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1st Ave-14th St (L)
Mon. 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Tue-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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This was pizza as I see it in my dreams, exactly how I love it, with delicious mozzarella, fresh sauce, very thin crust, great toppings (i.e. prosciutto, arugula, my favorites...). Perfection. Can't recommend it highly enough, but it seems with all these reviews, that I don't even have to.
Had a delicious plate of olives (and I mean delicious, a generous portion, and in a spicy, tasty oil), very friendly waitress, good service, and 2 very nice bottles of wine (a Morellino di Scansano and a Nebbiolo).
I would go back here in a heartbeat for an informal meal, and I would proudly bring anybody.
just got back from luzzo's and unfortunately had to downgrade my two 5-star reviews down to 4 stars. simply because of the unfortunate service tonight. This time my bro and i took my sister in law after raving about their calzone. in my last review i discussed how great it was. so this time we ordered the same large calzone except in eggplant parm flavor. what we got was a small one. So we kindly said to the waitress that we had ordered the large one. We then were surprised with the following excuses:
1. we only make one size (there are two sizes explicitly written on the menu)
2. we have never made any other size though (showed the waitress picture of the last large one on my camera phone)
3. ok, but it's not in the system so we can't make a large one (this excuse was worst of all)
after that convo, she said i'll bring the manager over and you can talk with him. 5 mins later she returns (without the manager) and says, ok, so you don't want this?
like, what just happened there??!!. so we say, no we want the large one remember, we'll speak to the manager like you recommended. manager comes over and says he'll make us the large one and was pretty rude about it. we get it and we were unattended to for pretty much the rest of the night.
very sad to downgrade Luzzo's since i have been telling everyone i know on facebook and twitter that luzzo's makes the best pizza i've ever had - including all in manhattan, brooklyn, and new haven. really upsetting too that after 2 visits of great service we got them on an off day.
Went back to Luzzo's today to cheer myself up before i take the GMAT. called up my bro cause he's… Read more »
I got a little testy,
When I had a soggy pizza crust from Kesté,
It was my first experience with a Neapolitan.
Disliking it made me feel less of a gastronomopolitan.
From here I learn the difference between a NY style & a Neapolitan:
NY - Crispy, cracker thin crust
Neapolitan - Soft, spongy, slightly burnt crust
Neapolitan style pizza...Love it or hate it,
I gave it at least 2 tries before I can fairly rate it.
Luzzo is my second attempt.
The experience left me feeling very content.
Good to know great tasting Neapolitan pizza does exist.
The crust here is perfectly charred and chewy with a slight crisp.
The center is soft and dangled lightly,
The taste of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, & olive oil balance nicely.
I am happy to report the crust is not soggy,
If it were, I'd feel very groggy.
Man, do I feel like a sucker. Here I am telling people left and right that the best pizza in New York would have to be a 3 horse race between Lombardi's, Grimaldi's and DiFara's, when in actuality, it's Luzzo's - the Seabiscuit of them all - that takes the cake.
Referred by Peter D. for a killer pie and an easy seat, we swung by early on a Thursday night with pizza on the mind. Comfortable, casual setting and surrounded by regulars, we started with the arugula and parmesan salad and got a pie with pepperoni, ham and mushrooms. They weren't too generous with the parmesan, but the arugula was dressed lightly with lemon juice and was a nice start. Noticing the people next to us got the linguine and clams which looked amazing, I started to regret our choice just a tad. That is until our pie came out. Burnt around the edges, perfectly placed mozzarella and fresh basil, we ate the whole goddamn thing.
Honestly, I can't wait to come back and bring my Mom. THAT's how good it was. Do yourself a favor and skip the lines everywhere else. Luzzo's got the rest of them beat by a nose.
What do my mom, dad, sister, roommate #1, roommate #2, and two good friends have in common?
Luzzo's is by far and away the most amazing pizza we've ever had. Forget the toppings - they just detract from the beautiful flavors of the sauce and mozzarella - get a 16" bufala for 2, and enjoy the one food you've been eating since you were 6 years old and can still be spectacularly surprised by.
The meatballs and the house chianti aren't so bad either.
Amazing pizza joint. Nothing like New York pizza. You order a pizza and they throw it in the oven and its done in like 5min. Good olive oil on each slice in true New York fashion.
If I had to describe my ideal pizza, I'm pretty sure it would taste something like Luzzo's. The ingredients are fresh, the cheese to sauce ratio is on point, and the crust is perfectly chewy with a few obligatory crispy "burny bits". It's definitely some of the best pizza I've ever had.
I had family in town who all wanted pizza, and this was a great place to take them as it's loud & bustling (gotta keep them comfortable in their natural environment) and not too expensive. No one was particularly starving, so the four of us shared a large and it was enough.
I wasn't too impressed with the service - from the hostess to the waitress, everyone seemed to have a bit of an attitude. Our order came out incorrectly as well, but we ate it anyway and it was great enough for a four-star rating, despite the imperfections. I'll absolutely be making another visit there in the future.
Oh, Luzzo, you are so close to greatness.
Your pizza is truly spectacular, one of the best in the city. It is on par with my favorite, Gruppo, but $17 for a small thin-crust cheese pizza that can barely feed a child? Seriously? Plus, your calamari is undercooked, rubbery, and cut big, reminding me of a cheap diner, and your salads are nothing to write home about.
I'm hard on you because I love you Luzzo. But until those prices go down and the quality of the non-pizza goes up, I'll go around the corner to Gruppo (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), whose pizza is just as good, whose everything else is better, and whose prices are more reasonable.
Note: this is my follow-up review in which I downgrade Luzzo's from 5 stars to 3 stars.
You know that scene in crime movies when the criminal finally scores the bit hit and he sits back, lights a cigar, and breathes a sigh of relief as he lounges on a pile of money? That's how I felt when I found Luzzo's. I sat back, lit a cigar, and lounged on a big pile of mozzarella. That was the good life.
All good things must end.
The main offender is the crust, arguably the most important part of a high-end pizza. Gone is the airy, pockmarked crust that felt simultaneously like chomping on a loaf of bread and eating a cloud. In its place is a hard, disgusting crust that you'd find at any St. Mark's pizza hole.
The tangy sauce also seems to have taken a dive toward mediocrity.
To their credit, the cheese is just as good as it always was. That's the only thing saving Luzzo's from 2 stars.
And while I'm at it, they redecorated. Oh boy, they redecorated. Have you ever thought it would be a good idea to glue a chair to the ceiling? Or mix wagon wheels, columns, and sleek glass? Well if you have, then you'd love Luzzo's and you should never, ever, ever, ever decorate anything. For the rest of us, get ready for what is now The Ugliest Restaurant In New York.
Luzzo's, you're out. I'm going to Keste.
There's no need to write anything clever. This is the best pizza I've ever had and I've never even… Read more »
Our very nice Italian server conned my 2 other friends and I into getting a large 16" pizza instead of a small 12" pizza even though we had just popped in to grab a bite since we had just recently eaten at another joint! What a charmer. But we stuffed ourselves silly and had one slice leftover to go.
The pizza was good...we had the Diavola pizza with tomato, mozz, and spicy salami. The spicy salami/pepperoni was great. There were several different pizzas that I would've liked to try. I kept eating it even after having just eaten so it must've been good. This place was pretty packed on that Saturday night. Definitely enjoyable!
We've come here a couple of times and we originally found this place through the NY Mag pizza edition. The atmosphere is definitely country kitchen (it reminds us of "Good Enough to Eat" on the UWS). The pizza is delicious, with a not-too-doughy crust that's just right, well cooked cheese and a good amount of tomato sauce. If you get a large, they can make the pizza half one type and half another, which is a bonus.
The house wine here is a smidge fire water but good for the price of around $25 for a large carafe. The only thing we didn't like here was the prosciutto and arugula pizza - the arugula was great but the prosciutto tasted old and gamey.
I came across Luzzo's on Yelp; it had so many rave reviews, I couldn't resist.
Sure enough, when we arrived, the entire restaurant was packed. Not a single table open, EXCEPT the one in the front, right by the bar; we took it. While we waited for service, a lot of Italian-speaking Italians walked in. Ah, a pizza place with Italians; that's gotta be a good sign.
We ordered a small bufala; I was sold on simplicity. Tomato sauce. basil. mozzarella all on a thin crust. It was delicious and Italian! If only there were more of it... they weren't kidding when they called it "small". I could have easily eaten the thing myself.
Service was lackluster; in addition to being curt and impersonal, they took a while to bring our food and bill. Of course they were busy, but we ended up paying in cash because we didn't want to wait around for someone to take a card, return it for signing, etc. Oh well, that aside...
My gripe was the price. Our pizza was fairly small (12") and with zero toppings, cost $15 and some how, the bill came out to $19. That's kinda steep to me, for a pie that isn't really filling, despite that it was yummy.
4 stars for the pizza; the price kept it from being a 5.
2 stars for the price. Less price or more pizza, please.
2 stars for service because, really, meh, I've had better.
Had the Ripieno pizza, which has a variety of meats (since the bf refuses to go cheese only). Liked the different types of mozzarella, and the fresh basil. It resembled DiFara's style - thin crust, different type of mozzarella, basil, but I have to say I preferred DiFara's. Service was okay, the waiter kept forgetting about us since we were sort of shoved into a corner, but at least the pizza and bread weren't bad.
After all the awesome reviews and living right down the street I went to Luzzo's wanting to love the place!!! BUT, when I went (party of 2, please), we had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated, when their were many tables open. The hostess was just standing there, not really doing anything. Then, when we were finally seated, NO ONE approached our table. no one brought water, no one brought menu's. Okay.....
So we waited for about 12 minutes and then decided to leave. There was a hostess standing next to our table (it was the first table in the front), a waiter that kept walking past us, and a bartender right behind our table that were all not really doing much. For no one to come over and greet us, give us menu's, or take our orders was ridiculous. I'm not sure I even want to go back after this experience...
4 stars, but really more like 3.75. I got a funghi pizza and eggplant parm delivered. The dough was springy and chewy but not too dense. There was an off-taste about it though. The marinara sauce was mediocre. The buffalo mozz was not very evenly spread - in fact there was a bald spot that looked like cheese had been there. Same with the basil. I think I got 2 pieces of basil for a 21". Why am I still giving it 4 stars? Because of its easy access - they deliver and for neapolitan pizza it was pretty decent. Would I go out of my way to come here? No.
Love love love love love.. I loooove the pizza here. I couldn't really rave about one particular pizza place before I came here. Luzzo's has become my favorite pizza in NY. I know it's not considered a real 'neopolitan' pie because of the crust, but I find it just perfect. The combination of great ingredients and perfectly cooked crust (to me) makes my tummy happy.
Service has been great both times I've been so far. Our water glasses were always filled and the waiters/waitresses have been attentive as well.
Would I go back here? Hell yes!!! Count me in for a few slices any time!
Amazing pizza, great atmosphere. I will be returning again and again. I'm not sure if I would say it's the best pizza in the city, but it's definitely within the top 5.
Something changed markedly. This used to be my go-to pizza place, one of the best in Manhattan, the perfect place to take anyone from mom to friends from out of town.
Not sure if they changed ovens, chefs, recipes, budgets, or what, but the crust has deteriorated - it's not nearly as moist and smoky - and the sauce has less zing.
I wrote the first mediocre pie off as a fluke, but after multiple tries, I think this is, sadly, the new state of affairs. Shame.
Best pizza I have had in Manhattan. Better than Lombardi's, definitely, and without all the wait /… Read more »
Let me put things in perspective: I'm Italian, and I like pizza. Neapolitan pizza is "the" pizza. For all of you who ask about thin vs. thick crust pizza, let me tell you something: there is NO thick crust pizza! That "thing" is called focaccia if you're nice, and junk American food if you like to call things by their name. Like pizza with pineapple; WTF?!? That's not a pizza, that's an ABOMINATION!
But I digress...
Luzzo's is the best pizza I've had in Manhattan so far. Simple and good, light but rich in flavor; just the way pizza is supposed to be.
This is a place for Italian expats at the last stage of homesickness. Last time I went there the music was BLASTING some of the worst Italian music you could ever hear (Raffaella Carra', Toto Cutugno, Ufo Robot, etc...), the kind of music that makes me feel embarrassed for being Italian.
But, boy, their pizza is good...
Got some TLC at Luzzo's after waking up with a dull headache, dry mouth and mild nausea one foul morning (yeah yeah).
Had a simple arugula salad with cherry tomatoes to start things off and some Menabrea to quench my thirst. The "Funghi" pizza arrived soon thereafter, a 12" pie just for me. Ended the session with a shot of espresso-- no sugar. Holy shit! $45 after tax and tip!
It was okay, maybe I'm being a hard critic but it didn't blow me away. On my visit I did note the handful of Italian speakers at the restaurant. Real Italians at an Italian pizza restaurant? Must be a good sign!
I prefer pizza that is thin and crispy everywhere- from first bite to the crust. We got a 16" pizza pie split into two different flavors. My first bite was disappointing. It didn't meet my crispy criteria. It was wet and sloppy but the closer I got the crust the crispier and airier it got. I also wish there was a bit more tomato sauce. I love tomato sauce.
Besides the pizza, we also got an Arugula salad. Is it weird that I loved the salad way more than the pizza? It was tangy and tasty.
I'll come back for the salad. :)
Luzzo's is why I live here. OK, perhaps it's not the only reason, but places LIKE Luzzo's remind me of why I am so lucky to live in NYC.*
Strolling down 1st Ave, I can duck into the unassuming little place on a whim. More often than not, I sit down immediately and order a pie. Each slice is as good as the best I've ever had anywhere else. Luzzo's is like a professional athlete; they make something that none of us can do look so easy. Effortless.
The Bufala is always perfect, but sometimes I opt for a specialty pie. Perhaps the Brutta Ma Buona, a tomato mozzarella pie with sausage, ricotta, olives and basil. The pizza is as it should be; simple, quality ingredients, perfectly prepared.
You want great pizza in Manhattan? Skip the line at Lombardi's and come here.
*Despite the insane cost of living, the MTA service cuts, the noise, that smell, the shameful recent performance of the Knicks and Mets, the fear of bedbugs, the humidity, people who insist on making Sex and the City comparisons, subway gropers and the damn NYU students.
I was surprised at how thin the crust was. And yet, still soggy. *sigh*
Service was friendly, though.
One thing I heart about the lower east side was the countless number of restaurants in walking distance from our hotel including Luzzos. It was a rainy evening last week but we braved the rainy in search of the quintessential NY Pizza. It was well worth thewind chill, the rain and the puddles to get to Luzzo's. We devoured a large mozarella and basil pizza with a whole bottle of Syrah from Sonoma (corkage $15). It was perfection.
Another overrated pizza place. Luzzo's pizza is just alright. I find it to be somewhat bland.
I usually like to order at least one margherita-style pizza since that sort of sets the bar. This one was umm, just OK.
I recommend Gruppo, just a few blocks away.
I was searching for good Neapolitan pizza on YELP for my NY weekend trip and came across this place. It got really high reviews and i was really excited to try it out.
It's very unassuming from the street and I almost passed it when looking for it. The hostess was dressed in some sort of pirate lady top (or maybe it's a traditional Italian thing...seemed more German?) which was funny. We were sat in the back, near the coal ovens and it was very hot in there! The chairs were really uncomfortable, too. Over all I'd say the atmosphere was just OK.
The pizza came out very fast. The crust was really really good! 5 starts for the crust! The pizza sauce was pretty good, not amazing, but good. We got the spicy salami. I probably should have gotten the prosciutto as I usually do when I get authentic Neapolitan pizza (otherwise I get peperoni). The salami gave the pizza the strange taste of Cheetos. CHEETOS! Yuck, I don't want my pizza to taste like that.
The pizza crust is so good here I would be willing to check it out again, but order a different kind of pizza. Just steer clear of the spicy salami.
Dear Luzzo's Establishment,
I really wanted to come here and enjoy your pizza that yelp reviews have raved about. Well, one Friday evening a friend and I decided to come in and try this wonderful pizza. We waited about 15 mins or so for a table and once we were finally seated in the back by the wall, my friend had felt something jump on him. He proceeded to brush off whatever landed on him onto the table. While this was going on, I was looking at the menu and he then tells me "Wait!" and pushes my menu out of my way so I could see what landed on the table. Well, it was a COCKROACH. At this point, I jump out of my seat and leave. The bus boy comes and looks at the table looking like he's unsure what to do and as were walking out the hostess asks me, "why are you leaving?" I reply "there's a roach on our table."
Anyway, needless to say I won't be back.
-Kristine
What a shame, I really wanted to try this place, but after seeing that and having it even jump on my friend - I'll never come back.
I know I am the odd one out in these reviews, but hey if I could I'd give this place zero stars - a cockroach is disgusting.
Luzzo, thank god for you.
I went in for lunch and the service was real prompt and friendly. Its a very cool little italian restaurant with a very expansive menu that I hope to continue to explore.
I got the Bufala pizza and it was seriously the best Neapolitan style pie I have ever had.
Its a hole in the wall and easy to miss, I walked past it twice before I found it.
If you're looking for the best, you can find it here. I cant wait to go back.
In terms of pizza quality, this place is up there. The crust is good, thin and crisp. The sauce is done well - tastes freshly made with a very clear, as opposed to tart tomato flavor. Cheese is fresh bufala mozzarella. Perhaps it could use a more liberal sprinkle of basil. Pie wise, it actually comes close in taste to my personal fave, Lucali but doesn't quite achieve that restaurant's perfect tomato/mozzarella ratio. It still is quite tasty, though, and I prefer it over Keste.
The establishment, as noted, won't set records for service, but heck, this is a glorified pizza parlor so realistic expectations should be in order. I came on a non-peak night so things came out relatively quick for me.
Downside is the prices are rising, whether due to demand or rising price of ingredients or whatnot....up to $17 for a personal (12") bufala pie, fancier ones are in the low $20's...
-- Case Notes of Dr Marvin Heifferman, Otolaryngologist --
The patient, Michael D., is a white male, approximately **years of age, appearing younger than his stated age, complaining of loss of hearing.
The standard battery of tests was performed and revealed profound hearing loss, bilaterally. A physical examination of the ear canal, inner ear and ear drum revealed significant damage to the entire ear mechanism.
Through use of American Sign Language, the patient reported that on approximately Tuesday June 16 he had attended a dinner at an East Village restaurant called Luzzo's. It happened that attending the dinner with Michael's party was an OSHA-certified noise-level inspector, with sound monitoring equipment.
Seated immediately adjacent to his party was a party of approximately 12 young women, and one gay man, producing a collective dB* level in excess of 105 dB over a period in excess of one hour (a typical conversation occurs at 60 dB, below the damage threshold level). There were approximately 120 other diners in the restaurant, producing a dB level of approximately 140 dB, together with a DVD of 70s-era Italian Pop music, producing approximately 100 dB.
Treatment outcome: Michael was fitted with a personal amplification system (cost approximately $150-200), brand name Pocketalker, including a portable amplified unit, plug-mount mike, TV/AV output listening cord and case. The unit helps reduce background noise and offers a 20 dB high frequency boost as well as increased volume. The patient was also advised to use ear protection while dining at Luzzo's.
Side note: Luzzo's mozzarella, cherry tomato and arugula pizza was measured at a mere 5 dB and was both the quietist and best tasting thing in the restaurant.
----------------
*decibel
Wow! I was looking for a some of NYC's best pizza on my recent trip to Manhattan (I'm from Los Angeles). The best ratings seemed to be coming from Brooklynn which was a shame because I didn't have time to make the trip. That said, Yelp delivered in a big way.
(tourist side of Alex speaking) OK. So, the fact that this place is actually run by Italians who actually speak Italian, kiss each other on both cheeks, slap each other on the back and yell alot actually added to the experience for me...."cheesy" (in the bad sense) on my part, I know but for some odd reason I dug it.
The problem for me was that I had the hardest time figuring out what I wanted. My gut told me to go simply but did I listen? Nooooooooo!
I ordered the Ripieno (tomato, ricotta, mozzarella, mushrooms, spicy salami, ham and basil). The wife ordered Diavola (tomato, mozzarella, spicy salami). And risotto with a creamy, cheese sauce (sorry, I wasn't listening while we were ordering...to busy trying to figure out what I wanted) for the little one.
Risotto? Kick ass!
Diavola? To die for!
Ripiieno? Killer....but too much going on there.
The reality is that pizza a Luzzo's is made from just plain quality ingredients. Killer dough (just the right amount of crispyness) with the freshest ingredients (amazing mozza). How do I know the ingredients were fres? I COULD TASTE IT!! Really just amazing.
It really takes something (relatively) simple, like the Diavola to truly appreciate it.
In California, I usually order the pizza with everything under the sun.
Luzzo's is pizza you just want to savor and enjoy.
This was a late weekday lunch so we had pretty good (but not fantastic) service. Restroom (downstairs) was clean which is always a plus.
We had a limoncello (lemon liqouer) for 'desert'. Not the best I've had but really very good...I can't think of another place that I know of (certainly none in LA) that would even think to offer as a desert item after a lunch like this.
Overall, just a really good experience at Luzzo's. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
What can I say that already hasn't been said? This is probably one of the best za joints in NYC...if not the best. I can't say enough about their za. This place is going to make me take the time to downgrade every za joint I've rated in Atlanta. After moving out of NY, I guess I forgot just HOW much better it is.
The crust: incredible....crisp, thin, nice char on the bottom without an overwhelming char taste, and the best flavor that lingers after each bite.
The sauce: beautiful and fresh, with the right ratio of sauce cheese overall on the pie. Maybe could use a little more spice but very good.
The cheese: Fresh bufala moz. Very nice. What else to say?
I would say the only negative I can give here is that they were pretty wimpy with the basil. Come on....I know you can spare more than 4 teared pieces on the pie!
One of the best....
Must be the cheese and crust. The flavor just lingers... sigh. Plan a wait of 30 min at minimum. The anchovies on the pizza just give that perfect savory touch. Fresh arugula on pizza!
I gotta say, this is the best pizza I've had in Manhattan thus far. Went here with a few friends for dinner during the week, and while we were checking the menu for prices outside, some crazy lady came up to us and told me that it was the best pizza in the city. Tall order, but I already know the pizza looks delicious based on the pics of the pies on here so we went ahead with the plan.
Contrary to the comments here, the service was fantastic, from the waitress to the food coming out fairly quickly, to not rushing us, even getting us lemon wedges for our waters when we didn't order drinks (and asking before they did). It didn't hurt that we are all Italian and the place wasn't even close to full, but regardless I appreciated it. They don't try to do anything special with the atmosphere which I liked, just lots of Italian stuff arranged on the walls and the ability to hear the people you're with talk.
One of the main reasons I wanted to try this place was that it has one of the last coal ovens in the city (although they use a wood/coal blend to cook their pizza). We shared a 16" Bruta Ma Buona (mozz, sauce, basil, olives, sausage, ricotta), my friends got the fried calamari to share as well (one of them wasn't very hungry). The calamari was solid, I've had better but it was solid and thats not what we came for anyway.
The pizza was simply delicious. It was Neapolitan in spirit, but not form for the most part. For one, the dough had the softness of an Italian pie with the charistic coal oven crispness of the same time. I was leery of the olives, but they worked very well with the creamy ricotta and tasty sausage. My only complaints were that the sauce wasn't as great as it could've been (although it help to balanced the other ingredients in this case), and the pie was a little limp. But the main concern for me was whether the flavor was there, and it definitely was.
I will be back and we'll see if this holds up
We had the fresh pasta with mushrooms and sausage (not a lot of sausage) and very little red sauce to our surprise, but it was good, it was fresh and we shared it with the three of us. We had the large Bufala 16" pizza and it was really good. Simple tomato sauce, a good amount of cheese and the crust was light, just a little chewy and just a little crispy....Anne was in heaven and I was truly appreciating a Neapolitan style pizza.
The ambiance was great. Casual, rustic decor, with non matching chairs and tables in the restaurant that had about 20 tables for 4 and small groups would be welcome here anytime although depending on the time you would likely have to wait. The service was attentive and the place was clean and we had fun peeking inside the bright yellow/orange light from the fire inside the oven when the chef would open it up to make sure the pizzas were cooking to perfection.
We'll be back - the Calzone pizza is next on our agenda. Oh and in case you were keeping track, 1 guy two girls, one pasta, one large pizza...perfect. We all left full...and happy.
Really delicious pizza (and cheesecake!). We were going to check out Motorino around the corner, but there was a long wait and a hostess with a bad attitude. So glad we went here instead! Plus, the people running it are actually Italian, which is rare in NYC.
IT was aight. I've had better pizza, I've had cheap pizza together that makes this place 3 stars. Thin crust is good - the Arugula pizza was actually quite tasty but this place just didn't overall do it for me. The place was cute the service was great but I think there maybe better pizza out there in the world. Not a bad East Vill spot though.
The most compelling takeaway from Luzzo's wasn't the superior flavor of the truffle-paste caulking a delightfully thin, melty-cheese pie, nor (interestingly) the unfinished quadrant of said pizza, but rather the disgraceful canyon of incongruity between the quality of the food and the quality of the service.
I don't dole out single-star willy-nilly, especially on a service-basis, since it's so subject to change. But I don't feel an ounce of remorse in flaming this otherwise very nice establishment that kept us waiting conspicuously and unapologetically for over sixty minutes for two pizzas.
We happened to be seated next to the check-out station; thus, our pieless-plight didn't go unnoticed. However, nobody, not even the alleged manager we parleyed with, could tell us why two appetizers caused our order such a delay. Our party of four watched the entire restaurant turn-over, and then some. No complimentary drinks or snacks during the wait? Boo!
Forgoing respectable service just because you have a bunch of glowing Yelp reviews: gross. It's just pizza, people. I put my foot down; I shan't eat here again.
After having lived in Italy, I pretty much became a gastro-snob when it comes to Italian food. So coming back to Chicago was just soul-crushing when everywhere I was surrounded by:
-cardboard monstrosities (aka domino's 666 deal. i mean could that number BE any more ominous?)
-deep dish (ummm yeah... remember that time when i wanted to shove a wagon wheel of plastic-tasting cheese down my throat? yeah, me neither)
-digiorno -let's not even go there
But I love love LOVE Luzzo's. We came here twice in a span of 3 days on a long weekend to nyc just because we loved it so. The first time, we made the trek out to Luzzo's after a long day of shopping and photo-whoring. Immediately, we were greeted and seated in the narrow hallway next to another couple. Claustrophobic and elbow-to-elbow in true Italian style. Not to mention the staff was mostly rail-thin and bilingual-- and friendly! My partner was instantly in the mood for lasagna, and although they didn't have it on the menu, the waiter said he'd see what he could do. Within ten minutes after placing our orders, a fresh plate of meaty lasagna with a piquant tomato sauce was delivered.
Of course we had the Bufula pizza. Simply constructed, but the elements were elegant and refined on their own. The mozzarella was fragile and tender, dangling precarious between mouth and pizza. The smoky crust was cracker-thin with opposing textures, the sauce just right, and the basil fragrant (if not scarce).
We made another trip here before jet-setting back home, with luggage in hand, only to find that they weren't open. When we explained that we made out especially for their pizza and were cabbing it directly to the airport afterwards, they seated us :] much to our delight. We went back to our old Bufula, but experimented with the Arugula as well. Highly recommended! The crispy arugula packs a tiny bitter bite and the truffle oil was just the right touch. With just enough time to wolf our pizza's down and write a big tip, we left the tiny Italian microcosm and back to the land of Bad Taste...
My pizza was a bit limp. Kind of a delicate, wet slice. I dig the char crust and the cheese drippings are good turning to creamy, but damn if I don't like my NY slices. This is obviously no NY slice, and the sausage and pepperoni slice I had at Rays Pizza the night before and was strong and sweet and fluffy and better. It Was!
I'd like to give it more of a shot, but the rule is that I review when I Get It or I don't plan on going back. I don't plan on going back barring an invitation. The review stands.
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Town
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Inwood
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: Pizza
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