Roberta’s

8/16/2016

• 1 check-in

Bushwick! You almost have my heart.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS!! And a total fan.

My husband and I came here on Sunday to get our Pizza fix. We entered at the restaurant entrance but were told the wait for a table is 30 minutes. We were way too hungry to wait, so thankfully Roberta's is so awesome that they actually have a separate entrance for takeout and delivery! You heard that right.

So we went there and ordered right away so we can eat in our AC'ed car ha!
I ordered the Margherito and my husband ordered the Famous Original and added Jalapenos and Mushrooms. I didn't taste his pizza but the empty box after less than 2 minutes basically answered the question of whether that pie was to die for. Same goes for my pizza. So so good. I can barely put it into words.

My one reservation while waiting for the pizza I noticed that the guy making the pizza took like 2 minutes to prepare each pizza and most of the time there was only one pizza in the oven. I think time management is a huge factor with orders of multiple pies as while my pie had come out of the oven I waited over 5 minutes until my husbands was ready. Which meant my pie wasn't super hot by the time I got it.

I think if that changes, everything else about Roberta's is an absolute five star and I'll totally be back for more!!

8/13/2016

Came here for an article I was working on.  I was excited for their pizza because I have heard great reviews about this place from friends and family.  However, I have to say, the pizza is a bit overrated!  

BUT!!!!!!!  The Smoke Ribs is the bomb!  Thanks to their server who recommend the ribs!  I love it so much!  LOVE IT!  That ribs worth perfect score in my heart!

8/3/2016

Came for my best friend's 21st, asked if they could do something special for her, as we were paying they hadn't brought so much as something small with a candle on it to celebrate. We went and asked again and they reassured they would bring something to the table.

As we were leaving, with nothing brought to celebrate, we asked if they even do anything for birthdays at which point they told us we had to pay for dessert, and we already got the check so they couldn't bring us the cake anymore.

Problems here: 1) we asked at the beginning of the meal for a small dessert to celebrate a 21st birthday, they said yes and never said we had to pay for it. 2) they were so shady and hesitant when we asked about it twice and at the end.

Essentially this place gets a good rep for being chill and cool when in reality they are shady and overpriced. The pizza is average at best.

8/19/2016

• 1 check-in

really cool atmosphere (very hipster) and the staff are super friendly and helpful with decision making. The pizzas are de LICIOUS, and the sparkling red wine, forgot the name went really well with it - recommended by our server.
Dessert was the best part, really yummy, some unconventional options and finished off the meal really well, not too big not too small! Great find

7/21/2016

• 1 check-in

I went on a pizza crawl during my trip to NYC: Roberta's, Juliana's, Joe's... And of all these pizzerias, Roberta's is my hands down favorite!

Ordered the Lil' Stinker. As the name implies, Roberta's uses a lot of garlic, which is never a bad thing, because I love garlic. What stands out though besides flavor is that the crust is super soft and chewy. I usually can't finish the crust on most pizzas, since they can be dry or hard, but I easily finished my plate.

A cherry on top is the service. My waitress was very friendly, and though this place gets packed, I didn't feel pressure to just finish, pay, and go, like I did at Juliana's, rather I could take my time.

A little far from Manhattan but definitely worth the trek!

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  Lil' Stinker

  Lil' Stinker

7/30/2016

Food: 4.5/5.0
Service: 3.5/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Decor: 3.0/5.0
Overall: 4.5/5.0

Fabulous pizza, top 5 in the city.  Incredibly well-done spotted crust with great layering on top.  Great service and a strong IT game (text alerts on your table).  I was a little meh on the communal seating.  Come here or the take-out spot next door.  And expect a wait.

6/17/2016

• 1 check-in

• Listed in Burgers are Perfection, Dine Fine (and Share), Natural wine, naturally

Everything's right on. Everything.

Suggested Dos and Don'ts:
Do save some non-Neapolitan-style-pizza stomach space for the burger and a bottle to share of natural wine.
Do plan ahead for tours or events if you're curious.
Do not be scared, the bathroom really does get cleaned regularly, it just looks like that.
Do not blame the FOH if you don't like (insert category of offensive-to-you human and/or its fashion sense and/or its lifestyle choice). Tip well.

If you don't like the food, it's really just you. I've eaten here off and on since 2008 and have never had a mediocre meal or bad service. Worth a visit (esp. for lunch for The Burger and to avoid a long wait).

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• See all photos from Alma C. for Roberta's

8/2/2016

KenScale: 8.0/10

No restaurant has quite captured the sensibility of Brooklyn casualness like Roberta's ever since its opening. Perennially known as the hipster haven, this comfort-food establishment in Bushwick has been a popular destination for pizzas and drinks. What more and more people have found out is that Roberta's is not just a pizza joint but showcases so much more. There is now the tasting menu table inside the restaurant called Blanca that I had immensely enjoyed on my previous visit, and star chef Carlo Mirarchi has made sure the food at Roberta's stays at a high level. Shockingly, despite all the attention this place has received as a seminal restaurant in New York dining history, I haven't made a visit to Roberta's ever since my arrival in New York. My recent Sunday brunch changed that, and overall I really liked the consistent execution of dishes that came from the kitchen.

The menu during brunch time is shorter than the normal dinner hours. Either way, I would totally start the meal with a meat plate of pancetta, sopresatta and prosciutto; all of them displayed outstanding textures and cured with nice balance of flavor. Among the salad offerings, snap pea salad with stracciatella and garden herbs was put together quite well, with fresh ingredients that worked harmoniously with one another for a salad dish you probably wouldn't find at other mediocre brunch places. Now on to the pizzas. My dining companions and I (in a party of four) ordered three different pies, and all of them were delightful. The Bee Sting pizza (which one of my dining companions ordered off the menu) had nice combination of tomato, mozzarella, sopressata, chili and honey, as did the beastmaster pie that employed jalapeno and caper on top of tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola and pork sausage to add the spicy kick, further enhancing what was already a pretty solid pie. My order was the guanciale and egg pizza where the egg in the center added something new to the pie and the overall richness of flavor was consistently spread across without overpowering your taste bud. What I saw from these dishes was the confidence of the kitchen in being able to put together simple-looking yet satisfying comfort food with consistent execution.

Roberta's doesn't take reservations and the wait can stretch beyond one hour, so my recommendation is to always show up early and hope for the best. There is full bar with concise wine and cocktail and somewhat extensive beer offerings. As noted above, the youthful and hipster vibe at the dining space is what really makes Roberta's stand out above all other dining establishments in Brooklyn. Either you like it or you hate it; for a brunch, it actually wasn't that chaotic and the scene was overall more measured. I recently heard that the billionaire Tisch family invested in Roberta's for significant ownership stake. How that "corporate invasion" will change the restaurant, I honestly have no idea but at least on my visit, I didn't really see any sign of meddling by big money. I hope the restaurant stays where it is and will definitely come back for dinner to fully explore what the kitchen can do beyond pizzas.

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  Beastmaster Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Pork Sausage, Onion, Caper, Jalapeno)

  Beastmaster Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Pork Sausage, Onion, Caper, Jalapeno)
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  Bee Sting Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Sopressata, Chili, Honey)

  Bee Sting Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Sopressata, Chili, Honey)
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  Guanciale & Egg Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Guanciale, Egg)

  Guanciale & Egg Pizza (Tomato, Mozzarella, Guanciale, Egg)
• See all photos from Ken S. for Roberta's

6/12/2016

• 1 check-in

Really hipster-vibe Brooklyn joint next to a bunch of Bushwick murals. Love the low-key entrance and the warehouse vibe. There is an outdoor area in the back where you can order pizza only. And apparently, if you walk even further back, there is a hidden restaurant with 2 Michelin stars.

In any case, I just came for brunch. We waited for about 30 minutes for 3 of us to be seated at the communal table at around 12:30pm.

We ordered two pizzas: the pepperoni and the Hawaiian (with prosciutto, parmesan, and jalapenos). They were both amazing. The cheese used as well as the quality of the crust (slight crunch) made the baseline pizza unbelievable. Then you add the high quality toppings, and it's really amazing.

Since it was brunch, we decided to get some other items. Glad we did, because these were even more fantastic.

1. Watermelon salad: Yes, we had to try it based on the name alone. Out came sliced pieces of watermelon that had basil and some kind of amazing sauce that added a slightly salted flavor to complement the natural sweetness of the watermelon.

2. Sweet potatoes with eggs and avocado: Holy guacamole, this was awesome. The sweet potatoes were lightly fried, leaving them with a perfect external crispiness. Then with the avocado slices and the fried eggs overlying them, this was to die for.

3. Sticky bun: Perfect ending to our meal. It was sweet and salty, but not too much of either. Yum.

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  Sticky bun

  Sticky bun
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  Watermelon salad

  Watermelon salad
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  Sweet Potato dish

  Sweet Potato dish
• See all photos from James W. for Roberta's

7/20/2016

• 1 check-in

Best pizza in the US? Debatable. Best Pizza in Brooklyn, especially in Bushwick? Absolutely.

I was first introduced to this place by a guy that I'm seeing. We ended up going spontaneously one Sunday morning after talking about it for so long (New Sunday brunch spot? I think so). Kind of an odd time to go for a Italian style pizza, but any time is pizza time in my book. They even serve Sunday brunch, which is always something to note.

The area is in the heart of Bushwick, right off of the L train. Kind of hidden among the hipster restaurants, but in a really cool spot. The inside is very warm and welcoming. It's basically a room full of communal tables, which I'm not so much a fan of, but it does makes the atmosphere feel opening and inviting. They also have outdoor seating and a beer garden-- always a personal favorite.

Now getting to the pizza.... We decided to order their famous pizza, which had a bunch of different cheeses and spices. "It's famous right? So it must be good." ...I don't think there were words to describe how happy my tastebuds were. The cheese was gooey, the crust was soft, and the sauce...perfection. Like they say about pizza, it's all in the sauce. We ended up sharing only one pizza, but after we had scarfed down that, I was already craving for another.

My only regret is not trying their pizza with chili and honey. I feel like we played it safe by getting a basic cheese pizza, but there's always next time ;).

6/6/2016

• 1 check-in

I consider myself a pizza connoisseur, and I am a sucker for hipster joints, but I will have to give Roberta's only three stars. First off, I dined for brunch so the menu was slightly different from the dinner menu. Additionally, with reservations there was not much of a wait at all.

I ordered the lil stinker pizza (minus parm, because it has animal based rennet!) which was fine, albeit less garlicky than I thought it would be. It was slightly acidic because of the peperoncino being overly steeped in vinegar, rendering a salad-like flavor. But the spice level was nice, and the onions added a great crunch. I should note that the crust was nice and flavorful and the red chili oil on the table was spicy but not overly so.

The overall atmosphere at Roberta's is cozy with large communal tables and some some smaller tables. There is a backyard area with a tiki bar, nintendo 64, and more seating. It would be a cool place for a party.

The location - in Bushwick - is far for me so I don't think I will be back, but if I am, I will likely order the lil stinker with jalapenos (which costs an extra $1).

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  The margherita with jalapeño topping!

  The margherita with jalapeño topping!
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  The lil stinker (minus parm) - delicious and good flavors

  The lil stinker (minus parm) - delicious and good flavors

5/31/2016

OMG. This is my favorite new pizza joint in the worrrrrrld, I almost ate here TWICE in one day. The ingredients were FRE$H AS HELL, and they were uniquely delicious. From the size, it is quite expensive $$ (roughly $17 a pie).

The Bee Sting- Their novelty. It has honey and chili oil - why didn't I think of this before. This is definitely my favorite above all

The Beastmaster - I see some reviews saying it was overhyped, but I thought it was good! It had enough meat, capers, onions etc. Together it created the baby of a flavor I haven't quite experienced before.  

Romaine - I needed to have some salad in my system, and it was really fresh here. How much more fresh can salad be? I was confused too, but I can taste the quality in romaine here. It comes in whole leaves style so either you're sitting there biting from it, or cutting it up properly with a knife.

Beer - This was the only downside. My beer was $9, and it was only 6% ABV, however it was served in a wine cup that wasn't even filled to the rim. Beer is not wine culture where you sip it in a wine glass. Please serve in a pint glass like normal, Robertas you may be hipster and special but I'd really love a pint of beer to indulge with  my pizza. I get it if the beer is over 9-12 % abv, but this was 6 %.

Nuff said, until next time Robertas!

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  Beastmaster

  Beastmaster
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  The bee sting

  The bee sting

7/18/2016

• 1 check-in

My bf was visiting New York for the first time, so what better first meal to have here other than pizza! I thought of Roberta's because I've been hearing about their bee sting pizza, so it was a perfect time for me to finally try it out! The location is around industrial buildings/warehouses so the front entrance might be hard to spot out at first.

We came in and was told that the wait was expected to be around 45 minutes. We thought of checking out the bar in the back during our wait to find out that we were able to order the full menu there also. So to avoid the 45 wait and one of us getting hangry, we decided to eat at the bar. This turned out to be a great idea since there were two workers bartending and took our order promptly.

When we put our order in, the worker expected us to have a pie each. We didn't want to get too full so we were ok with sharing one, which I think had 6 slices. I was a little nervous that the honey in the bee sting pie would be too prominent that my bf wouldn't like it since he's not really a fan of sweets. To both of our surprise, it had a well balance of tangy with a hint of sweet. I'm usually not huge on crusts, but the oven burnt crust here was so crispy and light I'm pretty sure I left no scraps behind.

I will have to be back and try more of the different pies...I also may or may not have a whole bee sting pie to myself. Who knows

7/19/2016

The pizza is amazing, the wait ehhhhh. I have never been here a gotten a table under an hour and a half. Its very very popular. The last time my boyfriend and I went we got takeout and sat in the garden. Getting a seat is hard, you have to watch and wait, then pounce!

The crowd is mostly Bushwick young types, you will over hear horrible conversations and basic complaints. But the pizza is worth it! My favorite is the Bee Sting, with a side of olives. if you do get some take out you get to see them make the pizzas. Its a fascinating assembling line of sauce and cheese. The staff works hard, there are constant lines in this joint. From the bathroom, to the bar and the longest being the food line. Don't come hungry, it will turn quickly become hangry.  Do get the slushie! I don't know whats in it, but its refreshing and filled with booze.

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  Drinks. All the booze!

  Drinks. All the booze!

8/9/2016

• 1 check-in

Casual ambience; option of large outdoor seating area with cafeteria-style tables. Crust is soft with typical brick oven charring underneath. Many pies come with pork toppings with option to hold. Can create your own pie too.

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  Inside take out side of restaurant - their brick oven.

  Inside take out side of restaurant - their brick oven.

7/16/2016

• 1 check-in

Finally went to Roberta's after a long, long, long time of wanting to go, and it lived up to the hype -- I don't know if it's the best pizza in New York, but it's certainly in the conversation. We went with a big group, so we were able to get a bunch of different pies, including:

- Bee Sting
- Lamb of God
- Millenium Falco
- Beach Bod
- Margarita with prosciutto

The Lamb of God was my least favorite -- I don't really love ricotta, which kind of killed it for me. I loved the rest of them, with the Bee Sting being my favorite -- the honey and soppressata were just tremendous. The obvious comp (in my mind, anyway) is the Colony pizza in Emily, and I think both are among the top pizzas I've ever had.

The Beach Bod was also great -- partly sweet, partly spicy -- and the margarita with prosciutto is just an outstanding, classic choice. I also liked the Millenium Falco, but not quite as much as the others.

Overall, Roberta's met my extremely high expectations. I can't say that it's definitively better than (for example) Keste, or Emily, or maybe even Motorino, but it's outstanding nonetheless.

6/15/2016

• 1 check-in

• Listed in Who doesn't love a Slice?!, When in Brooklyn

Roberta's takes eating pizza to a whole new level and all the hype is definitely warranted.  If you want to dine in, enter through the red door, you will likely encounter a wait, but just give them your cell number and they will text you when your table is ready.  If you prefer take-out, walk passed the red door to the left.  There is also an outdoor garden where you can grab a drink, wait for your table or eat your takeout pie.

While the menu offers some non-pizza items, we were there for only 1 thing; the pizza.  We opted for the Famous Original and the Lamb of God.  Both were excellent; their crust is magic and amazing. While the crust had a delicate flavor it was by no means over-powered by the toppings.  It had just the right amount of elasticity and bite.  The Lamb of God was my favorite between the 2, it was topped with lamb sausage, ricotta, tomato, onions and chili. It hit all the notes and made for an amazing bite.  I want more.

They also have a nice selection of wine and beer and side note, their cold brewed iced tea is real good.

Go at off times to avoid the large crowds, but don't deny yourself giving it a try.

3/21/2016

• 1 check-in

Pizza in Brooklyn hipster twist style.

The pizza here is very fresh and the Robertas team has very unique flavor combinations. I opted for the beastmaster, lil' stinker, and cheesus Christ. Out of the three the best one seemed to be the lil' stinker overall. We did miss meat in terms of getting more than veggies although the beastmaster has sausage. The beastmaster had a sour bite to it that wasn't so appetizing. The cheesus Christ was a bit bland once your taste buds became accustomed to the first bite. I wanted to pour hot sauce on all three.

My dinner buddies hated the community bench seating. I found it appropriate for the neighborhood and fitting for the Robertas experience.

Overall I'd say fresh pizza, over priced appetizers, ok drinks. Go on a weekday so you don't wait crazy hours because time is precious and no one should wait 3 hours for pizza that isn't even classic NY style.

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  Don't judge a book by its cover

  Don't judge a book by its cover
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  The all important workhorse of the joint. Ovennnn

  The all important workhorse of the joint. Ovennnn
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  Menu

  Menu
• See all photos from Mary P. for Roberta's

6/23/2016

• 1 check-in

One of my favorite places in all of NYC. I have been here many times over the years. I like the food, the vibe, the decor, the music, simply everything about this place. This place never disappoints. My favorite is the bee sting. It's just about the best pizza on earth.

7/5/2016

Cool spot in Brooklyn that seems  bit sketchy to get to.

Had the beesting and it was a good pizza maybe just not by thing though. Next time, I'll order something with more meat.