Since moving out west in 2001, my husband (another East Coaster) and I have been on a quest to find good, New York style pizza (the kind with the thin crust that you can get by the slice at most shops between Boston and D.C.). We haven't had much success so far, but I thought it would be worthwhile to documents our efforts to help fellow Pizza Questers.
I'll give each pizza a score:
- An "A" score means that I like this pizza so much I would go back and eat it again, and even go out of my way to go to that restaurant.
- "B" means the pizza is OK, but not great - if it was around at a party or if I was really hungry and the restaurant was nearby, I would go there.
- "C" means it's not very good... I'd never go to the restaurant, and I'd be visibly disappointed to find this served at a party, but I might still eat it if I was really, really hungry.
- "D" means it's actually revolting, and I wouldn't eat it under any circumstances. Round Table http://www.roundtablepizza.com/ is a good example of a "D".
Our quest is ongoing, of course, and I'll update this blog with each new place we try. In this initial post, I'll try to hit the highlights of the first six years of our quest!
California: The Highlights
I lived in Palo Alto, CA, from 2001 - 2006. There is virtually no redeeming pizza in the area. The best that we've found is a little bit too upscale to be the real deal, but it is pretty tasty, wood-grilled pizza, and that is Amici's Pizza http://www.amicis.com/ , which has locations in Redwood City, Mountain View, and San Jose. Amici's scores an A.
The best pizza I have had in the entire state of California is from San Diego at a place called Bronx Pizza http://www.bronxpizza.com/ . This is absolutely, 100% authentic New York style pizza. You can order whole pizzas or by the slice, and you can tell the people at the counter are authentic New Yorkers because they're kind of mean. Bronx Pizza scores an A+.
Seattle and the Eastside
I moved to the Seattle area in October of 2006; I love the area, but was disappointed to find the pizza situation was strikingly similar to that in California. Here's a list of all the pizza places I've tried in the first year I've been here:
Pagliacci Pizza http://www.pagliacci.com/index.shtml
Pagliacci is a chain in the Seattle area that has acceptable, but not great, pizza. I'd give it a B-. It's not quite thin enough, and the sauce isn't very flavorful. The best variety they offer is the "Margherita" pizza, which is noticeably better than their other combos: I'd give the Margherita a B.
Papazzi Pizzeria (in the foodcourt at Crossroads Mall, 15600 NE 8th St, Bellevue)
You can get by-the-slice pizza here, and it's pretty good, but a little too thick and a little too greasy to be true NY style. I give Papazzi a B-.
Zeek's Pizza http://www.zeekspizza.com/
Zeek's has several Seattle locations - I've been to the one in Greenlake. Definitely too thick to be New York style. I'd give it a C+. The restaurant people were friendly, though - we went during the big power outage in 2006, and brought our puppy with us (since our house had no heat), and nobody minded that she sat in the booth with us.
Topolino's Pizza http://topolinopizza.com/
Topolino's, in downtown Bellevue, seemed promising. The store smells great, and advertises "the taste of Brooklyn". The pizza is a little too thick for my taste, though - I think a true New York slice would be foldable (although I personally don't like to fold it), and this would be too thick to do that with. It is pretty tasty, though - I'd give it a B+.
Pudge Brothers Pizza http://www.pudgebros.com/
This store has several locations in the city, near UW. They claim to be New York style, but I thought it was too thick, and the sauce wasn't very good. I'd give it a C+.
#1 New York Pizza and Italian Food (17809 Highway 9 SE , Snohomish)
We drove all the way to Snohomish to try this pizza place, because we heard from a friend of a friend that it was good. The name certainly seemed promising. It was a little hard to find this place (Google Maps gave erroneous directions). When we finally found it (by calling them on the phone for directions 360-668-7282), the store was surprisingly small (only two tables) and filled with a variety of handcrafted knickknacks shaped like cute forest animals - definitely not a New York vibe. The pizza was definitely not the write thing - very thick, and not very good. I'd give it a C+. Definitely not worth the drive.
Tutta Bella http://www.tuttabella.com/
Tutta Bella has two locations in the city; I've been to the Columbia City location. This is delicious pizza, but fancy - it's expensive, sit-down pizza, no by-the-slice. It's officially certified as Italian Neapolitan style pizza, and has a very thin crust; the ingredients are all very fresh and high quality. While it isn't New York style, people who enjoy thin pizza will definitely like it. It's by far the most tasty pizza I've had in the Seattle Area. I give it an "A" (not an A+, since it's not technically New York style).
A New York Pizza Place (8310 Fifth Ave NE, Seattle)
I haven't been to this one yet to try it firsthand, but my husband tested it last week and said it was pretty authentic. He gives it an "A" (but he's a little more lenient than I am, since he's always hungry than me, so he thinks everything tastes better).
