August 17, 2023

Brooklyn-Style Pizza.

Pizza is such a quintessential American food. Brooklyn-style pizza is the standard by which New Yorkers judge pizza. What makes a Brooklyn-style pizza? Is it the dough, the cheese, the piping hot, coal oven, or the water? Pizza had its humble beginnings in Manhattan though overtime Brooklyn took the spotlight.

Where did pizza come from?

Italians immigrated to New York City en masse in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of the first neighborhoods Italians settled in were Greenwich Village and East Harlem. They brought their culinary traditions with them. The tasty convenience and price of New York pizza quickly became a hit howe. The first official pizzeria was Lombardi’s in Lower Manhattan where they are still cooking today.

Eventually Italians began to settle in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. They adapted their traditional recipes to suit the tastes and preferences of New Yorkers. Over time, a distinctive style of pizza emerged that was unique to Brooklyn.

In Italy, eating is an activity that is taken seriously.

Dinners are six-course events occurring at least once a week in Italy. Pizzas aren’t nearly as big, culturally or in terms of their sheer size, as Brooklyn-style pizzas however. American culture was a dramatic change from the rural, pastoral lives they left behind in their homelands in Italy.

Pizza is a cheap time-saver.

Many Italians that came to America were escaping poverty. They were eager to work demanding jobs with low compensation. New York City is constantly influx and on-the-move. Pizza is quick, convenient, and offers a nice portion for the price. You wait for a maximum of five minutes, take your pizza, fold it, eat it, and continue on your way. This convenience and affordability elevated pizza as a food staple in New York City.

What makes a Brooklyn-style pizza?

One of the most important factors in Brooklyn-style pizza was the availability of high-quality ingredients. Many pizzerias in Brooklyn used fresh, locally sourced ingredients, such as tomatoes from nearby farms and milk from local, pasture-raised cows. This gave Brooklyn-style pizza its distinct flavor and texture. Another important factor was the use of coal-fired ovens. The intense heat produced allows for fast cooking times. The pizza cooking on the floor of the oven also gives it that perfectly thin, toasty crust that beautifully contrasts with the gooey mozzarella cheese.

Wood-ovens imbue a pizza crust with a woodsy, rustic flavor, but it isn’t nearly as crunchy as brick oven pizza.

A Brooklyn-style pizza might feature pepperoni and cheese such as in this image of a slice of pepperoni pizza being lifted as cheese drips off the sides. — Pepperoni pizza slice with melted cheese dripping off of it as it’s lifted.

Pizza has been flung, spinning across the sky from sea to shining sea.

Over time, Brooklyn-style pizza has made an impact throughout New York City and beyond. Chicago deep dish pizza has a thick, doughy crust, the complete opposite of Brooklyn-style. In California it is customary to put ranch dressing on pizza. Many an argument is stirred over whether pineapple belongs on pizza. Brooklynites is on team pineapple.

Despite its popularity, Brooklyn-style pizza has faced its share of challenges over the years.

Rising rents and competition from other cuisines have made it difficult for many pizzerias to keep operating. NYC pizzerias are now feeling the heat even more with New York State mandating expensive, carbon emissions-cancelling filters for wood and coal-ovens. Despite all of this, many pizzeria owners remain true to the cause of preserving Brooklyn’s Italian, culinary heritage.

A picture of a Sbarro restaurant in Times Square, NYC. — Sbarro is a commercial pizza chain that started in Brooklyn.

Famous Brooklyn-style pizza.

One of the most famous pizzerias in Brooklyn is Di Fara Pizza, which was opened by Domenico DeMarco in 1965. Di Fara Pizza is known for its old-world style pizza. It is renowned as one of the best pizzerias in New York City. Over the years, many other pizzerias have opened, each offering their own unique take on the classic dish.

Brooklyn-style pizza goes commercial.

Who can forget, after a long day of shopping at Kings Plaza, grabbing a slice at Sbarro? Sbarro was founded in 1956 by Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro. It rose to popularity with its fresh food and Italian cuisine. Their pizzeria had its beginnings at 1701 65th Street and 17th Avenue in Bensonhurst, a heavily Italian enclave at the time. Sbarro’s success on 65th Street led to more locations in NYC. As noted, Kings Plaza Shopping Center has one. There were two Sbarros where the original World Trade Center once stood. Today Sbarro’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

Veteran Brooklyn pizza lovers will fondly remember Lenny’s Pizza.

Under the D train on 86th Street was Lenny’s. Lenny’s always had great pizza, but what they were really famous for was being in the opening scene of the iconic 70s movie Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta’s character, Tony Manero, struts down 86th Street, eating two slices simultaneously and looks cool doing it. The Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” blares in the background and accentuates Tony’s smooth walking. This scene and movie were so important at the time to Brooklynites who often felt overshadowed by Manhattan. It portrayed life in Brooklyn at the time, with all of its disco glamor and harrowing realities.

Lenny’s fans were heartbroken when it was announced they were closing. Fans, some from as far as Oregon, lined up down 86th Street and around the block to see Lenny’s off on February 19, 2023.

A promotional poster from the movie Saturday Night Fever, a movie featuring Brooklyn-style pizza. — Saturday Night Fever is a movie that came out in 1977 starring John Travolta.

Today, Brooklyn-style pizza remains a beloved food in New York City and beyond.

While there is some debate about what exactly constitutes Brooklyn-style pizza, most people associate it with a thin, crispy crust and large, foldable slices that can be topped with a wide variety of ingredients. Brooklyn-style pizza continues to evolve. Many pizzerias are traditional. But there are more parlors taking on pizza with an experimental zeal for flavors and toppings. Traditionally, pizza parlors only offered soda as a beverage, but lately many pizzerias offer wine and alcohol on their menus. Additionally, pizzerias cater to alternative lifestyles, such as veganism and vegetarianism, more than previously. Traditional or modern, Brooklyn-style pizza can’t be beat.

Here are top-rated pizzerias in Brooklyn you should grab a slice at.

Lucali

Experience some of the old world right on Henry Street in Carol Gardens. Lucali’s rustic setting is the perfect backdrop for dining on brick oven pizzas, calzones, and wine.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

Initially it started as an Italian ice and spumoni cart in Gravesend during World War II. Eventually Spumoni Gardens made the leap to pizza flinging. You can find L&B Spumoni Gardens at two locations, on Old Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn, and its original location on 86th Street in Gravesend.

Di Fara Pizza

Di Fara has been consistently rated by food critics and bloggers as one of the best Brooklyn-style pizzas in all of NYC for years. Established in 1965, it is a no-frills pizza parlor. You can find Di Fara on Avenue J in Midwood.

L’industrie Pizzeria

An artisan pizzeria, which could be found nowhere other than S 2nd Street in Williamsburg. Specializing in traditional recipes and experimental flavor combinations, the Fig Jam white pizza is one Brooklynites is keen on tasting.

Ops

Ops specializes in vegetarian pizza with toppings like broccoli rabe and radishes. Grab some at DeKalb Avenue in Bushwick.

Paulie G’s Slice Shop

Offering canned beer, traditional and experimental Italian fanfare, delivery and pickup, how can you go wrong? Find Paulie G’s on Noble Street in Greenpoint.

Espresso Pizza

Espresso serves up old-school, Brooklyn-style pizza. Find them in Bay Ridge on 5th Avenue and 94th Street.

Ace’s Perfect Pizza

Ace’s has an astonishing menu. They have more traditional “Grandma Thin” pizza pies. Their thin pizza menu is simple. You have regular or white pizza as options, with an array of possible toppings. The other menu features Detroit-style, square pizzas with loads of savory flavor combinations. Ace’s Perfect Pizza has two locations, one at Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, and one on Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg.

Cuts & Slices

Cuts & Slices has flung pizza and completely flipped it upside down. They might be the only pizzeria in Brooklyn, NYC, or America where you can get oxtail, chicken and waffle, or curry shrimp as toppings. Find them on Howard Avenue in Bed-Stuy.

Best Pizza

Best Pizza uses a century-old, wood-burning oven for its pizzas. It’s run by Frank Pinello. Being raised by a Sicilian family in Bensonhurst, he has to know a thing or two about Brooklyn-style pizza. Best Pizza is on Havemeyer Street in Bay Ridge.

Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana

Family owned since 1921. Being the oldest pizza establishment on this list, Napolitana specializes in traditional Italian cuisine. Being on the coast was devastating for so many businesses during Hurricane Sandy, and this was no less true for Napolitana. They are still here even after Hurricane Sandy and the pandemic. All of their ingredients are imported from Italy and their dough is never refrigerated. Passion and devotion are some other ingredients. You can find Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island.

As always I, and the team at Brooklynites, thank you for joining us on this exploration of the doughy, saucy, cheesy history of Brooklyn-style pizza. Click back soon. <3

Read about the history of bagels:

https://172-234-236-52.ip.linodeusercontent.com/the-history-of-the-bagel/

Read about the history of beer in Brooklyn:

https://172-234-236-52.ip.linodeusercontent.com/tipsy-in-brooklyn/