
Great sicilian slice! I learned of this place from my husband since he was born & raised in Sheepshead, bklyn. We ordered a whole siclian pie and it was smothered in thick hearty tomato sauce underneath and gooey mozzarella. This is pobably the most authentic sicilian slice I've ever had in my life! The staff is not exactly friendly but the food is good. I also had the eggplant parmesan that was delicious. The portions are huge.Their italian ices and gelato are fantastic after every meal. They offer take-out, drive through with outdoor benches or dining in the restaurant. We ate in but the tables can get pretty crowded. Although Di Fara's remain the top, I still think $5/slice is outrageous no matter how popular Dominic got for its pizza.
Everybody has that relationship that didn't quiet work out but left you with an extraordinary skill or a new passion.. Mine was - FOOD, from my hot Italian ex-boyfriend.. What Italians know how to do is eat!
We would come to L & B Restaurant for brunch on Thursdays, Delicious !! At the time I remember being on no Carb diet and I would stick to meats and seafood... I ate their seafood salad everyday, it's been 3 years and I'm still hooked on it. I also recommend Lasagna, Manicotti shells and their young wine. Desserts are great too.. Enjoy.
My friend and I braved the treacherous winds and unforgiving rains to try what some deem to be the best pizza in Brooklyn. While it was some of the best pizza that I've had, it simply does not beat Di Fara.
The crust on the L&B pie is fantastic. The parmesan only makes it better because it bakes right into the outer crust. It is crispy on the outside but nice and fluffy/slightly doughy on the inside. No toppings are needed. Cheese alone is perfect.
We also tried the spumoni and it was not very good. It was really just too icey and the flavor just wasn't there. It really was the disappointment of the evening.
Go to L&B. The pizza is good but skip the spumoni.
So my g/f and I are in bay ridge visiting a couple friends who had invited us over for dinner. After eating a monster feast, the conversation topic goes to dessert and our friend implores us to try the spumoni at L&B even though we're stuffed, it's a 10 min drive and it's frigid outside. We trust him and decide to drive out.
Thankfully we did. Somehow en route to getting the spumoni ice cream, we were convinced to try a sicilian square slice. at first glance, it looked like one of those pizza truck pizzas that are in midtown. But it was so much better than them. the cheese was actually at the bottom and the tangy, delicious tomato sauce on top of it with sprinkling of pecorino to finish. Together, it formed a slice worth finishing despite my full stomach.
Then we tried their eponymous spumoni--i like vanilla, chocolate and pistachio ice creams, and combined together, the taste was predictably good. the spumoni itself wasn't that creamy and it was a little icy, but combined with the pizza, it was worth the short trek.
I love the Sicilian slices here. Even if you don't like the way they look, you will soon become entranced by its saucy aroma and cheesy loveliness.
I didn't come here too much growing up, but now that I can drive there in under a minute, I will be returning alot more. The ice cream is also awesome, I got a large cup of pumpkin and hazelnut ice cream for $3.50. Brooklyn prices for some of the best pizza and ice cream you are gonna get.
You cannot beat L&B. Its a top contender.
There are so many ways to get a Sicilian slice (the square kind) wrong. I'm glad L&B spumoni has kept their recipe the same.
The thick and fluffy crust is covered with nice slices of freshly cut mozzarella, a generous amount of perfectly seasoned tomato sauce.and topped with some pecorino. Then they sprinkle it with olive oil...
Half the pleasure was to see them make a pie while I was eating my slice.
Personal recommendation: Ask for side pieces. The crust is divine!
Friends and I got 2 meatball heroes and a Sicilian pie.
Sicilian pie is out of this world. As with all New York pizza I've had, it's the water, I swear. Alright, so for the newbs out there, Sicilian style pizza has the cheese beneath the sauce, which produces a gooey consistency. The crust at the bottom of the pie has an amazing crunch to it, and those two textures combined gives you an almost divine piece of pizza.
1 star off, though for their meatball heroes. Meatballs were bland and flavorless.
Go here for just the pizza and you'll be a happily stuffed person when you leave. Their pasta didn't look too bad, maybe I'll try that next time.
I have eaten in L&B's during the 1990's. During that time it was pretty good. Over the years the quality has gone down dramatically! Maybe because the owners are non italian. Now they must use tomato paste and they are very cheap with the cheese. They only serve pepsi soda, no coke cola. Also the slices are very small for the price they charge and you will get heartburn. My advice is to bring some tums if you dont believe me.
The best Sicilian pie I've ever had.
These huge Sicilian squares are amazing. Its so good you can't just have one slice. Out of the numerous times I've been here, my squares have always came straight out of the oven, still piping hot. The crust is so crispy and soft at the same time (*drooling). The thin crust slices are pretty good too. The prices are friendly for both the pizza and the ices! There's usually a lot of foot traffic at this place but I've never had to wait too long to be taken care of at the counter.
A really great family place with the outdoor picnic like seating, perfect for nice days! I always make sure I have some room for a small lemon ice :). It doesn't get any more authentic than Spumoni Gardens!
Tip: Make sure it has just enough time to cool so you can enjoy it. I tend to get too excited and I end up burning my whole mouth :(. It still tastes amazing either way!
The round pie is just a round pie. Bypass it. You are here, you want the sheet pizza. You want a spumoni. That square is almost dessert-like. Smooth, thick, like a bread milkshake covered in tomato sauce.
L&Bs has been locked in time since 1939. Families, dates, and kids running around the red picnic tables, distorted radio playing overhead, nothing neuvo about this place. And I love it here.
3 time + will be back soon (meaning its a pass my standards)
Reason to go/went: wandered in
square slice
eat it, if you don't like it. I think your an idiot. That is all. Its so good, it gets in your pours, I imagine this is what crack is like.
so good makes your mouth dribble when you talk about it. oh and sometimes I eat some italain icy shit they call spumoni dats good too.
Big fan. Oh its a pizzeria so if you nig*eers say anything about service kinda arrogant, your a moron too.
The best sicilian, hands down. It's always fresh out of the oven, no matter what time you're there. The crust is toasty on the bottom but soft on top, with the perfect sauce of cheese ratio. I always try to get the corner piece as the crust is simply amazing. Like the lays commercial, you can't just have one.
I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand. I know good pizza which I pick up with my hand. I want to deck whoever keeps making my god damn food cold with my freakin fist.
What the hell happened to this place? Do you guys not know how to function an oven? I had food from there twice in the past week and twice it was cold. I'm hardcore on spending money at the few places still left of my childhood but unless they improve, I'm done(save for desserts of course)
I'm going to start off my illustrious and legendary Yelp career with a review of a place I could have reviewed when I was 10. Full disclosure: I have a sentimental attachment to L&B as my Grandma has always lived around the corner, and a love of the Sicilian pizza from L&B is pretty much genetic for me. To this day, whenever I visit, some squares come back with me. The same goes for the rest of my family. But sentimental attachment doesn't necessarily mean one is wrong, does it? Of course not, glad we agree. Look at some of the other reviews. I'm not alone here. This is the best Sicilian in NYC.
It's not your typical slice. Heavy on sauce, light but sufficient with the cheese. The sauce is fantastic, the crust is crispy and buttery, and it's baked perfectly. You can not go wrong.
As I tell anyone who's around, or even anyone passing through Brooklyn on the Belt: Go to L&B, get some squares, finish off with some rainbow spumoni, and you'll be enjoying life.
You cannot come here and not get a square! At least not if its your first time. Honestly, one of the best slices I've ever had and I dont even like squares normally. And the spumoni, probably the best in Brooklyn.
My friends and I do a "Lost" night on Wednesdays where we all hang out and um...watch Lost, and this is our Wednesday dinner!
Two things my son loves: pizza and Man v Food. After seeing L&B on Man v Food, he and a friend ventured out to Bensonhurst to try the pizza. My son has has pizza all over the world but said this was the best, by far. We live on the same block as House of Pizza & Calzone, which also makes the squares, so for him to say this really meant something. Because of his rave review, I decided to venture out there with him to see what all the hype was about. It's not hype! This is definitely one of the best pizzas I have ever had. It was tasty, moist on the inside yet crunchy on the bottom. In other words, prefect! While my son ate a couple slices of our half sheet that we were taking home for dinner, I got a Vanilla/Chocolate/Pistachio Spumoni. Holy crap that was delicious!!! So creamy and flavorful. All in all it was a great experience and we can't wait to go back.
if this place was in the city and not an hour or so trek from my apartment i would probably weigh close to 300 pounds by now....
this is the way pizza was meant to be. get the sheet pie. share it. it will take about 9 people to carry this thing so bring friends. the way that they make this pizza is like art. its thick, saucy, cheesy, and brilliant. i can not wait to go back and rape and pillage another one of these monstrous sheets of heaven...
on your next day off find hopstop this place and take the train out there and enjoy. you will not be disappointed. i promise.
If you live in southern Brooklyn, you should go to this joint AT LEAST once. It's worth it.
The food is quite delicious for a reasonable price. I have only ordered from the counter and eaten outside, so I cannot speak for the dining room. I've had the Sicilian slices, meatball parm hero, rice ball parm, and of course, the rainbow spumoni. All were generous in portion as well as tasty.
The spumoni is a must. Don't go to Spumoni Gardens and not get the spumoni, come on.
What I also like about this place is that it is not overrun by hipsters and tourists, it's a nice Bensonhurst joint. Lots of families, school kids, etc. etc. I have not lived in Bensonhurst all my life, however, I can imagine it being a neighborhood hang-out for those who have.
Just go.
l and b is so so. The only reason they do so well is because they are directly across from the brooklyn projects which most people dont realize. There slice is also decent but half the time the dough underneath the sauce is raw which has given me an upset stomach once before as long as a few people i know.
the spumoni is very good but the pizzeria part is decent, alittle dirty and old.
Thin crust is great, the Sicilian squares are a real delight!
Great place for the kids, it's a common hangout and pleasure to sit and relax with a nice flavored Ice on a hot summer day.
If you go on a weekend afternoon, be prepared to wait in long lines, but it's well worth the wait. It's Pizza and more...
My only grip is the location is an odd one for those living in the neighborhood (like myself), but it's definitely convenient for anyone taking the subway in. The N train stops a couple blocks away, and the F train is just a few more blocks up 86th St.
Not too bad on parking in the area anyway.
A popular place for the NYPD, EMT's, and all the locals.
If you love pizza, you'll love L&B's.
Brooklyn's #1!!!!
Square slices like no other.
Spumoni's great, too!
(Part of Best NY PIzza: The Haiku Series)
I pizza ice cream sandwiches fancy restaurant
I________I I_________I I___________I I______________I
spumoni outside seating gardens
I______________________________________________I
86th Street
"a slice and a ....." don't fly here pay extra at each booth, yes just like the fair! Very good Silicon slice, the regular pizza is a little to cheesy but quite tasty, beware and stay aside there's a lot of NY Finest around here.
The best Sicilian slice of my life.
Ohhh.....Cheese. Glorious cheese.
I'm not sure why some people talk about this place religiously. I will admit that the pizza tastes good, but the sauce is essentially tomato paste. The sauce on top of the cheese? Who gives a damn. The crust is too thick, the cheese is ok...not exactly the best pizza is Brooklyn. Somehow, it is good for a snack, especially if you're in the neighborhood.
I have never tried the indoor dining area, so I can't comment on that. Spumoni is decent, but the main reason people love this place is b/c its nice to hang out at in the summer especially. Its worth visiting for its noteworthiness, but just don't go touting it as gourmet pizza. Its fine the way it is.
L&B has hands down the best sicilian(square) pizza in New York if not the country. The Deepdish Esq thick crust, fresh tomatoes and enough cheese to choke a horse or in this case my swedish date make for one of the best slices around.
The round slices here are quite good as well. I usually order one of each and a diet coke. Always demolish the pizza in under five minutes than follow it up with some Spumoni. If you never had this italian ice cream than your living life, nothing better than eating some Spumoni and looking around and realizing if you ate here everyday you would look like a a person who resides in a trailor and is soon going to need a crane to leave your Brighton Beach Apartment ..
Speaking of the people, this place has more characters than a Spike Lee Movie. The eclectic mix of cops, more fat people than a georgia trailor along with hot & barely legal 19 year olds make for some interesting people watching. The outdoor picnic style tables scattered along the front of this place provide ample seating.
While eating my slice I looked around, and took a good look, Outside of the boys in blue, was chungli dressed in a hello kitty shirt slobbing down a whole square (18 slice pie) with a bunch of guys who seemed to be taking a break from a long round of Call of Duty,really couldnt tell em apart in a police lineup if I had to. Next to them was a table of fat italians, one guy looked like he could barely breathe let alone walk, easily 400 pounds with a mets hat on(shocker), clearly on his last legs, his wife was just as bad if not worse, watching them slug back to there car made me makesure to bring my gym clothes to work the following morning. The table to my left was a Puerto Rican(knew what he was by the large flag tattoed on his arm) dude with a oversized tank top devouring a platter of Calamari, he looked like he just smoked a bong and happened to pull up in a minivan pumping Reggaton. The table directly in front of me, was two fine Marlboro projects residents, one of which was a flamboyant African American wearing orange colored sneakers and looking as though he was two days early for the Tuesday night party at Splash Bar,after getting his slice he did a lady gag dance and sat down(not making this up) him and the lady he was with both poured more salt and pepper on there pizza than I thought possible. This place made for one of the most intersting people watching around in a long time. My manhattan dwelling swedish date told me it was the most american place she has ever been too. She agreed the pizza was the best she has tried in a while.
Also there is a indoor restaurant here that serves a great Italian Old school sit down meal, directly connected to this is a deli style take out area where one can get terrific Calamari or Veal Parmigiana. In fact though L&B is famously known for there square pizza, overall all the food here is decent. Its kind of like going to a good Asian Massage parlor, you know what your there for but one seems to forget they may offer other services that are just as good if not better than the one you receive each week.
Even though it waslate on a Sunday night, the large parking lot on the side of the restaurant and a fair amount of street parking make for easy parking most of the time. Even on the busiest summer nights one can always find a good place to park.
Tons of pigs and there blue collar brethen were hanging out at this place, in fact it seemed as though there were more cops here than at the local precint. Good to see my tax dollars hard at work.
HOMEMADE SPUMONI, AWESOME PIZZA
A good friend is from the neighborhood and that's how I found out about it. Try the Grilled chicken hero with peppers & onions, amazing.
I'm no Sicilian pizza connoisseur, but on a recommendation from a friend, I was intrigued by her "You've gotta go to L&B!" enthusiasm. On a day when I felt like going on a little adventure, my boyfriend and I drove 11 miles down to Gravesend to try this pizza out.
What can I say? It was good, it was hot and tasty, and we definitely scarfed it down. $2.75 for a slice-- chewy soft crust, sweet sauce, minimal cheese. Will I drive 11 miles in the near future to come here again? Nah. I'd rather try somewhere else in the quest for something amazing.
We also tried the rainbow spumoni- chocolate, vanilla and pistachio. It was nice-- a little icy, a little creamy, not cloyingly sweet. Again, not out of this world, but definitely good.
It's a pretty casual place, nice to sit outside in the summer. I gotta give them credit, though, for being open 70 years. Wow!
as far back as i can remember L&B has always been a brooklyn staple for a solid square slice
i would not leave here without getting a spumoni ice in a squeeze cup- even if you already had 5 squares
L&B Spumoni Gardens makes a very nice and saucy square pie. The dough is crispy and soft and doughy at the same time. The dough is not insanely thick, but it is a square slice so you'll never confuse this with any kind of thin crust pizza. Very flavorful pizza---cheese is under the sauce....soooo yummy!
I also had the spumoni which is very nice too.YUM YUM YUM! Go there!!!
One of the best in NY. If you are visiting NYC, jump on the subway and try this place. The pizza is incredible and very yummy.
This place has the best Sicilian slice I've had in NYC so far. The slice doesn't look like a regular pizza slice, though. It's got pieces of mozzerella on top. I'm not sure what makes it so special, but I really liked it. I had to have two slices. The second one to make sure it was real. Hehe.
It's got a ton of outdoor seating, the building is old school. The bathrooms are outside on opposite ends of the building. There's an inside, too, but I didn't go in.
When Famous Fat Dave introduced us to this place on our last visit to New York, it was so good we took the subway out on our own from Manhattan (a one hour ride) only 12 hours later. This time we were staying with a friend in New Jersey so we endured a 2 hour train and subway trip from New Jersey involving FOUR TRANSFERS just to eat here. Totally worth it though. My time is precious in New York because I never have enough time to go everywhere I want to, but it's worth traveling for the pizza at Spumoni Gardens.
What they do here is Sicilian style pizza which is thicker and breadier than New York style. You order at the counter and let them know how many crust edges you want. The pizza slices are all square shaped and the pie is cooked as one big rectangle, so your choices are 0, 1, and 2. (I prefer 1 - like back hair it gives you something to hold onto.) I recommend ordering one slice at a time so it never gets cold.
Oh yeah, they make one kind of pizza and it's cheese. That's the only kind you need. The sauce is what makes it good. In fact it's outstanding.
You'll probably get a table but you may have to wait a few minutes. Soft drink cans are $1.50 each which is a bit on the high side.
When you're done you can head next door where there's a sit down restaurant (serving pasta classics) and spumoni counter. While you wait you can look at the old neighborhood pictures.
The spumoni is a day-glo green color, and it's nutty and it's the best damn spumoni I've ever had.
Blue collar New York and Boston guys are smart and will mess with you. It's something we unfortunately don't have on the West Coast. When I got my spumonis I asked for a spoon, and the counter guy was like "That'll be $1." I was like Ha ha, smart ass.
This place is a slightly sketch walk from the subway. It's fine during the day but I wouldn't do it at night. You also get to walk past an Aardvark amusement rental place with small amusement park rides. (Can you tell Coney Island is only a mile away?) And it's totally worth a 2 hour FOUR TRANSFER train and subway trip.
One of THE HANDS DOWN best takes on a Square Sicilian Slice you'll find on the PLANET. Sometimes you drive by and decide you want just one slice. But you walk up to the window a great ol tray of pizza and before you know it you're sitting at one of their benches, the sun shining on your face, and you've got 3 big hot slices covered in sauce and parmesean staring you in the stomach.
Then you get up to waddle to your car in their parking lot, which is almost always full but at least they have one, and out of the corner of your eye you see a small child with the biggest grin on their face. You turn around and they are OM NOM NOMing some Strawberry Spumoni. Well now that did it and the next thing you know you've got a cone of creamy goodness in one hand and a pre-packed quart in the other.
If that wasn't enough they have a full service Italian restaurant with indoor and outside seating. Oh yes. I'm not kidding. Heroes and Pasta Dishes galore!
This may be blasphemous - but I've had a better square slice. (::ducking lightning bolts::)
The sauce is very tasty (not too acidic), and the bread/crust part was moist in, and crunchy out. My problem was the lack of mozzarella. Maybe it was the particular time I was at L&B (late night), but it left something to be desired.
They have the best Sicilian slices by far in New York! In addition, their home made spumoni is amazing. Spumoni is my all-time favorite!
I had very high hopes for this place. They were exceeded! My friend and I rode our bikes down Ocean Parkway to get here. What a great ride. We were pretty hungry and thirsty by the time we arrived. There was a HUGE crowd here on an early Friday evening. We were a little concerned about wait time. Fortunately, the lines move very quickly. As in, 30 seconds of wait time. We bought 2 Sicilians and walked over for some Budweiser cans. Poured them into the provided frat party cup and chugged. I normally wouldn't do that, but I was very thirsty.
I eat a lot of pizza and normally prefer a round pie, but this is the best slice of pizza I have ever had. Every aspect is perfect. Delicious moist dough and crust, awesome tomato-y sauce, and just the right amount of quality cheese for a perfect balance.
Go there, now. It's worth the trip.
i had the 29 bucks seafood pasta with all the seafood possible on it served with white calm sauce. it was HUGEEE, two people couldnt finish it but overall it was okay, maybe i ordered the wrong sauce to be served on the dish?
i had the Sicilian slices too, it was okay because i hate pizza =x
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