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Bergen St (F, G)
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If you are in a hurry or have a bad attitude, Sam's is not the restaurant for you.
But if you want to have a laugh with Joe, joke around with Lou, eat some delicious pizza and pasta and enjoy a real Brooklyn establishment you should come in.
This is a wonderful restaurant to eat a big meal at affordable prices and enjoy each other's company without feeling rushed.
A complete throwback Italian red-sauce joint from the 50's. The decor remains unchanged.
Pizza, baked clams, veal parmigiana, steak a pizziaola, zuppe di pesce, etc. All very solid.
Don't expect to find osso bucco, risotto with truffles or a 1997 borolo at this place (and that's not a bad thing).
First time there, I ordered a pie with sausage. The first bite brought me back to Little Italy in the Bronx 25-30 years ago, when a big treat was taking us kids out for pizza at Ann & Tony's on Arthur Avenue. Pure heaven!!
(For you youngsters out there, New York back then was just like the DeNiro movie "A Bronx Tale".)
Hungry and want something straight forward and delicious at a reasonable price? This is an excellent choice.
Perfect for families (bring grandma and the kids!) or groups of 20-somethings who want a solid foundation in the belly before a night of heavy drinking.
Sam's is in a league all by itself.
I visit to eat in the restaurant once per year and order takeout 3-4 times. The food is okay, pizza is good, but the experience is superb. The places is totally old school and you can just imagine the neighborhood mafioso lounging around at this joint 40 years ago. You realize upon entering that not much has changed about he restaurant's appearance since.
Some of the neighborhood's newest west village types might not appreciate the uniqueness of Sam's and I've heard complaints about cleanliness, but honestly, that's the last thing that should be on your mind when visiting Sam's.
Can't stop thinking about Lou & is exactly-filled-to-the-brim wine pouring skillz. What a lovely neighborhood place. Can you experience nostalgia for something you've never even experienced? Like I wish I had grown up on the corner & been eating at Sam's my entire life.
The pizza is really good....but we are scared to go off the safe path of salad and pizza.
The menu is enormous and the place is never really full...so how often can the food be turned over/fresh?
At any rate, the pizza is really good. Been about 8-10 times now and it's never been anything less then delicious.
The decor and wait staff (Louie) are one of a kind. The place looks like a rec room with wood paneling on the walls and tables with plastic and red & white checked table cloths. Lighting is not forgiving.
Louie is one of a kind. His family has owned Sam's since opening and he run's Sam's the way he wants. When he tells you to sit at a specific table...don't ask to move or sit somewhere else.
Be warned that the wine is poured with a heavy hand.
Mostly written to negate a friend's negative review below, I'd like to offer up 5 stars to Sam's - one of the best pizzas in Brooklyn, and a fun place for a glimpse of Brooklyn before people like us moved into the 'hood.
Yes, Louie's a dick - but that's his "charm." Spend some time there, he'll get to know you - and the next thing you know you're the VIP table that gets preferential treatment.
While I feel that it's worth the effort, you may disagree. Thankfully they have a takeout window in the back. Like Arecibo, it's always ready in 5-10min, and you can avoid the nonsense up front. Turn your oven up to 450 before leaving, drop your pie in when you get home for a few min to crisp up, and it's as good as new.
Oh, and avoid anything besides pizza.
totally hit the "i need a homecooked meal" spot.
baked ziti alla siciliana lasted dinner and lunch the next day - delicious eggplant, perfectly burnt cheese...
oh! i almost forgot - the bread before the meal was fresh out of the oven, soft and crusty. SO good.
the service was pretty terrible, but the waiter (probably owner) was charismatic enough that you temporarily forget that you've been sitting there without a drink for the past hour or so.
there were more pictures of the world trade center than there were items on the menu. that was the one thing that kind of took me off guard.
also - the only place i've ever been to that serves 20 oz bottles of soda.
well played, sam's. well played indeed.
Yeah, it's got a great "old school" feel, the portions are hefty and the servers are some good guys but the fact that I had to kill TWO cockroaches during our dinner is more enough to make me never want to go back again.
Nothing more needs to be said.
This is the type of place you see someone in the mob movies get whacked in. Friendly banter, slow but pleasant service, and straight-up Brooklyn style Italian food.
I'm giving this 4-stars and did not even try the pizza! Had the Spag + meatballs, which were nice. The meatballs were a bit dry, but tasty nonetheless. The girlfriend had the fettuccine bolognese, which was considerably better. Everyone's pizza looked delicious, so I will need to go back for sure.
They are slow on the service, so this might annoy some people. A sign inside reads "Today's meal, two choices: 1) Take it 2) Leave it". I found this very fitting and didn't see anyone who opted for option 2.
This will not be the best pizza you have ever eaten, but it will be good pizza, and it will be worth it because you will be transported away from Smith Street and back into an American Legion in middle America circa 1950.
This is some real deal, old school Brooklyn right here. The decor with its checkered table clothes, ancient looking bar and fake flowers looks like it hasn't changed since 1950. It's family run and these guys have been running the place forever (I think it opened in the 30s, and this one family has been running it since the 50s).
The pizza is outstanding, legit, excellent pizza. The crust, the sauce, the cheese... bellisimo. This is worthy to be in the ranks of the best Brooklyn pizza joints.
The kitchen closes around 10, I think -- even on Fridays, so get there early.
SOoooo old school. Best pizza in NY? it's good. I'll say that. I prefer it to 9 out of 10 pizzas in the state. The difference here is the crust. Delicious crust. Same luscious smoky sweet as Di Fara's.
Sooo old school. I wouldn't count on freshness being a part of their integrity, but I trust whatever is comes canned to taste good. The place reminds me of the Fratelli Brother's restaurant in Goonies. I was going to go to the back to pee but then I think I heard echos of Sloth and so I held it. I think it's just the old wood and dusty lights, but the place seems cavernous. I can just imagine their storage chest and freezer now...
Pizza prices are elusive. We were charged 20 for the pie and 5 for a sausage add-on. Next time I would like to choose anchovies or escargot as the topping. Have you ever noticed that on TV they always order anchovies??? but in real life NO ONE orders anchovies? They should. Anchovies are great. They are mainly just salty bits. Once you get past the fact that they are a fish, they are awesome. Try putting salt on your pizza - that's usually pretty good. Now try anchovies. try it. try it.
You might be disgusted because the old waiter hasn't been bothered with hygiene since the 70's. Instead of inquiring about that, I asked him, "What makes the pizza so good?"
"Well, we'eve been making pizza since 1959."
And they've been open since 1930. What were they doing in the interim? Making the sign I guess, because it's hard to notice that they are a pizzeria and not a steakhouse from the Steak Chops signage. That's what dismayed my friends from coming in before. Now it's Sloth.
Pros:
Absolutely fantastic pizza. Really.
Old school decor, complete with red checkered table clothes
A dearth of pretension and hype
Cons:
No delivery.
The price. At around $24 for a pie, you get what you pay for, but sadly, I can't afford to make Sam's a routine. Pizza prices aren't listed on the menu.
Pro or con:
The service. A little slow, but it's a neighborhood joint where the servers will chat with you if you're polite.
Bottom line: if I ever have out-of-town guests that wants to try some authentic Brooklyn pizza (and pay), I'm definitely taking them here.
I've tried most of the other "masterpiece" pizza places in Brooklyn and I have to say that far and away Sam's is my personal favorite. Upon entering you will magically be transported back to the 70s (via dim lighting and aging plastic table clothes). The service is right out of Goodfellas.
Which brings me to the pizza. Absolutely amazing!!! I would order it plain because the basic ingredients are sufficient. If you like crappy toppings go somewhere else and have your bastard fashion pizza there. If you like pizza because you like cheese, sauce and crust. You will be in heaven
My only gripe... they don't except credit cards.
You can't stay in business for 60 years without changing anything unless you are very, very good at what you do. Sam's is no exception. Clearly this place has been around since the dawn of time, and for good reason.
Oddly enough, though it's called a pizzeria and that's what it seems to be most famous for, pizza's hardly mentioned on the menu. Toppings are listed in small type near the bottom of the page, but you have to ask about sizes and prices. Make no mistake, though, they aren't hiding it from you out of shame. This pizza is basically the platonic ideal of pizza. Some other pizzerias do one thing extremely well and others only competently. Sam's is an expert on every aspect of the pizza process, from the perfectly charred and crispy crust to the smooth sauce to the ideal cheese-to-topping ratio.
For a quick and no-fuss pre-movie dinner on a Saturday night, we couldn't have asked for better. We were in and out in about 30 minutes, and our waiter, while a little old-school Brooklyn brusque, served us flawlessly and was even a little bit jokey and chatty as if we'd been coming here forever (which we hadn't, but certainly will be going forward).
Gorgeous pizza. No friils on decor, menu, or attitude? Sure. But come on... We ordered celery and olives. What did we get? Celery and olives.
We ordered lettuce salad with tomato. What did we get? Lettuce and tomato.
We ordered pizza with anchovies. What did we get? Much love.
I've never had anything other than the pizza with green olives. We only show up when we're very hungry, and leave when we're firmly at the line between "satisfied fullness" and "deeply uncomfortable."
I really should try something else one of these days, but...nah.
Apparently if you order the pizza by phone you can't eat it in the restaurant! Unbelieveable! We ordered our pizza by phone because we had guests in town and realized the restaurant could have quite a wait (not because it is packed but because it's not run efficiently, nor is it adequately staffed). When we arrived Sam told us that we had to take our pizza to go and order another pizza to stay because he doesn't do phone orders for sit down customers. "You can't outsmart me."
We decided to leave because he was being rude and I told him he could have been a little more flexible in his policy. He told me that being flexible is not the Brooklyn way. He also called me a "piece of garbage" in front of all the other customer. He yelled us out the door and told a homeless guy outside the door that he was going to shoot him.
If you don't want drama at dinnertime, avoid this place. Nonetheless, the pizza is very good.
You cannot really beat the vibe at Sams.
I can't even imagine how many dudes might have had their kneecaps broken in the back room over the years. The pizza is awesome (usually), the service is cranky (in an endearing way) and the only place I've been to that rivals it is Totonno's (the Coney Island location).
It's much, much more than a meal, if you want a pizza with some real character - this is your place.
Last time I went, the old man was the only one there. He took our order, bitched about being the only one there working, made our pizza and then proceeded to fall asleep at a table across the room. Amazing.
Let the tourists have Grimaldi's, Lombardi's and all the others... Sam's is as legit as they come.
Conventional city wisdom says that Grimaldi's is New York's best pizza joint and a worthy reward after a trip across the Brooklyn Bridge. I've never been, so without any real research to back this claim up, I'd say Sam's Restaurant deserves that distinction. It is by far the best pizza that I've had in New York, and I feel like I've had some pretty good pizza.
The place is a throwback to what appears to be old Brooklyn and what I'm guessing to be original fixtures and waitstaff. No aspiring models and actors doubling as waiters/bartenders here. And no pizza by the slice or patio dining. The restaurant front dons a sign that reads "No slices sold here". And our 50 year old plus waiter gave us a lengthy narrative about why having outdoor seating is too pricey and hence a stupid concept.
The ricotta pizza was amazing as was the margherita pizza. Crunchy thin crust providing the perfect backdrop for pizza sauce, ample cheese and fresh toppings. By the time I left the restaurant, I had to loosen my belt and I hurt. But it was worth it.
The pizza and the atmosphere here are fabulous. The baked clams and fried calimari were okay.
Louie told me last night that he'd been cooking pizza for 59 years there. He made us three pies and then said he was going to bed.
The waiter (who's his son) was a great time too, humoring our party of 11 until about 11:30pm on a Sunday.
i just moved to the 'hood, and am ISO really great pizza without the trek & crowds at Grimaldi's-
i got take out from Sam's the other night. I had no idea what the guy on the phone was saying, but he sounded italian enough to give me something delish. we had the eggplant pizza & a salad, and i loved it!
i will definitely go there again, and maybe next time go for the parm!
the only thing is there is a sign on the door saying 'no pets or strollers'
no strollers? i don't have a baby, or a stroller... but isn't that justweird?
Still Old Schoolin' it in Brooklyn. How can you not love a place where the menu is half food/ half cocktails, the decor hasn't changed in 60 years, and the waiters ain't got no time for your bs? Great, great neighborhood place. Sam's Restaurant is all class.
P.S. Love their pizza.
I went to Sam's back in February and I really enjoyed it! So, I decided to take my fiance with me before a movie one night and it didn't go so well. We waited for 30 minutes in our booth without being helped. I was so sad because I really did enjoy it the first time... Maybe they have downsized their staff?
"If you're wife can't cook, don't divorce her! Come to Sam's instead!"
You gotta love Sam's. Yes, Lucali might be a bit better, pizza-wise, and sure Louie can be cranky, and no, the rest of the food isn't very good...but if you love slipping into a red horseshoe banquette, sipping a straight rye, digging into a perfectly tasty sausage-and-pepper pie and feeling like you're in 1958 (although the family's had it since the 30s), look no further. Further bonus: with the possible exception of Stroller Happy Hour, you can ALWAYS get a table - or a booth, for that matter!
It is what it is... the father son duo that run this place are TRUE characters, real originals, and the pizza is fucking balls out delicious. plus go in and order a straight whiskey. you'll get a highball glass of jack for 6 bucks filled to the brim with NO ICE at all. so awesome.
are they rude? sure. guess what? they own the restaurant and don't give a shit what you think. this is place if fucking real. you want friendliness, call the dominos on smith. seriously. those dudes are really friendly, I'm about to give them four stars as well.
you want the best pizza (in my opinion) in bklyn in a true blue, time warp of a setting? this is the place.
This is the best pizza in Brooklyn. Ok, so I haven't been to Di Fara. Sue me. And on that note, why does the Yelp population put that place over? This is thin crust Brooklyn pizza we are talking about. Once it's perfected, there is no reason to shop around. And Sam's pie is simply perfection.
If you've ever visited this place on a weekday night, there is a very good chance Louie has served you (or harassed you a bit). The man may be a bit much at times, but it's clear he has a tremendous amount of pride about his establishment . And that simply cannot be criticized. As told by Louie, Sam's has been in his family for over 75 years. He was actually raised in the apartment above the restaurant and has worked there basically ever since. Chat him up when you visit. He has a million stories about the real Carroll Gardens.
But onto the food. I'm going to say this once, bless Louie's little heart, but the non-pizza entrees are below average. Don't even try the pasta. It's bland and unnecessarily filling. The Sam's salad is a passable antipasta and includes provolone, salami and roasted pepper on a bed of iceburg. Order one for a table of 4 (even if Louie tells you to order 2). After all, you have to save room for the pie.
And onto the pie. As noted, the restaurant has been around for over 75 years, and if you subscribe to the idea that an old pizza oven cooks better pizza, they don't come much older. I typically will order one large veg/cheese and one large pepperoni, which feeds 4 just fine. Ok, it's a shit ton of pizza and you won't want to stop. So be prepared to be stuffed.
The pie is always the perfect temp (molten and liquidy for the first 5 minutes, so be patient; steaming and gooey soon after and ready to serve). The sauce is magic. Just the right tomato, sweetness and spice combination. And the cheese is top-grade. Nice fatty mozzarella. The meat is also top-grade and presumably procured from one of the local butchers (will have to ask Louie next time).
Sam's is cash only, so come prepared. And price wise, it's not terribly cheap ($17 bucks for a large pie), but time is money and who doesn't want a Lombardi's or Grimaldi's caliber pie without the annoying wait?
Sam's came highly recommended by a very wise friend who grew up in the neighborhood. For a while, I couldn't get anyone to go with me because one friend in particular had "never heard of it" and another wasn't sure about pizza at a place that boasts their "steak and chops" ... so I made new friends. That was a good call, because this place is great. Authentic--or so I'd imagine, not being a 68 year old Italian-American with an ounce of authenticity myself. We had a couple of drinks (not much to speak of, but strong), an antipasti platter (replete with sardines!), and a cheese and mushroom pizza. The sauce was great, the crust was delectable, and it was cooked perfectly. The much-maligned service was just fine: not kiss-ass, not cozy, not cute. Just ... you know, decent. He got our food to us, as we ordered it, in a suitable amount of time. I highly recommend.
I am a fan of Sam's and have been a customer for most of my life and this is about as Brooklyn as it gets. Every New Yorker has their favorite pizza and this is mine. The pizza is good old fashioned Brooklyn Pizza, not yuppie pizza. Louie, the head waiter and son of the owner is as Brooklyn as hid dad Mario, who runs the kitchen is Italian.
-- 11/28/2008 -- I love reading the other reviews of Sam's . If you don't understand Sam's you don't understand Brooklyn. Accept it for what it is don't try to make it into Pizza Town of Ohio.
The 'old man' has been hand-making the pies here for decades. I've never had better pizza. Ingredients are amazing.
Full pies only no slices, but its cool-- I could eat a whole one myself.
As other reviews have noted, the guys here are characters. Sit down, eat in, and enjoy the amazing pizza.
I've been here a few times - it's definitely a weird place, but the pizza is great and it's definitely an experience. Our waiter was friendly and jokey last time I was in with a few friends. The decor is great - decades old, and like you've stepped back in time. So much fun. Great classic cocktails too!
I've been curious about Sam's, which proudly proclaims the availability of steak and chops in its window lettering, for about a year now. And last night, despite some stories about ill-mannered service, I ventured down the steps and inside for dinner.
Sam's is a slice of old Brooklyn. As far as I know, Cobble Hill used to be predominately Italian, and this red-and-white table cloth eatery is a perfect example of that kind of feel. The payphone booths are out of service, and the women's bathroom is upstairs.
Having seen the waiter/manager interact with patrons at another table -- older locals, all -- I knew what to expect. If you're not in the mood to have your leg pulled -- or if you're a restaurant goer with attitude -- this isn't the place for you. You've got to go with the waiter's flow.
I went for the basics: spaghetti and meatballs and a root beer. The root beer was Mug and came in a plastic bottle -- slightly disappointing -- but the spaghetti was better than expected why? Instead of coming with a bunch of small meatballs, it came with two huge meatballs, like tennis balls. The spaghetti was wonderful.
After my meal, I decided I needed an espresso. They don't put a lot of care into their espresso, but I was still glad I got it. When I was done, I had to walk back to the second dining room -- near the kitchen window, where you should go to order takeout -- to interrupt the waiter, who was eating his own dinner. "Imagine. An hour and a half trying to eat my ma's dinner!" he said.
I paid and left him to eat dinner himself. Sam's is that kind of place.
Not a big fan, the food is alright but the prices don't make coming/ordering here worth it. The pizza is alright but nothing spectacular and definitely not worth the $20 or so they're charging for a large pizza, how dare they charge Lucali prices. Don't get me wrong the pizza is fantastic compared to outside of NYC but there's many better places to have a pizza in Brooklyn. The service is usually a rough neck true Italian Brooklynite dressed like it's his day off joking around and giving you a light hearted hard time (something you'll either really like or really dislike). Which leads me to believe this place is so highly rating because maybe someone fears the "connections" Sam's might have? The tables are all covered in a plastic picnic table styled table cloths and old dusty fake flowers and if you order a soda he'll fetch you a bottled soda and a glass. The place is a tad tacky and the food is just too mediocre to pay top dollar for.
I have eaten here twice and find this to be a classic, italian-owned, red and white checked table cloth neighborhood spot. The server is awesome, super friendly and makes any wait you have worth it. The pizza is very good, right up there with Grimaldi's and Lombardi's. The other food is okay, passable, not amazing, through I did enjoy the baked ziti.
I do not recommend this spot for a date (boy was that a mistake!) but if you are with family or friends and want a casual dinner or awesome pizza, you cannot go wrong.
I walked into Sam's as a boy, and came out a full fledged man. The Manhattans the tough waiter served me put enough hair on my chest that whenever I go out drinking now I seem to be only getting hit on by werewolves. I'm a big fan of old school haunts in an area - and this place reigns to be exactly that. Much like most of the other reviewers on here, I have to say you wait a while for your pizza but when it does come it's some of the best I've had. I think it might have something to do with the fact that they are still using the same brick oven pizza they originally opened up with in the 1930's.
Sam's is so up-and-down. When I first started going there 10 years ago, I found the pizza generally really good and the service a little surly. But I kept going back, and the service got friendlier, though I made the mistake of trying a non-pizza-dish that was terrible. But my recent experiences have changed my opinion back to surly, as a large party of mine waited at a table for 30 minutes to order for no reason - the place wasn't packed at all - and as time passed, our interaction with the waiter was unpleasant. There have been similar times where there are plenty of open tables in the front room and not a lot of customers yet we seem to disappear on the radar.
I haven't totally written it off - the pizza is still really good, the environment is classic, and it's not terribly expensive, but Brooklyn South is down the street and much more tempting and inviting.
This is one of my favorite places in Brooklyn, and it's not because the owner calls me beautiful even when I'm in a Yankee's cap and my fat pants (although that helps). It is just truly old school red and white check table cloth authentic. All the guys that work there are over 55, the cash register in the back is made of wood, and last but not least, their meatball parmesean sub is something I fantasize about an abnormal amount....but oh man, once you have one you'll know what I'm tawkin' about. It's big enough for 2 meals but you just can't stop it's so good. Absolutely perfect, I would not change one thing about this sandwich. I wouldn't even change the fact that they don't deliver since it would deny me my catwalk entrance and the accolades of the adorable staff. A true Brooklyn experience in a 'hood quickly being absorbed by American Apparels, and trendy bars.
I hate to do it, but i can't just avoid reviewing this place because my opinion differs with everyone else. I hope I don't get flack for this because I don't enter a place wanting to hate it.
With that said, it's not that I hated Sam's... In fact, I loved it. I was a little taken aback by the divey look, it's not by any means quaint, but it has an "old school" look that you warm up to. Again, I was pretty surprised by the waiter/owner/son-of-the-guy-making-the-pizza's... he was a throwback, as well. You could see the wife beater underneath the white short sleeved collared shirt which was opened at the top so chest hair poked out. The first words he said to us were, "It's an hour and a half wait for pizza." Oh, okay... it didn't really look like there were that many people there, but I guess they had a lot of delivery orders and just one man making the pizzas. We decided to stay and just order something else (we were hungry and planning on catching a movie).
My boyfriend ordered calamari, I ordered gnocchi. He loved his calamari, thankfully, because I didn't. Dry and not chewy, but it tasted to me like if thick rubber bands could be easily chewed and then there was this burst of fishiness right before I swallowed that nearly made me gag. My gnocchi was terrible. It's pretty much my favorite food, so I've sampled it in many different establishments and it's never been quite so bad... I was really hungry and it was one of those things where I just kept eating it to see if I could pinpoint why it tasted so bad. I think it was the gnocchi itself, the sauce seemed okay. I left more than 3/4 of my food and the hairy chested waiter (Louie) came over and said, "I'm wrapping that up for you to go, right?" I couldn't refuse, but I dumped it a couple blocks away. Don't worry, it won't go to waste, Kristine... a lot of people root through the garbage at night in the area.
Anyways, I obviously have nothing to say about the pizza... I'm sure it's great, but I would never go back. I wouldn't even wait for an hour and a half for difara's and that place is an institution (when it's not shut down for food violations). The service was slow... I love family run places, but they either need to recruit more family members to work or HIRE some people... Also, Louie was a cool dude and all, but he's loud and hearing a guy loudly complain to various people definitely didn't enhance my dining experience.
I honestly don't get the hype. The sauce was kind of sweet and the cheese was lumped on unevenly and the crust was way too chewy. Maybe we went on a bad day? I'll definitely give Sam's another chance because I really want to like it, but wow. What a disappointment.
This is truly the pizzeria that time forgot. I'll seriously be devastated if they close down and some bland wine bar or boring bistro opens in its place. This is the best pizza I've ever had in NY, and yes, I've been to Lombardi's and Grimaldi's. I've tried the meatballs and eggplant parm, and they were just short of crappy, but the pizza is a marvel. Louie, who runs the place, is a total trip.
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