By Noah Marinaccio ’19
Of all the foods synonymous with New York City, pizza is, without a doubt, the first that come to mind. Pizza has been ingrained within the fabric of New York City since the influx of Italian immigrants during the early 20th century. As New Yorkers, we are blessed to have access to excellent pizza pretty much everywhere we go. Most of us have our favorite pizza parlor, but I am here to compilate what I find to be the best that the borough has to offer.
Frank’s Pizza, Pelham Bay
Many residents of Pelham Bay are familiar with this two room pizza parlor underneath the 6 train on Middletown Road. They are most famous for their Grandma Pizza which is similar to a Sicilian but much thinner.A Grandma Pizza traditionally consists of a square crust with a tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella as opposed to the shredded variety normally used on pizza. They offer it in two varieties: regular and spinach. This Grandma Pizza is reason enough for you to take a trip there because there really isn’t a thin crust square pizza as good as it in the borough. Their regular slices and rolls are also very good (shout-out to the chicken parm roll). The distinctiveness of their offerings make this spot stand out compared to other slice joints in the neighborhoods.
Tommy’s Pizza, Throggs Neck
A little bit further south in the Throgs Neck neighborhood lies a small unassuming slice parlor known as Tommy’s Pizza. This pizzeria is quite popular among the high school and elementary school students in the neighborhood. The small counter and speedy service makes this very charming and rustic. The main appeal of this spot is the plain slice with a distinctive cornmeal layer on the bottom crust. The cornmeal adds a distinct and delicious dimension of flavor to the delicious thin crust slice. As far as plain slices go, this is one of the best in the borough.
Sorrento’s, Morris Park
Morris Park is the trademark Italian neighborhood of the Bronx. So therefore, you would think they have some quality pizza parlors. You would be correct in this assumption and one of my favorites is Sorrento’s on Williamsbridge Road. Similar to Frank’s, they specialize in square pizzas such as their Sicilian which is famous. However, the gem on the menu is the focaccia pizza. This pizza is like a perfect hybrid between a Sicilian and the thin crust grandma slice from Franks. The crust is superb and they use fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for their sauce, what isn’t to love?
Dominick’s Pizza and Three Boys, Allerton
Dominick’s unassuming storefront on Allerton Avenue may seem to be just a generic neighborhood pizza joint. However, I find their unique specialty slices such as a Artichoke Spinach dip slice, and a lasagna slice to be worth going to on a regular basis. The same can be said about Three Boys from Italy on Burke Avenue which recently rebuilt after a devastating fire that had them closed for over a year. But now they are back and better than ever thanks to their large array of made to order slice toppings and the convenient location right off the 2 train.
Pizza is vitally important to our way of life in NYC and there is indeed an abundance of good pizzerias from which to choose. This makes it important that we support our local pizza parlors because more often than not they are producing handcrafted quality pizza at a reasonable price. So next time you pick up that plain slice from your local pizza place, remember the importance it holds to our city and our way of life.
Restaurants discussed in this article:
Sorrento Pizzeria 2004 Williamsbridge Road Bronx, NY
Frank’s Pizza 2823 Middletown Road Bronx, NY
Tommy’s Pizza 4003 East Tremont Avenue Bronx, NY
Dominick’s Pizzeria 1015 Allerton Avenue Bronx, NY
Three Boys From Italy 704 Burke Avenue Bronx, NY
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