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Spring St-Lafayette St (6)
Bowery (J, M)
Prince St (R, W)
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Sometimes really popular and touristy restaurants get to be that way because the food is good, and has been for a long time.
That's why I still like going to Lombardis. The pizzas are NY to a "T", the ceasar salad shaves the parm and the dressing has strong hints of garlic and anchoive paste, and the tables are uncomfortable and close enough together that it still feels NY.
I think the earpieces for the staff is a bit overboard, however. Lombardi's is popular and busy, there's no need to incorporate TGI Friday's into it.
Pizza or ramen?? I guess NYC pizza it is!!
After hearing that Ippudo Ramen had a 1 hour wait.. we decided to go for NYC pizza instead at Lombardi's, and boy was it a journey to get there...
There wasn't a wait for our party of 8 and after we went through a maze in the restaurant we were seated upstairs in the additional seating area. From what I remember, original pizza was about $20 that included cheese, basil leaves, and tomato sauce?? If you wanted to add toppings I believe 5 toppings was an additional $8 and so forth.
Personally, I didn't like the pizza that much, it was very thin and the toppings seemed to fall right off of it. Took the leftovers home and didn't even eat it and usually next day pizza is supposed to taste better right??
OK yes... the pizza is good and the place is classic. But seriously, no credit cards? I understand wanting to hide profits and keep profits, but just because you are over 100 years old doesn't mean you can't keep with the times!
Everything is a bit overpriced, and the wait does stink most of the time. But, the pizza is good... dare I say one of the best in NYC.
We wanted to try some real NY Pizza and Lombardi's was on the spreadsheet that my brother's friend sent him before going to NY. So off we go on our first dinner out in the City. Thin crust pizza is my favorite, you get to taste the toppings and not have a mouthful of dough and crust.
The wait was less than expected for a table of 4. I believe they told us 30-40 mins and that was about how long we waited. (+1 for telling the truth about the wait!) Good thing we had the entertaining bartender to keep us preoccupied prior to being seated. To get to our table, we walked thru the kitchen to another side room...just walking thru there made my stomach grumble!
We ended up ordering a Caesar Salad and Bread Sticks as appetizers. DO NOT order the Bread Sticks, they were AWFUL - no flavor, even when you covered it with the marinara dipping sauce, we left half the basket (-1 for yucky breadstick, we even told the waitress and she just shrugged her shoulders and took the basket away!).
As for the Pie, we ordered Mushroom and Italian Sausage. It was delivered to our table piping hot and looked wonderfully delicious! The cheese was super melty and the crust wasn't burnt. The first bite was Nom-licious.
It was a good choice as the first dinner meal in NY. Price was reasonable, food was good and the company was even better!
I am sorry Lombardi's, I do not like you. You make a decent slice, but you are overpriced and under-cheesed. The wait takes a long time, and so does the service. Can I please get a refill of water? My mouth is parched, and I want to pay and leave.
First time: White pizza - /cancel hype
Second time: Large pie with Pepperoni & sun dried tomatoes - hands washed.
2 underwhelming experiences, and I must say: Never again. I'm going elsewhere.
NY trips always require pizza. I don't know WHY the pizza is so damn good here, but I'm not gonna question, I am just going to consume. While this place is a TOTAL tourist trap, I was happy to take the boyfriend here on what could be considered one of "the" pizza destinations in NYC.
The wait here is absurd - but we put our names in, and went for a walk around SoHo while we waited (and I quietly considered eating both my arm and my boyfriend's arm off). We FINALLY got seated, and settled in for some pie. I let him decide both the size (large) and one of the toppings (meatballs), and also took his incredulous look when I suggested we get SOME kind of vegetable on it as well (which then became mushrooms). We both ordered a beer, and the waitstaff was very quick about coming around. The place is charming, and it seems like they pretty much know what they are doing here.
The plus side of Lombardi's? While the wait for a table is something close to forever, the wait for pizza is like, a millionth of that. This is due to the fact that their oven is set at about 900 degrees, and so pizzas cook in there in about 4 minutes. Best cooking time I have EVER heard of. Pizza also comes out ridiculously piping hot, and I have one thing to say:
"mmmmmmmmmmmm"
I didn't talk to the boyfriend for most of the meal, and he responded in kind. We DESTROYED a large, and happily sat there sipping our beer, and got the very nice couple across from us to take our picture.
Another one of those CASH ONLY places. I am always prepared in NYC for this type of shenanigan. My cousin says it's because of the crisis - I think it's just some kind of weird exclusive thing that is "only in New York".
Damn them for making such delicious pizza though, because they TOTALLY get away with it.
Ricotta, Spinach and Meatballs= pure heavenly bliss.
prices are pretty reasonable.
waits are excessive but worth it.
waited 20 min at 6 pm last saturday so not bad at all.
crust is awesome. def worth it.
cash only.
5 stars! Lombardi's is a classic. Adorable red and white checked table clothes, old school bubbly plastic soda cups and the best THIN crust pizza NYC has to offer. Fresh Mozzarella on every slice. Yumm!
Note: cash only.
Don't know the price...Never had a chance to foot the bill.
Service is awesome.
Meat lovers - great.
They already have over 700 reviews, so who needs mine?
But with that said... WOW. My favorite pizza in the world. Great smoky taste to the crust. Perfect toppings (meat lover is the way to go), tangy sauce and yummy cheese.
I really wish I were eating it now instead of typing this review!
Wow! Need I say more? My first time in NYC and we were told to visit this place for the best pizza...were they correct! Our food server was a bit depleted on personality but the experience and the awesome pizza overshadowed it!
When we were ready to leave...I saw Jerry..my partner had looked up at a picture and back down at this guy sitting there. This was Mr. Lombardi...the owner of this place! This was very cool and such a nice guy and we had our picture taken with him! Definitely go visit this place in Little Italy.
This is the best pizza I've ever had. It was recommended by a friend who grew up in the area and I'm glad I took his advice.
I've had both the margarita (margherita) and pepperoni pizza and both were amazing. The pepperoni is probably the best I've ever had; I would love to just take some of the pepperoni slices to munch on. I've taken several visiting family members here and they have all loved the pizza as well.
Lombardi's is usually packed at lunch and dinner (go a bit off the lunch and dinner rush if you want quicker seating), but be prepared to wait a little bit at any time. The restaurant is actually fairly large with a backroom and more seating upstairs. The staff is quick with serving you so once you're in you don't have to wait too much longer for food.
The location is great too since it's right near Little Italy and Soho (so you can shop and go get gelato afterwards)!
A friend of mine told me Lombardi's was a staple in NYC. I had never heard of it, so we decided to check it out. Now I know why there is so much hype. The pizza was simply fantastic - no frills, nothing fancy, just basic coal oven pizza with simple ingredients. The crust stayed perfectly crispy throughout the entire meal and my arms weren't drenched with oil. The mozerella cheese was so fresh and tastey. I also would recommend the house salad because of the homemade dressing...how can i describe this....it's like being punched in a face - POWWWW!!! So much flavor, oh so good. Lombardi's lives up to the hype - best pizza in town.
Tip: Cash Only so be sure to hit up the ATM beforehand.
Good!
I used to live near this place. It was always jammed, so I never went in. The same goes for Pink's Taco on La Brea in LA... but I digress.
The pizza is NYC, old school thin. They've got great toppings. The wait isn't too unbearable.
It's a fun place to grab a traditional slice of pizza.
Food = B+
Service = B
Atmosphere = C-
Overall = B
I'm sorry to everyone who loves this place but... are you kidding?
Bread sticks. It's actually just plain old (kind of stale) bread, barely salted, served with some seriously watery tomato sauce. For $9? Ummm, no. Very, very disappointed.
Calzone. The size was great. the dough itself was great as well. BUT, the italian sausage was terrible, it almost tasted old. The mushrooms weren't seasoned at all, very cheap run of the mill mushrooms that cost $1 per 20 lbs.
Pizza. I'll spare my fingers the typing and say I've had MUCH MUCH MUCH better. C'mon, Lombardi's, live up to your hype.
One of the places you "have to go" as a tourist. The pizza was pretty good, but I don't know if it was as great as the hype. We weren't very hungry when we went there, but our visit was short and we knew we wouldn't be coming back to little italy.
The restaurant is too small for strollers so they 'check' it for you at the door. No room for high chairs either, only booster seats. Forget about a changing table, not so convenient with a toddler.
Another redundant Yelp review but I need it for my own reference!!
So I've done the Grimaldi's thing and the Lombardi's thing and I would have to agree that I see them equally. The styles are relatively similar and I would have to praise both for their fresh toppings. They're both different from your typical NY hole-in-wall pizza joint because it isn't as greasy and tastes relatively healthy.
Lombardi's restaurant is bigger so the wait may not be as bad. Actually on a Monday night, I waited about 5 minutes. Pizzas come out fast and Italian sodas are a delight to drink too (tell them to be less generous with the whip cream though otherwise it'll take up half your cup). My pizza toppings included pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, and spinach... pretty standard I would say. It came out delicious but I do think that Grimaldi's pepperonis are more flavorful. I did notice some extra charred-ness on the crust though but it was negligible. A large pizza with the toppings I got ended up being about $26.
As for ambiance, Lombardi's has two levels - the main floor which is kind of old school and wooden and the lower level which is a well-furnished, quieter basement. Service is top-notch.
Quick tid bit for dat ass: Lombardi's is one of the oldest eateries in NY and the oldest Pizzaria in the USA. Get your permission slip signed & take a historic field trip. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two....smart guy.
Thin crust pizza just does not get any better than Lombardi's. Wait time is acceptable. Space is old school...duh! And the pizza is phenomenal!
Lombardi's is a solid 5 star....until i try something better. Keep praying i don't fellas.
2 stars seems slightly low but the saying says "Meh. Ive expected better" and that is literally how I felt. I guess I pumped myself up for so long and expected such amaziness from this place that when it was not happening, I was sad.
I went on a weeknight and was seated immediately, walked through the entire restaurant to the back of the second room. Shared a pizza with sausage and mushroom and it was plenty to eat for 2 people. Slightly undercooked which I generally like but something just wasn't doing it for me. Edible for sure, even pretty good, but deliciously the best pizza in town, it was not. I also got a sangria which was a sad excuse for one. A tiny cup, no fruit, no buzz. Boo. Waitress was not receptive to us being there at all.
Side note, they only take cash but "luckily" you just have to walk outside to the ATM.
So I heard a lot about this place
"It's the oldest pizza place in the US... "
"It's always jammed pack etc..."
"The best pizza in the world... "
The first two statements are probably true. Not sure about the third. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it. Their pizza was fantastic! In my opinion it's just not the best in the world...
Came in from our flight after 1PM. We were starving so my wife and I decide to walk from our hotel in Chelsea to try and hit Lombardi's. After the long walk and wait, we get our pizza around 3:30. I'm not even hungry anymore, that time had already passed. Oh, and I'm from Chicago. So I had every reason to hate this hyped-up pizza they profile on Food TV all the time.
Well, it was simply fantastic. While I was eating it, I struggled to think of where I've had a better pizza - I couldn't so I just kept eating. Maybe there's better pizza than this in NY, but there definitely isn't in Chicago - there are a million places trying to imitate this style of pizza in Chicago and they just plain fail.
My only annoyance was not directly related to Lombardi's. We were surrounded by idiot tourists who couldn't contemplate that they are CASH ONLY. Stupid, it says that all over the menu and there are ATMs outside and INSIDE the place. Don't argue with them because you are too dumb to notice - the terms are clear. And definitely don't argue with them if the table next to you had just argued with them. I feel bad for you natives that have to deal with these idiots all the time.
This is NOT New York street pizza, and that's a good thing. Like most things in the city, the average pizza is overhyped and underwhelming. This Little Italy pizzeria, however, easily makes up for 100 crappy Ray's because this pizza is the. Real. Deal.
Loaded with fresh toppings, made to order at a sit-down atmosphere, no rush, and great for groups and out-of-towners, this is THE place for pizza in Manhattan. The awkward, U-shaped layout around the kitchen and oven makes for some cramped times (particularly right before showtime in the Village theatre scene), so get there early. You WON'T be disappointed.
FOOD: Great pizza and other Italian fare. I don't even LIKE white pizza, but one bite of Lombardi's concoction made me wonder what I've been missing for so many years.
SERVICE: A little crazy. The place gets packed and hot, so don't blame them. Remember to tip well: they remember regulars.
For Anchovy-lovers, this is truly the best pizza in the city. Fresh anchovies, lightly cooked into the cheese, with fish flavor that isn't overwhelmed by salt. Mmmmm-mmmmmmm.
Best pizza in the city either goes to this place or Grimaldi's.
That being said, what separates this place from Grimaldi's is the lack of a wait time. My friends and I were promptly seated and our order was taken after a short while. We got a pepperoni pizza, which was delicious. The pie was piping hot, and all the toppings felt were fresh. If I lived in the city, I'd definitely go here more often than not.
I start with a warning: If you come to Lombardi's, you will NEVER settle for regular pizza again.
I stepped in on a rainy day, feeling curious as to whether this really beats out Grimaldi's or not (not too much of a difference). The place is well-illuminated and the service is on-point. The waiters are all very nice and talkative, and the area where the pizza is made is open, so anyone can see and take pictures of it.
The one thing I hate about these old-world pizza parlors is that they don't serve by the slice, or serve pies which can *easily* be consumed by one person. Thus, I chose to get their $15 pie, which is actually about the size of a regular pizza pie. (I guess it's a good thing that I haven't eaten pizza for about a month prior to then, right?)
The pizza is as good as it gets. The sauce is a little sweeter than Grimaldi's, but still has that great, natural taste. The bread is nice and soft, and the mozzarella is phenomenal. If you're a beer drinker, this probably goes down very well with Peroni; I just had water. (A sin, yes I know!) I ate the whole thing with absolutely no problems and no regrets.
In short, it would be a sin to not eat at Lombardi's, Grimaldi's or Patsy's at least once. Few can say they match up to this.
749 reviews already? I guess I just make a quick comprising...
TOMATO APIZZA ARE STILL BETTER.... but not by much
i typically try to steer clear from the thin crust pizza (which means the ones from pizza hut/dominos and other chain pizzarias) but obviously I've never had a LOMBARDI'S PIZZA!
Everything tasted so fresh!
Everything was so good!
Though the crust was a bit on the chewy side - I still ate it all! (Which, again i normally dont)
This would be what I call a real pizza because it doesn't leave your mouth feeling all drenched in oil (hey and sometimes that's fine too).
I walked pass their brick wall oven as well!!!!
Only thing was my little glass of sangria costed way more than it should have been =(
This pizza joint was on my friend's massive things to eat list for NYC. I thought it was one of those places where you can walk in and get a slice of pizza to go. But it turned out that it's a sit down restaurant where they make your pizza fresh when you order. That kinda set back my stomach a little since I was only planning on taking one bite just to say "I had NY pizza."
We ordered a small Margherita pizza with extra sauce and mushrooms. It come with fresh mozzarella cheese chunks all over the pizza and the crust is crispy and moist. I loved it! We ended up finishing up the whole pizza. Can you say fatty? Burp! It was worth every last calorie. You definitely have to try this place if you're in NYC!
COULD NOT wait to eat at this place! It's definitely a NY pizza place you want to check out. I read on the menu that this place was the first licensed pizza place in America. We actually didn't wait long. We probably waited longer for our waitress to come and take our order.
We ordered the 18" pizza which came with 8 slices. Garlic roasted spinach and meatballs (beef and pork) as our toppings. The slices were the most thinnest pizza slices I have ever had in my life. I loved it. I had to fold them up so none of my toppings would fall off. The cheese was so soft. Not the rubbery kind we have in LA. We had juicy meatballs and the spinach was full of garlic flavor. It was heavenly!
This place is bigger than you think. We sat in the front and I thought it was small as heck but one of their employees led us through this long maze through their kitchen and to the back. It was still a narrow long room, and the tables and chairs were totally cramped, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. This place was definitely a winner.
Next stop. Grimaldi's!
(Actually a 4.5.......what's up with no half-increment ratings for users Yelp?)
Great, original Pizza.
It's excellent and definitely the oldest (you can taste this from its oven -- all in a good way of course).
I would say its the best pizza I've had, NEXT to Pizzeria Mozza in LA. I'm not sure if everyone would say this is the 'best' pizza in NYC however, as some people are obviously not afraid to voice that on here.
For me it was one of the best i've had, but at the same time it's the only NYC pizza staple I've experienced....If I had the other famous ones around this city, not sure if i could keep telling you that this is 'the best in NY.'
Bottom line though, this is definitely a must try if you are a pizza lover.
Great thin crust with a great sauce, which is what really stuck out at me...the flavor of the tomato was amazing.
My friends and I were visiting the city walking around exploring the different neighborhoods. We had dim sum in Chinatown and decided to walk to Little Italy. We decided to spend the latter part of the day in Little Italy but realized that Little Italy was very small and boring. We wanted to have dinner here so we decided to just hang around a bit. We ended up having an early dinner at like 3 pm at Lombardi. We noticed a line and we started talking to them. We found out this is one of the best Pizza in town so we decided we're going to eat here.
I'm glad we dawdled in Little Italy and found this place. They did have the BEST pizza I've ever eaten. The sauce is great. The toppings were fresh and great.
I came back a second time when I was in NYC and it wasn't as good as the first time around. It might have to do with the toppings. I chose different toppings this time around.
Lombardi's has the best think crust pizza I have ever eaten, bar none.
The pizza margherita is to die for. I've never tried anything else on the menu because it could not possibly top the simplicity of the pizza margherita.
The history of being the countries first pizzeria is a bonus to the delicious food.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Meatballs on pizza! Life doesn't get better than that. Thanks to http://Yelp.com our whole trip to New York was filled with "Good Eats".
THANK YOU YELP!
I LOVE NY!!!
How historical! Incidentally, this is the first pizzeria in the US.
I read in a Lonely Planet guide that this was the oldest pizzeria in the city. I concluded that if it's the oldest, there must be something really great about since it's still standing. (Okay, that could be faulty logic, but it was super crowded, too!)
We were seated within 5 minutes and served right away. Our server was very friendly and prompt; not to mention purdy :)
We ordered a small pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of mushrooms; I'm no expert but I'm guessing it was portobello & porcini, which made for a different, non-typical-American ( white button) flavor. It was hot and delicious and we had no problem polishing off the pie in its entirety.
I know everyone's pizza expectations are different, but this pizza was fantastic to me. It does not taste like New York/American pizza. No, this one brought me back to Napoli, which is why I'm giving it 5 stars.
At the end of the night, we paid for our bill, which I thought fair because of the wonderful pizza and experience I had here. Upon request, our server also recommended a place for dessert. All in all, a great experience and I'd come back next time I'm in NY :)
Food: Lombardi's is what you get if Grimaldi's looked at itself in the mirror. Everything is opposite. I prefer the pizza at Grimaldi's because it is baked better. The pizza here comes out limpy and the crust flat and doughy. The ingredients (mozzarella, sausage, onion, and mushrooms) here are top notch. Clam pizza had sparse clams and after a few tries I've decided that any seafood on pizza is generally not a good idea. The sauce is laid out well, doesn't overflow as you eat.
Service: Average service, which is more than Grimaldi's. (FYI, no credit cards accepted)
Drink: Had a few problems once, ordered a pitcher of coke which was flat. Told them, and they replied that its being changed right now and we will get another one. Came back, it was flat and told them again. They said sorry and came back with root beer, wtf? Tired of asking, I simply just don't care, but I can imagine if they try to pull that with someone who cares or doesn't like root beer.
Crowd/Ambiance: Old school Lombardi's was much better, had more character. The expansion allowed for increase space, more tourists, resulting in higher revenue, but sacrificed on the rustic, original feel. What carried over was the claustrophobic seating and table space.
This place claims it's the best in NYC and appears on many top 10 pizza place lists. What can I say? Average american pizza. No better than pizza hut as far as I'm concerned.
See my review of John's Pizza for more.
Lombardi's is good for its convenient location-close to Chinatown, Soho and subway station 6.
Some friends and I ordered a 8 slicer with various toppings. I'd say that the pizza was alright. Nothing to rave about. I would much rather prefer to order set pizzas such as a Hawaiian pizza, combination pizza, etc. or how about a new concoction that would bring some glory to Lombardi's name?
Service was really bad. Our waitress was rude, impatient, and showed a sliver of a smile only when it came time to tip.
Back to Round Table Pizza and Blondie's I go!
I really had not found a pizza place in Manhattan that I would be a repeat customer of (bearing in mind I rarely eat pizza so am quite inexperienced in this genre). I will definitely be returning to this spot!
We went for lunch at work and got 3 pizzas (2 big/1 small) for six adults: one garlic sauteed spinach, one meatball/pepperoni, and one plain. This was more than enough food for all! We really had to stuff our faces to finish.
There is a good amount of seating due to what I have read was an expansion. We sat in a patio-type room on the 2nd floor and it did delay service a little bit, but overall server was really nice.
The pizza was delicious and not under/over cooked at all --- spot on! The meatballs (pork/meat combined) were the single best thing about Lombardi's... they were absolutely amazing. CASH ONLY.
I will be going back soon!
i have to say I'm quiet disappointed with the pizza... This always happens when you have too high of expectations.. I've been wanting to come here forever..
We have party of 8.. on a sunday evening.. it was not hard to get a table at all that's a ++ we ordered clam pie .. I personally think it's a little bit too dry.. plus it takes forever .. hence service was slow
I'm not a pizza expert here but I've tasted better pizza before.. My overall experience here wasn't as good as I expected.
Can't believe I've lived in NYC for 5.5 years and I've never been here. But now I have and I was missing a lot! This is some crazy good brick oven pizza that has the freshest mozzarella and tomato sauce ever. The way to go it to start with the house salad. The dressing is making my mouth water just thinking about it - it's that good. This is a standard pizzeria and it delivers.
An NYC classic. Don't bother coming here with locals, just wait until your friends come to visit and want to taste NYC pizza. It's right in little italy and they use fresh ingredients from local delis.
If your friends are adventurous, try their clam pizza... it's delicious and not something you can get in most places. Don't get dessert here, just go across the street for some rice pudding at Rice to Riches.
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