A Seattleite's Quest for New York Style Pizza

Delancey

2009-08-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Delancey (1415 NW 70th St, Seattle) http://www.delanceyseattle.com/

Delancey opened up in Ballard about 3 weeks ago, and the lines to get in are pretty long. The lines are well-deserved, though -- the pizza is great! This isn't NY style, though -- this is fancy, wood-oven, thin-crust, high-quality cheese & toppings, Neapolitan style pizza. It's similar to Tutta Bella in many ways -- if you like Tutta Bella, you'll like Delancey. Note that they're only open for dinner (and only Weds - Sun); arrive after 8 pm to avoid the lines (or request a seat at the bar! or make a reservation if you are a group of 6 or more). An "A".

Real NY Style Pizza in Bellevue Square!

2009-07-03T19:41:00.001-07:00

I was in the Bellevue Square Mall today, when I stumbled across Villa Pizza (on the top level, near the entrance to Macy's). They serve by-the-slice, and the pizza is the most truly-authentic NY style pizza in the area, now that Zagi's is gone (not counting Brooklyn Brothers in Everett, but that's a long drive!). Thin, crispy, just the right amount of cheese. My one complaint is that there wasn't quite enough sauce, so I'm torn between A- and A. I'll go for A-, but maybe they were just having a bad sauce day :-)

Pizza on Bainbridge Island

2009-06-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island this weekend, to see whether they had more promising pizza options than the mainland. The two places I tried were tolerable, but nothing to write home about:

Westside Pizza (278 Winslow Way E, http://www.westsidepizza.com/)
Westside Pizza advertised "pizza by the slice" on the signs outside their shop, but it turns out they only have slices from 11 am - 3 pm. Since it was 4 pm, I had to order a medium pie in order to sample their wares, which took about 10 minutes. The taste reminded me of Dominoes, but slightly higher quality. The sauce was zesty in a good way, but the pizza was a bit greasy and the crust, though thin, was undercooked. I'd give this a B-, which is probably a bit generous, since I was really really hungry when I ate it (my tasting companion Julia gave it a C+).

That's A Some Pizza (488 Winslow Way E, http://www.thatsasome.com/tasp.htm)
This place had a funny name, so that's a bonus. They also had a cute little porch to sit on while eating the pizza. The pizza, unfortunately, was too thick to be NY style, and was sort of bland, though less greasy than the pizza from Westside Pizza. The crust, in addition to being thick, was also somewhat undercooked. I'd give this one a C+.

Some Capitol Hill Slices

2009-03-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

I tried a couple of by-the-slice pizza places in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood today, with mixed results:

Hot Mama's Pizza, 700 E Pine St, Seattle
I was happy that I tried out Hot Mama's pizza. The atmosphere was nice and casual, and the slices were generously sized. This was pretty close to New York style. It could have been a little bit thinner and tangier, but was basically the right thing. The sauce was a tiny bit sweet, which was sort of fun. I'd give this a B+.

Piecora's Pizza, 1401 E Madison St
, Seattle
Piecora's was a more disappointing experience. It took a really long time to get slices (they didn't seem to have sliced pizza out and ready), and the slices we got were of variable quality -- my friend and I each ordered a slice of cheese pizza, and the two slices looked as if they came from totally different restaurants. Neither was very good, though. They were quite greasy, and much too thick, and a bit heavy on the cheese. I'd give this a C.

Flying Pie Pizzeria, Issaquah, WA

2009-03-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was driving through Issaquah, and saw a giant sign advertising "Pizza by the Slice" outside of Flying Pie Pizzeria (http://www.flyingpiepizzeria.com/). Pizza by the slice is usually a good New-York-style indicator, so I stopped in. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed when the cashier informed me that I could not order a slice, only whole pies, because it was 3:30 p.m., and apparently slices are only on offer from 11 - 3. I think the giant "Pizza by the Slice" sign out front was rather misleading. I give them a "D" for false advertising.

Serious Pie

2008-12-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Serious Pie 316 Virginia Ave, Seattle

Today I tried Serious Pie, which was pretty good, but is more of a gourmet pizza than I was expecting. Also, a bit too pricy. I thought the crust was but too thick (and a bit overly done), but this was still pretty good if you're in the mood for fancy pizza. I'd give it a B+.

Perfect Pizza in Everett, WA

2008-08-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Brothers Pizzeria
1919 Hewitt Ave, Everett, WA
My husband heard about a good pizza place in Everett, but since that's about 45 minutes north of where we live, we hadn't had a chance to check it out until this weekend, when it turned out to be a convenient stopping-off point on the way back from the Anacortes ferry terminal. Brooklyn Brothers Pizzeria was definitely worth the trip! It was the real -- super thin crust, toppings not too heavy, available by the slice. Definitely an A, possibly even an A plus. On par with my current northwest favorite, Zagy's. Yum.

Best Eastside Pizza

2008-03-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Bridle Trails New York Pizza, 6501 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland, WA
This is the best pizza I've found on the Eastside. It's authentic New York Style! I give it an A-, only because I felt the crust, though thin, was a bit doughy/undercooked.

Pizza Time

2008-03-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Pizza Time, http://www.pizzatime.com/
I tried Pizza Time (Crossroads shopping center in Bellevue, WA), but wasn't a big fan. It was pretty greasy and even their "thin" pizza was quite thick. It tasted like fast-food pizza (a notch above Dominoe's, perhaps). A C+ at best.

Perfect Pizza in Boise, Idaho

2008-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Guido'sOriginal New York Stye Pizzeria, http://www.guidosdowntown.com/
While visiting Juliet in Boise, Idaho this weekend, she happened to mention that she had found some good, New York style pizza. Since Juliet grew up in Texas and Saudi Arabia, I was a little skeptical that she would be able to identify NY pizza, but my doubts were misplaced! We went to Guido's, in downtown Boise on 5th St., and it was an A+ -- the best NY style pizza I've had in the Pacific Northwest (and the cheapest, too! A large pie with 8 generous slices cost us only $10.50!). If you're ever in Boise, I highly recommend you stop by Guido's!

Veraci Pizza: Ballard Farmer's Market

2008-02-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Daniel Avrahami suggested I try Veraci pizza, and I'm glad we did. This is thin-crust pizza with zesty sauce and spices, made fresh in Veraci's portable pizza oven which they take to the Freemont and Ballard Farmer's markets. A bit pricy ($4 for a generous vegetarian slice), but good. I give his an "A", although it isn't technically New York style pizza. Directions to the Ballard Farmer's market are available at http://www.fremontmarket.com/ballard/.

Found it!

2007-12-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Zagi's Piza Ristorante, 2408 NW 80th St, Seattle
A friend recommended I try out Zagi's, and I'm glad I did -- this is by far the best, most authentic NY style pizza I've had in the Seattle area. The crust was thin, you can order either by-the-slice o whole pies, and it tasted great. Also, the slices are very generously sized. If you're a NY pizza fan, this is defintely the place to go -- this is an A.

2007-12-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

Pizzeria Guido (Crossroads, Bellevue, WA) http://www.pizzeriaguido.com/
This isn't New York Style pizza, but it is good thin-crust "fancy" pizza. This isn't takeout pizza -- it's sit-in-the-restaurant-with-your-date pizza. It was very good, though. Similar in style to Tutta Bella's, although not quite as good. I'd give it an A-.

Update on A New York Pizza Place

2007-11-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

I reported earlier that my husband had tried "A New York Pizza Place" ( http://www.snellsoftware.com/ANewYorkPizzaPlace/) but I hadn't yet. I went there tonight, and it was definitely real, New York style pizza. The crust was thin, you could order by the slice, and the sauce was pleasantly zesty. The only thing that was disappointing was the cheese, which seemed a little low-quality. Overall, though I'd give this an A-.

Whidbey Island

2007-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Village Pizzeria (106 First St., Langley, WA)
We heard a rumor that there was authentic New York style pizza to be found on Whidbey Island, so today we caught the ferry and headed to the Village Pizzeria in Langley. It definitely had the nicest view of any pizza place I've ever visited, perched on a cliff above the Sound. It also had the most authentic New York style pizza I've found in Washington thus far. It was thin, with an excellent crust and good, but not-too-thick, cheese. The only shortcoming was that there wasn't very much sauce on the pizza, and personally I think a zesty sauce is pretty key. So I'd give this an "A" for its authenticity but a B+ as far as taste (my husband, however, thinks it should get an "A" on taste, too -- he said that adding spicy pepper flakes and oil to his slice made up for the scarcity of sauce).

Good Sea-Tac Airport Pizza

2007-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Pallino Pastaria http://www.pallino.com/
I'm flying to California tomorrow, which reminded me that I forgot to report on the pizza situation at Sea-Tac airport. There is a location of Pallino's there, which has very good, thin pizza. It's sort of fancy pizza, not by-the-slice pizza, but it's good. I'd give it an A-. They also have good minestrone soup (vegetarian broth -yey!).

California Pizza Addendum

2007-10-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

I realize that my prior post's summary of the California pizza situation left out two places worth mentioning:

Pizza My Heart http://www.pizzamyheart.com/
This California chain has good-quality, by-the-slice New York style pizza. It's a bit pricey for a slice (2.50 just for a modestly sized plain slice!) but yummy. I give it an A.

N Y Pizza (325 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto)
N Y pizza claims to have authentic New York pizza... this place used to be decent (B+ quality), but changed ownership a couple years ago and it seemed to me like the quality went down after this change. I'd give it a B- in its current form. The pizza is a little too heavy and greasy, and the crust doesn't taste very good. FYI, my pizza pals and I have done the math, and, surprisingly, the personal-sized pizza is a better pizza-per-dollar value than the larger pies.

West Coast Pizza Quest: The Early Years

2007-10-27T16:52:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying that I love the West Coast - I unambiguously prefer the landscape, people, and lifestyle to that of the northeast, where I spent my first twenty-one years. As far as I can tell, there are only two drawbacks of living out west: people drive too slowly (the left lane is for passing!) and the pizza sucks.

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).